Product News – Training with Wattbike

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Training with power using the Wattbike – convenient & no messing around setting up a turbo trainer

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Product News – Training with Wattbike

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In recent years there’s been a huge growth in interest from riders at all levels in training with power, and with good reason too. Being able to monitor the intensity of your training has a significant impact on performance, whether that be for a TT, road race or a sportive.

Training with power indoors removes all of the variables that often compromise a good quality session and that’s the same whether it’s in the depths of winter or mid-summer. The effects of wind, rolling resistance and traffic are eliminated, allowing you to undertake accurate, repeatable and measurable training sessions.

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The experts in power at Wattbike have a long track-record of working with elite athletes and coaches, beginning with British Cycling in the early 2000’s through to more recent relationships with England Rugby, a host of Premierhsip football clubs, multiple Formula 1 drivers and countless world and Olympic champions in track and field, rowing and sailing to name a few.

Wattbike Sports Scientist, Eddie Fletcher, has strong views when it comes to training with power: “It’s by far the most efficient and effective way to train for athletes at all levels. I’d go as far to say that the benefits for riders outside of elite level competition are even greater as they have to balance family and work commitments with training. Using a Wattbike means there are no unknowns, you track the key variables with scientifically accurate real-time feedback from every pedal revolution.”

Wattbike_Eddie_Fletcher

Fletcher is a big champion of using data to help riders progress, whether that be for a shot at a world title or to go faster in a local 10m TT. Many people will already be using heart rate as a way to monitor training but this only tells a small part of the story. Fletcher continues: ‘For me, the key variables to measure in every training session are mechanical intensity (power), physiological intensity (heart rate), cadence (leg speed) and muscle activation (pedaling technique).”

The Wattbike monitors all of these variables and more with a high degree of accuracy and it’s the live pedaling technique analysis that piques the interest of amateur and pro cyclists when they first step on the indoor trainer. “We call it making the invisible skill visible.” says Fletcher. He continues: “There are a lot of misnomers about pedaling technique and it’s always disappointing to read of elite coaches and riders talking of pedaling in circles. The body is not biomechanically designed to apply the same force throughout the 360 degress of a pedal stroke.”

Wattbike_Polar view_Elite_Cyclist

With over a decade of research with most of the top cycling federations including British Cycling and Cycling Australia the team at Wattbike have an enviable database of elite riders’ technique. Fletcher reveals: “No matter what the cycling discipline, elite riders all show a very similar pedaling technique. The power outputs may vary over differing durations but what we call the sausage shape, as shown on the Polar View on the Wattbike, is the one produced time and again by elite riders.”

The implications for those of us who don’t get paid to ride a bike are that that by training on a Wattbike we can significantly improve our pedaling technique during indoor sessions. An improved pedaling technique encourages correct muscle activation and can lead to the rider producing more power for the same physiological effort. Turn that on its head and you’re getting free speed simply by pedaling correctly.

Fletcher neatly summed up the benefits of training on a Wattbike: “It’s convenient, there’s no messing around setting up a turbo trainer when you return home from work. The accuracy gives you complete confidence that you are training in the correct zone to get maximum benefit from every session. Add in that the Wattbike feels like riding a real bike combined with the live pedaling technique analysis and you really have the ultimate training tool. Did we mention the whole family can use the Wattbike too?”

For more information on training with power, pedaling technique, a range of training plans and news on a special offer on reconditioned Wattbikes please visit www.wattbike.com.

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