I really like the concept of power meter training. It makes it possible for me to convert my knowledge about exercise physiology to the best possible training for my riders.
Let me give you an example that demonstrates what I talk about.
Gonzalo Vilaseca from Spain is an experienced rider who had been riding quite seriously the last 3 years before he participated in the Power Meter Project 2007 here on Training4cyclists.com. Before he started out on my 12 week training program he was able to perform 357W/5min and 321W/20min with a body weight of 73kg.
Quite impressive numbers so it was no easy task for me to make him significant stronger in only 12 weeks. I decided to put the most focus on building a large aerobic engine. In old days (and still found in most standard training programs) such an engine was period with long slow distance training without intervals, but I let Gonzalo test one of the newer training strategies with more intensive training.
Actually it was a quite intensive training program with intervals every second day. These intervals were designed to increase his VO2max and aerobic endurance.
I’ve used similar technics in my two latest training programs: 12 Week Winter Training Program and VO2 Max Booster Program. The VO2 Booster program though is an extreme, short and focused demonstration of how you can use a power meter to increase your VO2 max.
We know that well trained riders need intervals with an intensity close to their VO2 max to make further progress. You might wonder why I keep telling you this, but lets look at the results from Gonzalo:
The hard work payed of and he made some impressive results. His 5min maximum power went up to amazing 416w (+59W) and still weighing only 73kg. His 20min maximum power made a significant increment from 321 to 342w. I think these numbers speak for themselves.
You can read an interview with Gonzalo here.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Have you published the training program for Gonzo? I do 3×20 minutes at FTP on Tuesdays and 5×5 minutes at VO2 Max on Thursdays. Then longer rides at the weekend. Sounds like you just did V02 Max workouts with Gonzo for the first 6 weeks and then shorter anaerobic workouts during the second 6 weeks. Would this be better training for me?
He performed VO2 max and threshold work throughout the 12 weeks. In the final 6 weeks we introduced more anaerobic sessions to increase his anaerobic endurance. It takes less time to improve anaerobic than aerobic endurance.