My First Power Test

Instrument of torture

Last night I completed my first-ever 20 minute power test at RPM. It was a nasty, nasty thing, and it was a really surprising trip to have that third number staring back at you. I think I have a long way to go in really harnessing a power-reading as a tool, but I can see the benefits already.

As Mike explained later on, when you do a workout based on power instead of heart rate, you are using much more "honest" numbers. Your heartrate can change depending on how stressful your day was, what time you're completing your workout or even just as you become more fit. So pegging your progress on that alone can be misleading.

Enter "Power" and you can see the point at which you're no longer doing yourself any good, and switch to just beating yourself up. That's also the point where you stop, by the way, so that you can still get something out of your training the following day.

I had a great time beating myself up last night in order to get a baseline for more workouts. I'm really excited to add this new dimension to my training. And now that it's over, 20 minutes didn't seem so bad. ;)

Here's my test -- don't judge. Obviously, consistency is an acquired art. haha.

Power Playlist
Stronger - Kanya West
Paper Planes - MIA
Sweet Dreams - Beyonce
No Heaven - Champion
Little Secrets - Passion Pit
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap (Tiesto Remix)
Broke my Eyes - Donkeyboy

PS - to learn more about Power from the CycleOPs "Power Training Experts", click here.