Trial on 145 cranks

Well Frank was kind enough to get me a set of PC's to try that had a bit more adjust-ability for length. My PC's only went to 160 which I have been riding on for quite some time now. But I really wanted to start playing around with the shorter stuff and see how it felt. So as soon as I got them I hurried like it was Christmas and put them on to ride them and see how they felt. I actually had a chance to go and do some training on the IM St. George course. As soon as I got riding I felt an immediate difference with the 145's it was crazy. It felt easier I was able to get my seat higher due to the shorter crank, which is making me more aero on my bike due to the lower front end, which I am able to get lower than ever before. I never thought I'd be able to get as low as I am. But with the non impingement in my hips from having shorter cranks I am not as scrunched up in my hips which is making a world of difference in my breathing cause that was the other major thing that I noticed was my breathing was way easier in the aero position.
I am in the process of doing a real test and trial with different lengths on a computrainer to really see what length is good for me and to see what a difference in power I can and will have with shorter cranks. So we shall see shortly. But for now I am loving the 145's.

Heath

New Poster!

Hello fellow Power Crankers! This is my first post on this blog and I thought I would share my background with using Power Cranks.

I was first introduced to Power Cranks via a professional cycling friend. I was retiring from cycling, took on a 'grown-up' job, and started into triathlon. Without a running background Power Cranks really assisted me with making a 'transition' to the triathlon world especially in regards to my running. I could keep run volume low to start and supplement with Power Cranks. To my surprise I was improving tremendously on the bike as well, especially sustained climbs which were never my specialty especially living in Minnesota.

One key element that I find Power Cranks to be extremely useful for, but is rarely discusses, is bike fit. So often I see people with extremely high saddle height especially in the triathlon world. The extension/ plantar flexion of the lower leg coupled with rocking hips leads to calve cramping and low back pain. I've used Power Cranks to demonstrate that you can't even pedal with independent legs in such a position. I've also had success dialing in cleat position with the Power Cranks. Just another use for this great tool.

Perhaps my biggest story is in regards to a brutal accident and recovery. In April of 2008 I was in great shape coming into the season. My main goal for the year was the Hawaii Ironman which I had qualified for at Ironman Wisconsin the previous September. I was commuting home from work on my motorcycle when a car swerved over 4 lanes of empty freeway (it was late evening) and took me out. The impact was on my left side and I shattered my tib/fib and pelvis. 5 surgeries and 10 weeks of training after getting off crutches almost exclusively on Power Cranks allowed me to finish the Hawaii Ironman. I continued religious use and baffled my doc in regards to the expedited rehab especially in regards to bilateral strength. In 2009 I came back strong winning a few local races and setting a course record on 1 occasion in which I averaged 28mph for an olympic distance, more than 2.5mph faster than the next fastest on the bike segment. I also had the fastest run time - I hate run training and only run 25 miles per week.

This past year my wife and I had our first child, a boy named Kai. My focus has been on him and 90% of my limited training has been on Power Cranks. Although I'm certainly not as fit as last year I am able to stay in relative shape with limited time. I plan to make another go next year with the main goal of getting back to Hawaii to actually race versus simply finishing.

My experience with Power Cranks has thus served many purposes: performance (both bike and run), rehabilitation, bike fit, and time crunched training. There are obviously many more uses out there and I'm excited to check this blog frequently to get more ideas.

Happy training!

Jeremy

5th in NS Provincials

Last weekend I finished 5/12 in our 40km Prov ITT (B Ability Cat). Only 55sec separated me from the leader but it was my lower power:wt ratio that held me back on the two hill portions. The 7wk Chris Carmichael TT Program I followed had the desired effect as my Aug 17th lab test indicated I was pushing more wattage at threshold. Lab test - completed 3 min at 354 watts/85rpm. I did miss a couple of TT sessions due to the really high humidity in weeks 3 and 5, so only completed 80% of the program. I am happy with my placing. The P4 is a great bike!

My power to weight ratio for the lab test was 4.2 (354 watts at 84.3 kg for 3 min duration). In 4 months time I start riding with the Senior 2/3 riders in Halifax so my goal is to drop 10kg to get my p:wt over 5. I recently saw a chart displaying the average pwr:wt ratio for all cats with Senior 2/3 being 4.5 for 20 min duration. I am going to change my lab test procedure so instead of trying to continually hit a higher number I will hold 396 watts for as long as I can. I figure, as no race next season will have a climb of more than 15 min duration, at race pace a 15 min duration at 396 watts at 75kg computes to a 5.3 pwr:wt ratio. Now I only have to get to 75kg.

I have 5 rides planned per week til then including a 20K TT session, 2 hr climb workout, 2 hr race simulation, and a Sunday 120+ km EM ride. Except for the race sim w/o all sessions will be completed with PowerCranks and PowerTap unit. 2000 cals/per day and additional calories burned in the spinning classes and run workouts I complete a few times per week should do it.

I'll let you know how I did in Dec.

Hope everyone had a great summer.

TT WORKOUT 4/12

Without a doubt a really bad workout. Warm-up 20 minutes with four 45 sec LT intervals to prep my system for the 7.5 km distances to come. Exact same conditions/start time as last Sat but just didn't have it today. I think I started out too hard as well.

Honestly, the PC's felt like they weighed 10lb s each. If I didn't stop pedaling on the downhills I would never have recovered as much as I did for the next roller.

Interval #1 - 6km only/9:46 min/36.41 avg (down 4km/hr)/77 rpm (down 8)/264 Avg Watts (down 50+wts avg since Tue)

Interval #2 - Completed first 2km with a 50.1 km/hr avg (strong tailwind) and was DONE. I'm not an extreme humidity/hot temp rider so the effort felt much harder than it really was I'm sure. The cranks felt like they weighed a ton on the second interval. So, I did 5 more really hard 1 min on 1 min off intervals on distance remaining and called it a day.

Next week are Tue/Fri 2x10km w/10min rest with Powercranks. For the remainder of the TT schedule Wk 4 10k/Wk 5 20k/Wk 6 25k with 5 min recovery between efforts I'm going to switch over to my regular cranks.

TT WORKOUT 3/12

Tue, July 13th at 6:00 p.m.

Conditions: 25C feels like 35C/Sunny/15km steady headwind on 1st effort/Rolling course - Bishopville/Was extremely humid.

I was a bit off on distance because I didn't reset my PowerTap computer with each effort but choose the interval function instead. Distance was suppose to be 2x7.5km w/10 min recovery between efforts. 167.5mm crank length.

Effort 1 - 11:17/7.66 km /40.62 km/hr/avg / 85 avg rpm / 315 avg watt
Effort 2 - 10:48/6.9 km / 38.2 km/hr/avg / 85 avg rpm / 298 avg watt

Effort 1 perceived level of exertion was very high (18-19/20 BORG SCALE) so I wasn't surprised that the averages were lower on the second interval even with the tailwind.

Next entry on Fri or Sat. Three hour ride planned for tonite.

TT WORKOUT 2/12

I did two 2.5 hr days back to back on Wed/Thur so when it came time to do my TT workout Fri nite my legs were already feeling kinda fatigued. (I guess I went harder Thur than I thought I did.) So, I moved my 2x5km TT session to this morning.

Results:

Conditions: 25C Feels like 35C/Overcast/25km steady headwind on first effort/Start time: 9:15 a.m./Course: Rolling course

Effort 1 - 5km - 41.08km/hr / Avg Watts - 334 / Time 7:14 / Avg Cadence: 84
Effort 2 - 5km - 39.46km/hr / Avg Watts - 313 / Time 7:34 / Avg Cadence: 86

Eventhough there was a tailwind with the second effort I was slower. Felt a higher than normal level of fatigue + the humidity is at 83%. Speed on one hill, at 2km mark, I dropped below 30km/hr. Wasn't happy about that.

Haven't spent any time standing on the PC's yet but, being a former bodybuilder, when I climb out of the saddle I feel like I'm standing a 4x8 sheet of plywood up into the wind. (probably not that bad but I am a lot wider than most cyclists thru the shoulders and with much larger lats)

I may have to stand on race day and if it turns out that I am faster with the PC's than without, I will have to perfect my standing effort in the next 6 weeks.

Next results on Tue.

Back on the CRANKS

I haven't been using my power cranks for the last couple months since race season began. My lab testing though indicated a huge improvement in VO2 max from April to June test. VO2 increased from 58 to 67. Last nite I started my TT specific training for the Nova Scotia Provincials on Aug 22. I am using the power cranks in each session and a Chris Carmichael TT program from his first training book.

Tue/Fri workouts

Wk 1 - 2x5km w/10min recovery between efforts
Wk 2 - 2x7.5km w/10 min recovery
Wk 3 - 2x10km w/10 min recovery
Wk 4 - 2x10km w/5 min recovery
Wk 5 - 2x15km w/5 min recovery
Wk 6 - 2x20km w/5 min recovery
Wk 7 - Tue - 1x7.5 / Sun - Prov ITT

I will be substituting my final lab test for the Wk 7 Training session.

The first session went excellent. As I mentioned I haven't been using the cranks for about 10 weeks I guess but they felt really great. I shortened the length to 167.5 after reading some of the latest info on the PC website. I am currently 176lbs, using a Cervelo P4 with Easton Aero wheels equipped with a SLC+ Powertap unit. I was given a 3hr bike fit with the purchase and am not set-up in a overly aggressive position as my hams are tight and need some flexibility training.

First session data

Conditions: 22 degrees / overcast / no wind / 6:15 p.m. start / A-B rolling course - Bishopville

5km #1 - Avg Speed - 41.8km/hr / Avg Watts - 343 / Time: 7:08
5km #2 - Avg Speed - 40.8km/hr / Avg Watts - 334 / Time: 7:23 (a bit more uphill on return)

I would have easily broken 7:00 min on the first attempt but couldn't get into my 11 cog. I think its a limit screw issue.

I will continue to update twice a week for the duration of the program, shorten the cranks next Tue as well for the same course, and finish up with posting my final lab results on Aug 17th.

I am using the 40k Prov ITT course for my Fri session. By Wk 6 I will be completing the entire out and back with a 5 min recovery in between 20km efforts.

Keep the rubber side down

Alan

My Powercrank experience so far...

After my 2 spinal fusion operations of my L5-S1 vertebrae I was seriously lacking core stability, an overcompensated right leg and a very weak and skinny left leg, and not much glute or hip strength! I started using Powercranks mainly to rehabilitate myself before doing any serious training.

In November and December I had a bit of difficulty getting used to Powercranks. This took a bit longer than usual but it was to be expected after the work I had to do initially to rebuild myself post surgery. I was doing 20-30 minute rides on the rollers to start off with. It was hard (to say the least!) trying to keep both legs pedalling for long periods of time so I had to use a range of different techniques to complete longer rides. These included pedalling with one leg for a few rpm’s, then the other for the same amount of rpm (in and out of the saddle). To help with my core that little bit extra I would do some 2 minute drills in a big ish gear (53×13-16) with both pedals going around at the same time. Towards the end of December I was able to do 50-60 minute rides on the rollers.

Going into January I was able to get out on the road to do some rides. These started off at 30 minutes partly due to the weather, but increased to 2 hours by mid March. This period was mainly the same as my roller riding, basically just getting used to riding, ensuring the muscle balance, and mostly getting used to riding outdoors. It was a major step up riding up hills, riding into headwinds from riding indoors. By March I was fairly confident in myself that I had recreated the balance in my legs muscles and also built up my core strength and hip flexors to enable me to do longer rides and more specific efforts.

Going into the later part of March I was able to do rides consistent of 1hr45 to 2hrs30. Many of these included doing sprint drills, one leg drills, hill efforts and tempo drills.

Along the way I learned more about Powercranks other benefits that I would not have expected beforehand. I have no doubt that my strength has increased from using the Powercranks. My pedalling overall is very efficient, especially on climbs where I now also have the combination of efficiency and strength that I did not have before. This was a good base for getting back into racing and longer training rides.

My first 2 races back were 50km handicap races. The first race was to test the waters after not racing for 2 and a half years. I have no idea where I finished but it was very near last. In the second race I was able to do turns on the front and be there in the final for a 5th place after leading the sprint out. A few days after that I did my first big road race which was the Welsh Road race champs. It was 130km completed in 3 hours, and I ended up finishing 9th! I was just hoping to finish… It was a lot easier for me to complete the harder and longer rides after coming off Powercranks; my legs were much stronger to be able to cope with the stresses of racing, and my breathing and heart rate was lower than it previously was. I have also noticed a huge improvement in my walking.

The most significant improvement is hip flexors and my left hamstring muscles which were previously non-existent on my left side. The one thing that did surprise me was my flexibility. Using the Powercranks combined with my home stretching and core stability routine, Powercranks have helped my flexibility to no end, which I did not expect. For someone who has had 2 spinal fusion operations, I should not be able to fit my head between my knees whilst being able to plant my hands flat on the floor! Once I have completed my racing season in 2010 I will be using my Powercranks to start off my winter training, and to do harder efforts and rides until the racing season starts in 2011.

I recommend Powercranks to anyone. Whether it be for rehabilitation purposes or for improving your cycling, running or walking. They are by far the best piece of cycling equipment I have ever purchased!

Killington SR

Hey

Sat, May 29 and I'm here at Killington and 3 hrs away from start of Stage I. Last hard ride Tue, 50km ride yesterday checking out the TT and hill climb for Sun/Mon. Legs feel really great.

Stage I relatively flat for the sprinters (eventhough I'm a sprinter was advised not to get involved as these guys will be using 55x11 and I'll just get in the way) and will try to be with the pack and finish 10 sec same time leading into the 17km TT Sun afternoon. Looking forward to finally racing on my new P4.

I'm not in contention here but one of the guys I'm with is, so the rest of us (3 riders) will try to help him out on Sunday.

New personal long distance on PC's

I finally went over 100 miles in one day on PC's last week during the Chico Wildflower Century ride. It was actually 115 miles at the end of the day after riding to the start from my house. My previous highest mileage was 75 about two weeks prior. Still training to get up to riding a double century on PC's by the end of the season.

Test results

Back in the lab a couple of weeks ago for a 6mth retest. Performed a ramp-up test with increases every 3 min - 167/250/292/333/354 (90sec) watts @ 85RPM. The 354 watt level was an increase from Nov, 2009. Results: VO2 up from 5.5 to 6.6 and lactate levels dropped from 10 to 8.8. Techs said that results indicated my base training had the desired effect. Next retest in 8 weeks is scheduled 5 days before my first goal event, the Nova Scotia Provincial Road Race Championships.

Did a 1 hr TT the other day (road bike/regular cranks) producing the following numbers:
Averages: Watts 260 and 32 km/hr. When I got back to training last Sept I would have puked after five minutes at that intensity so I'm feeling really great about my conditioning going into my race season in three weeks.

Peak power records to date (PowerTap Pro+):
5sec - 1023 / 30sec - 507 / 60sec - 468 / 5min - 324 / 10min - 287 / 30min - 274 / 60min - 264 / 120min - 212. Love the PowerTap everyone should have one. Seeing a new PB after a hard ride only motivates me more to see how much I can improve.

This Friday I'll pick up my first TT bike, a Cervelo P4 equipped with an SLC+ Powertap with Easton EC90 Aero Tubulars. I'm placing my powercranks on the Cervelo for my 2nd season goal on Aug 22, our NS Prov ITT Championships. So, between now and then (16 weeks) I'll be doing ALL TT training with my PC's.

Safe riding everyone.

Oldies but Goodies

Every once in a while we see some first generation PowerCranks being sent in for service. This particular set is about 11 years old and still going strong! Consider that the original clutches have seen about 80000 miles of use.
After a little cleaning and cosmetic upgrade they are back out the door ...

Happy Training,

Andrew

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

New SS Block

Hey

Well the weather here in the Maritimes last week was just amazing, eventhough on the nicest day of the week at 18 degrees Celcius I didn't even get out on my bike. Last week finished tempo block with a 50 min 275W avg workout and 12 hours outdoors. It was a very nice week.

Today 30 mm rain! Just finished my first Steady State session - Two 8 min intervals with 15 min ramp up warm-up and 8 min rest period between intervals.

INT #1 - 85 AVG RPM / 265 AW
INT #2 - 86 AVG RPM / 275 AW (this is what I was aiming for)

Thur 2 x 10 / Sun 2 x 12 with 1:1 W/R Ratio / Week 3 doing 3 sets / Week 4 doing 4 sets

Goal is to get all intervals above 275 AW and 90 RPMS. We'll see how it goes.

But, it was a great but tough workout. I find the first one always is.

I know I'm suppose to take a week recup between training blocks but since I got lazy and started my Tempo block a week late, I think its better to take an easy week before I head on my three week vacation where I will be doing average 20 hrs per week + a few 5-10k runs. The goal there is climb/miles/weight loss of 5-7 lbs

I'll keep my total volume the same this week instead of adding an hour and a half as planned.

The result of the Rusko recovery test on Wed might indicate differently though.

Ciao

Much progress

Hi

Training has been going great. Finally starting to feel one with the PC's on the road. New X-Lites are much lighter and feel much lighter. Definately feel a difference in picking less weight up over the top of the stroke.

Twelve hours last week with third/final week of Tempo block starting today. Started at 20 min two weeks ago tomorrow with PC's on CycleOps Alum rollers. A great workout! Much less boring and more challenging than on a trainer. Program consists of 3 Tempo workouts per week T/Th/Sun and added 5 min per session. Yesterday felt great with Tempo 45"/72Avg RPM/242 Avg Watts. Tomorrow 50 min (tempo all indoors) finishing with 60 on Sun and shooting for a 245 avg watts.

I'll have to cut back on the volume a couple of hours next week (14 hrs this week all outdoors as the weather is +10C most days) because Steady State training block begins and I want a good rest week before I leave for Umbria, IT for CR/EM Phase on April 17th for three weeks.

Hope everyone's training is going well and, even if you may not be interested, I'll keep you updated as to my Powercrank progress anyway. :-) If you're not familiar with terms such as tempo, steady-state, or EM, check out Chris Carmichaels book "The Ultimate Ride".

If you don't know who Chris Carmichael is, you really need to find out.

Alan

Rollers!

After a couple of more outdoor rides on the basic cranks I am really seeing the importance of lots of time on the rollers with the product. I spent a few sessions on them in Jan then switched to the trainer exclusively. I found the rollers w/PC's just too difficult at the time. After a couple of weeks off the rollers however, I got back on them and was amazed at the efficiency I now had.

I can't explain this improvement. I wrote above that I see the importance of roller work. I say this because on the road I really feel the lack of efficiency between my left and right pedal strokes.

I have now started to do all indoor workouts on my rollers and outdoor rides to build endurance. Three hr outdoor ride before I leave for Italy in 8 wks is my goal. Starting next week is my Tempo phase building from 30 to 60 min over 3 wks (adding 5 min per session x 3x's/wk) and after a week recovery I will perform 3 weeks of Steady State building from 2-4 sets of 8 min intervals (1:1 W:R) in Wk 1 up to 2-4 sets of 12 min intervals in Week 3.

We'll see what happens. One thing is for sure, the concentration needed for the roller work makes the time spent inside a lot less boring than on the trainer. Oh, if you're going to invest in a set of rollers, don't cheap out. Buy the CycleOps w/aluminum rollers. Little to no vibration in the hands and smooth, smooth, smooth!

2nd Outdoor Ride

Like I mentioned it has/had finally warmed up here. Took Mon off, got in 70 min on the trainer with an hour run on the snowshoes on Tue, and yesterday outdoors 40km on my heavy steel Marinoni with Powertap and PC's. Didn't feel as ackward as my first outdoor ride but the last 5km was brutal. Even on the small grades my hip flexors would fail to the point where just lifting the cranks was tough I had to stop pedaling to rest my flexors after I crested the hill (bump actually). I was very happy to be back home where I double-checked my distance. Turns out I hadn't finished a hard 100km ride that my legs were telling me I had.

Two sessions to put in today. One hr this morning on the snowshoes and then late this afternoon on the trainer for 75 min. I would go out again if it was only going to be -3 but the weather gods are saying gusts of 70k. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Only 9 weeks to Italy!

Warmer in the East

It has finally warmed up to normal temps here on the East Coast and rideable weather is here. Looking out my window the pavement is bare and no wind. Going snowshoeing for a couple of hours this afternoon though. (my 6 mth old border collie has been climbing the walls as we've only been doing short walks since the cold temps hit).

Just got off the trainer, 70 minutes --- 20 FM, 20 EM, 5min in SS avg 265wts, 5 min rest, 3min in SS (tough, planned to do 5, too early in the training season to start suffering much and I was suffering), finish with 12 min cooldown. Started getting really bored around 20 min. Outdoors this afternoon though and on the rollers tonite for 30min.

Superbowl Sunday

Sixty-six min today. Thought I would do a 5km ITT test today but after a good 20 min warm-up my heartrate was much higher than I expected so I decided it was NOT a good day to attempt a PB. However, I did perform a one minute max wattage test averaging 347 watts and then, after 2 min recovery time, a 30 sec max wattage test averaging 468 watts. (both seated)

I'll repeat those tests a few days after my lab test on Mar 11 and see where I stand. My goal then will be 375 avg wts for one min test and 500 avg wts for 30 sec.

Must admit I've been slack on the PC roller workout this week. Only 10 weeks to Italy and 14 to my first race so its time to get it in. I believe that it will make a huge difference in my riding, control, and wattage numbers.

Anyone else attending the North American Masters RR in Sutton, QC and/or the GMSR in Vermont this season?

What a session!

I have to say I wasn't looking forward to a boring 64 min on my trainer today (still -18 outdoors) but I can't remember the last time I had such a great workout. I teach group bootcamp classes so I was pretty warmed up by the time I got on the bike.

First 50 min was 85 rpm (53x19) and struggled to keep from checking the clock. I was amazed at my HR though because yesterday I averaged 154 but today 146! The first 50 min seemed effortless (leg wise) so I decided to do a 10 min tempo interval and then a 5 min cooldown to finish my session.

Tempo Zone HR - Avg 156, Watts Avg 225, 53/17 @ 85 RPM AVG, RPE - 6/10! Could have done twice that amount but I'm still in EM and only doing one Tempo interval/wk now to be ready for my three times/wk Tempo block starting in a couple of weeks.

-23C w/windchill Arrrrrg!

Taking Andrew's advice I am doing one session per day on my trainer (-23C w/windchill so definately not venturing out) to build endurance. The other session on rollers for 30 min. I am up to 62 min today on my trainer and will be adding two min /day towards my goal of completing a 2hr ride in 5 weeks (before my next lab test).

I am so bored already riding indoors. If the winds diminished, and it warmed up to a respectable -5, and we had more snow, at least I could get out and snowshoe train. So, using TV, race dvd's, music to try to motivate myself but its pure willpower thats getting me through. And, to add insult to injury, most of the groundhogs in the world didn't help much the other day. Maybe in 5 weeks the weather will change.

To help alleviate the boredom, after 30 min at 85 rpm today I mixed it up with a 1 min work at 100+ rpm to 2 min rest period. I know a lot of PC'ers comment that they're feeling it in their glutes and hams but I find it hits my hip flexors so much that by the end of 60 minutes stick a fork in me I'm done! (Hence the only 2 min extra/day).

If anyone is visiting Nova Scotia, Canada this summer and would like to fit in a race or sportif check out my organizing site http://www.breakawaycycling.ca/ for race details.

8 weeks and counting

Got my first set of Powercranks in Dec and using them about 4-6 times per week since. I'm a heavier rider, a sprinter, Master B 46yrs young with my long-term goal of competing and winning at the World's UCI Masters in Austria in 2013 in the 50-52 yr age group.

Started with the PC's as recommended on my indoor trainer at low rpm 60-65. After 8 weeks I'm averaging 85RPM, now using them on my rollers --- with new difficulty. Just when I thought I had made it through the 'learning curve'. Then I went outdoors. A big change going over bumps, around obstacles, braking, both feet at the bottom, and of course transitioning from flat, slowing into a corner to uphill --- thats going to take more work.

I would like to thank Andrew at Powercranks for all his advice and excellent customer service so far. I have my second set of lab testing in 6 weeks so I'm looking to seeing the effect the PC's have had on my training. I had not used them for my first test last Nov.

I did a ride the other day --- the temp had gone up to +, its cold here on the east coast of Canada --- on regular cranks with my training partner (a pure climber). A month ago he left me easily on a 500 m climb where he finished while I was still only two-thirds of the way up. Last week, I was in front of him and powered over the top. Did it seated and felt great.

I'm heading to Italy to train for three weeks in April and can't wait to see what the PC's will do for my cycling and running for this season.