Article on CP30 value tracking

My little post here on the CP30 value chart for one of my athletes became an article I wrote for TrainingPeaks, on their blog. Check it out...

Using CP30 Values for Fitness Tracking in WKO+

In my past articles on the PMC charts and overall fitness monitoring, I discussed how WKO+ is a coaching and training tool which goes largely underused relative to its true value, which is seeing the overall picture of training and fitness progression.

If a coach or athlete is only looking at a single training file, then there is little value if it has nothing else to compare itself to. If the athlete has many files to compare the single file to, then there is even more information which can be gained.

The progression of an athlete’s fitness over the course of a season is not linear, and will always have ups and downs. However, the general trend, or slope of the fitness, is what we want to watch for. If the trend is down, or flat, the athlete has reached a plateau, and some adjustments to the training need to be made.

Read the rest at: TrainingPeaks.com

Coach Vance

Upcoming Webinars for Coaches, (and Athletes)

I've got 3 webinars coming up at PerformanceWebinars.com, which you can register for. These are especially great webinars for coaches, who can earn 1 CEU for USA Triathlon, and 0.1 CEU's for USA Cycling Coaches. You can view them live, and participate in a Q&A following, or register and watch it at any time which suits you.

Tapering with WKO+ Software - October 25th

In this webinar, Elite Coach Jim Vance will discuss how to use WKO+ as a tool for tapering athletes. Jim will show tips and tricks for projecting performance via the Performance Management Chart, as well as using it as a reference for coaches and athletes to better perfect their future tapers individually.

Gaining Sponsorships as a Coach - November 15th

In this webinar, Elite Coach Jim Vance will discuss how coaches can leverage themselves for sponsorships for themselves, their athletes, teams, clubs and for earnings. This includes bike, nutrition, and equipment sponsorships, and how to get companies to want to work with you.

Understanding the Demands of the Ironman Bike Leg - November 22nd

In this webinar, Elite Coach Jim Vance will discuss, compare and contrast the different power files of varying athletes, from elites, to top age-groupers, middle of the pack athletes, and those just trying to beat the midnight cut-off. Citing the differences between the demands of the different athlete levels, Jim will discuss the training and nutritional strategies for coaches to consider.

You can register at PerformanceWebinars.com.

Coach Vance

Nutrition Mistakes

On my twitter account, I always post if anyone has any topics they are interested in me posting about. A big one today was nutrition, as it relates to racing. So, here are 6 common mistakes I see with athletes and nutrition. Why 6? Because it's better than 5.

1. Not knowing the exact number of calories, (or fairly close to exact), that you're consuming in training and on race day. Without actual quantification of what you're taking in, it's nearly impossible to know if it's too much, too little, or just right.

2. Not keeping a training log which details the nutrition you used and tried, so you can perfect it.

3. Testing your nutrition plan for race day when training at an intensity which doesn't match race intensity. On race day, if you're going harder than you are in training, then don't be surprised if suddenly your stomach doesn't jive with what you're putting into it.

4. Using a concentration of calories which doesn't match what you'll use on race day. When the concentration changes, the interaction of the calories with your stomach changes, especially if the concentration is stronger.

5. Many top athletes follow a strict diet, only to change it entirely during the week or two before the race, claiming "carbo loading". Worst thing you can do is dramatically change your diet before the race. Don't do it. It's worked fine for you, stick with it.

6. More is not better. Less is better. Try to get your body trained to need less calories during a race.

Coach Vance

Yes, I'm very excited for this athlete to race...

Just got back from a great trip to Kona, for the Ironman World Championships. Two athletes, one went 9:16, 8th in Men 35-39, with a 48 min PR, while the other finished his first Ironman at 51 years of age, and only his second triathlon ever, 15:37!

I've been catching up on athlete training, and saw something which got me very excited.

Here's a CP30 value chart for power, taking the best sample by each week thru the season. The athlete is preparing for Ironman Florida, and is ready to do very well based on what I see here.

(Click on image to enlarge)

You'll notice a large downward trend in the middle, in the month of May. The athlete had a bike crash, causing a broken collar bone, and was out for almost 4 weeks. Since then, the progression has been steady and the latest fitness test we did is the very high point on the right. 346 watts for 30 min TT on a trainer, and only 158 lbs.

And trust me, his run charts look just as good! Yes, I am very excited for this athlete to race.

Coach Vance

Great Quote #3

"It's all about the catch. Nobody cares about the guy who drops it." - Chip Kelly, Univ of Oregon Head Football Coach.

Coach Vance