Doing initial test to get MAP

[tanggoman]

Hi all,

I'm getting a PT within the next few weeks and was wondering how to do the initial test so I can dial in the zones. Richard Stern's website recommends it doing it on an indoor trainer. Unfortunately, I dont have an indoor trainer.

Can the test be done outdoors, say on an uphill climb? If so, how do I go about it? Is this like 'pedal until you can't do it anymore' kinda thing?

I'm really excited finally jumping into the power training world. I've read of good stuff about training with power and since I am going into races next year, this is the best time to prepare for it.

Thanks!

 

[RapDaddyo]

Testing initially might be a bit difficult because your power management skills will be "undeveloped." You might want to just ride with the PM for a few rides before trying to do a formal test. Maintaining a constant power (any power) is a challenge initially because power is so sensitive compared with the variables you are used to managing (e.g., speed, cadence and HR).

Once you develop some skills at managing power, you can indeed do a MAP ramp test outdoors. It is helpful to have a course with a slight (and constant) upgrade, so as to have a relatively constant resistance to push against. It's a little tricky to keep track of your target power in the later stages when your full concentration is required to generate power. The PT doesn't have a countdown timer, so you'll want some other way of keeping track of the power changes. Even then, it's tough to remember where you're supposed to be.

 

[JungleBiker]

Hi Tanggoman,

First of all I recommend Ric’s coaching services. I joined his Classic coaching package for 3 months (about 2 months ago) and I will definitely be signing up for another 3 months after this.

One good reason for doing the MAP test indoors is safety. When concentrating on producing power and trying to read the meter and remember watts and minutes it’s easy not to notice other road users, etc. Try to pick a place without traffic.

In my case, I first did my MAP test indoors but I was not satisfied with my results. I felt I could do much better outdoors on the road. Ric gave me the following instructions:

Warm up for 10-mins, then ease up to 150 W on a flat(ish) road. Over the next ~7-mins wind the power up about 25 W/min to arrive at about 330 W at the end of that *about* 7-mins make sure you are at the base of a hill, at which point, ride at a steady ~330 W for 30-secs (gives you time to change to your small chain ring) and then ramp it up 25 W/min again, until you cannot go any longer. The hill would need to be at least 7 minutes long and you should *generally* stay seated when going uphill (it's fine to occasionally get out the saddle but don't hammer the whole way up out of the saddle!).

FYI, my outdoor MAP was 446W compared with my indoor MAP of just 370W. Note that the starting wattage of 150W was set for me personally, you might want to start at 125W. Trying to get to the base of the hill at the right moment of the test is not easy. It helps if you check out your road beforehand to calculate how far from the base of the hill you should start your test.

I’d definitely go for an increase of 25 W/min rather than 5 W/12 seconds otherwise you will lose track of time and watts very easily, it’s hard enough with 25 W/m. For example, you will be trying to ride 325 W/min and your watts will jumping up and down and when you get to 50 seconds you will forget if you’re supposed to be at 325 W or 300 W or 350 W!

Good luck!

 

[ric_stern/RST]

Hi Tanggoman,

First of all I recommend Ric’s coaching services. I joined his Classic coaching package for 3 months (about 2 months ago) and I will definitely be signing up for another 3 months after this.

thank you for the praise Junglebiker.

I’d definitely go for an increase of 25 W/min rather than 5 W/12 seconds otherwise you will lose track of time and watts very easily, it’s hard enough with 25 W/m. For example, you will be trying to ride 325 W/min and your watts will jumping up and down and when you get to 50 seconds you will forget if you’re supposed to be at 325 W or 300 W or 350 W!

Good luck!

to clarify, out on the road 25 W/min (for non-elite males, or 20 W/min for elite males, and 15 W/min for females) is easier to 'work out' what the next target power is (compared to e.g., 5 W/12-secs). The latter would be my choice indoors (we have a downloadable app http://cyclecoach.com/pageID-downloadPages-MAP_test.htm - which you can follow when testing indoors).

Ric

 

[ric_stern/RST]

Warm up for 10-mins, then ease up to 150 W on a flat(ish) road. Over the next ~7-mins wind the power up about 25 W/min to arrive at about 330 W at the end of that *about* 7-mins make sure you are at the base of a hill, at which point, ride at a steady ~330 W for 30-secs (gives you time to change to your small chain ring) and then ramp it up 25 W/min again, until you cannot go any longer. The hill would need to be at least 7 minutes long and you should *generally* stay seated when going uphill (it's fine to occasionally get out the saddle but don't hammer the whole way up out of the saddle!).

To clarify, the powers suggested above were specific to Junglebiker and what i thought he may score. Others would need to adjust accordingly, depending on their fitness and mass. If you're not sure what figures to dial in, please give me a shout on [email protected] and i'll see if i can help

ric

 

[Krazyderek]

Although i can see the wisdom of doing 5w/12sec, i have to say, unless you're testing on a stationary bike, operated by another user, this would be next to impossible for me to do. I had trouble with keeping the same cadence, and still being able to dial in an exact 25w/min increase, mostly due to gear ratios. The next gear would be to little an increase in watts, and the gear after that would be to large a leap in watts. I tested indoors on a set of rollers with the fork attachment on (for safety).

Granted this was only 3 or 4 weeks after starting with a PM. Perhaps once i do my "fall testing" i'll try 20w/min and report back.

 

[Krazyderek]

Although i can see the wisdom of doing 5w/12sec, i have to say, unless you're testing on a stationary bike, operated by another user, this would be next to impossible for me to do. I had trouble with keeping the same cadence, and still being able to dial in an exact 25w/min increase, mostly due to gear ratios. The next gear would be to little an increase in watts, and the gear after that would be to large a leap in watts. I tested indoors on a set of rollers with the fork attachment on (for safety).

Granted this was only 3 or 4 weeks after starting with a PM. Perhaps once i do my "fall testing" i'll try 20w/min and report back.