MSPO?



sheppard

sheppard

New Member
Jun 2, 2004
28
0
0
45
I'm anxious to interrogate some of you riders out there. I'm interested to hear what some of your maximum sustainable power outputs are. So:
1) What do you think your MSPO is?
2)What kind of a test did you use?
3)How long have you been training to increase your MSPO (while specifically tracking its improvement)?
4)How much improvement have you made?
5)What is your MSPO goal?
I don't care so much about the W/kg. I know that I need to lose a good bit of weight before my number becomes competitive....
Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing from you guys and gals out there....
 
Hi Sheppard.

'MSPO', I like that:) There are so many terms for this out there ATM. Personally I use Functional Threshold Power (FTP), or Critical Power (CP) as originally defined in the scientific literature (before Joe Friel hijacked it!).
I've been training with power since the late winter and it's incredible. My FTP back then was around 235W. I plateau'ed at 260W-ish for a while and then dipped due to some short term overtraining. Last test had me at 280W, although I'm concerned this might be a slight overestimate as I use the CP test with rides of 3min and 12 min, and this can overestimate your FTP.
I've just started some VO2max intervals (painful) so I'm hoping it'll jump up some more before my big races in July. Target is 300W. FWIW, I think the 'gold standard' test is to ride on a flat course for an hour, but I don't always fancy doing this on my own in training. Anyone for a dragstrip 25??

Linz.
 
Originally posted by sheppard
I'm anxious to interrogate some of you riders out there. I'm interested to hear what some of your maximum sustainable power outputs are. So:
1) What do you think your MSPO is?
2)What kind of a test did you use?
3)How long have you been training to increase your MSPO (while specifically tracking its improvement)?
4)How much improvement have you made?
5)What is your MSPO goal?
I don't care so much about the W/kg. I know that I need to lose a good bit of weight before my number becomes competitive....
Thanks so much, and I look forward to hearing from you guys and gals out there....
Click to expand...

I'm gonna estimate here, I think my 30 minutes MSPO is 360-370 watts at the moment (using power tap)

I've just started back on the bike this year (December), so Im still increasing pretty consistantly. Im not really 'training' just enjoying riding and racing, and then chucking in a few interval sessions (e.g. 6-9*5min @375w)

When I started my MSPO was probably 280ish maybe lower... I never did any tests for the first month or two.

Id like to hit 360-370w for an hour this year with a weight of 70kg (currently 76kg)

Tuney
 
Tuney,
Wow, that seems like a fantastic increase in just half a year! I recently estimated my MSPO at about 300, which surprised me. I had expected lower seeing as I've been running for a few years now and not cycling. The bad new is i still weigh about 85 kg; I'm coming off a pretty hard calisthenics routine(I'm in the military....) but now have some muscle to lose if I want to be competitive....
So, your MSPO is about 4.3 W/kg then. That's great, especially for such a dramatic improvement in such a short time. I know that the big wig elites manage around 6 W/kg. That just astounds me, seeing as my weight brings me down to more like 3.5!
I used a test I got out of Dave Morris's most recent book. He was a physiologist for the US Olympic team between, I think, 1992-96.
It involves doing three minute intervals (but no rest) of increasing intensity, increasing each by 25 watts, until you reach the intensity you believe you could sustain for greater than 30 minutes, but hard enough that it might be your mspo. You then do that power output for the three minutes, just like all the other levels, but you mark your HR at the three minute point and keep going until 6 minutes. If your HR increases by more than 8-10 bpm between the third and sixth minute, then the intensity is too high, and you should retake the test. It sounded like an interesting way to determine mspo, so I decided to give it a go. Sounds like a good way to judge progress after a recovery period. Thanks for your input, and best of luck!
 
Yeah it's not bad, Im happy with the amount I've improved.

It looks like your making a good transition from running, you must have a good engine!

Regarding tests a lot of the guys here are very well educated about all the sports science (ricstern for one)
I think they would be able to point you in the right direction, Im sure they have posted a lot on here about it as well.
 
i did an 8 mile TT in april at an average of 334 watts, including zeros. i would estimate i could do a little more now.
1 hour power is about 320.
i'm 79kg
i consider myself a poor time trialer. more of a sprinter. last night i hit 22w/kg.
 
Originally posted by velomanct
i did an 8 mile TT in april at an average of 334 watts, including zeros. i would estimate i could do a little more now.
1 hour power is about 320.
i'm 79kg
i consider myself a poor time trialer. more of a sprinter. last night i hit 22w/kg.
Click to expand...

have you considered taking up 200-m match sprinting on the track? 22 W/kg puts you right up there at an elite level. Maybe you're kilo power is also excellent?

ric
 
Originally posted by ricstern
have you considered taking up 200-m match sprinting on the track? 22 W/kg puts you right up there at an elite level. Maybe you're kilo power is also excellent?

ric
Click to expand...

Thats a great power output!
I can hit >1600w but only in the very early phases of a sprint (as I accelerate).

I'm finding it extremely difficult to get the mid and top end phase power up... but I think that's down to no sprint/speed training.

For now I'll just keep it in the 53.11 ;o) and roll the gear!
 
sheppard said:
Tuney,
Wow, that seems like a fantastic increase in just half a year! I recently estimated my MSPO at about 300, which surprised me. I had expected lower seeing as I've been running for a few years now and not cycling. The bad new is i still weigh about 85 kg; I'm coming off a pretty hard calisthenics routine(I'm in the military....) but now have some muscle to lose if I want to be competitive....
So, your MSPO is about 4.3 W/kg then. That's great, especially for such a dramatic improvement in such a short time. I know that the big wig elites manage around 6 W/kg. That just astounds me, seeing as my weight brings me down to more like 3.5!
I used a test I got out of Dave Morris's most recent book. He was a physiologist for the US Olympic team between, I think, 1992-96.
It involves doing three minute intervals (but no rest) of increasing intensity, increasing each by 25 watts, until you reach the intensity you believe you could sustain for greater than 30 minutes, but hard enough that it might be your mspo. You then do that power output for the three minutes, just like all the other levels, but you mark your HR at the three minute point and keep going until 6 minutes. If your HR increases by more than 8-10 bpm between the third and sixth minute, then the intensity is too high, and you should retake the test. It sounded like an interesting way to determine mspo, so I decided to give it a go. Sounds like a good way to judge progress after a recovery period. Thanks for your input, and best of luck!
Click to expand...

HI

Be careful here as this is hit and miss. I did this in January and estimated mine at 320 watts! did my work intervals using this as my MSPO and nearly killed myself and had to re build. Now I have MSPO of 300 watts in August and am racing well top 5 in time trials. Use Ric sterns test (see his posts for his site) this is much better and you finish with a watt max over the last minute. He tells you how to work your zones from this and he is (from field tests) spot on.

The block training Dave morris recomends is interesting and may work but you have to get the levels spot on. I did not as his test was too inprecise as mentioned. You think you get to a wattage that you can handle for an hour and even though your HR may not rise 8-10 beats you could not hold it. How many times have you done an interval and thought hey I can blast this only to see half way through the power creep down. 6 mins and 60 are a long way appart!

Also even though I ride only shrt TT's, the lack of endurance rides is not, in my oppinion a good idea. Also you push it so much so often that if you try to race you have nothing there to give(mentally and physically)

Any one else tried it?

SGB
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

TTer
Training VO2max & MSPO
Replies
2
Views
2K
Cycling Training
TTer
TTer
Top Bottom Back