The following acronyms are used widely in this and the Power Forum in particular.
Here we are with an up-date on the original post. I have attempted to explain in simple terms without going into too much detail the meaning of acronyms as used in these forums. It is ironic that I should be the one to compile this post as I personally do not train employing very many of these acronyms and their meanings. That is not to say that they cannot be incorporated into one’s training; I think it the Americans who say, “Different strokes for different folks”.
I would greatly appreciate anyone PMing me to improve on or amend any of the following definitions, as I don’t profess to be an expert on these matters. There are 2 or 3 acronyms below where I haven’t attempted an explanation as I really don’t understand them. Again, help here would be appreciated.
Hope the following help some to gain a better understanding of what the regulars are talking about in their posts.
Cheers! Tyson
THE NEW LIST
AC……………………ANAEROBIC CAPACITY
Is an athlete’s ability to cycle/run etc. fast over and above VO2max (see VO2 Max below) Athletes are only able to sustain this effort for a short time measured in minutes.
AEPF………………..AVERAGE EFFECTIVE PEDAL FORCE
I think to understand this we have to consider what ‘Power’ is. If we take a look at the formula Power = Pedal Force x Cadence (more precisely angular velocity)
What this formula tells us, is that a cyclist is able to increase power by exerting more force on the pedals given the same cadence by using a bigger gear or increasing cadence whilst applying the same pedal force. Of course power can be increased by applying more force to the pedals and at the same time increasing the cadence.
The AEPF can be formulated from the above.
AP……………………AVERAGE POWER
Self explanatory.
ATL………………….ACUTE TRAINING LOAD
(See TSS below) Put simply, it is a short term measure of the level of fatigue experienced by the rider and is usually measured over 5 or 7 days
It is calculated employing the TSS values from the workouts of said period. This could be work done as recently as last weekend.
(Also see CTL below)
AWC…………………ANAEROBIC WORK CAPACITY
The maximum rate at which energy is provided by aerobic respiration.
C……………………..CADENCE
Self explanatory
C……………………..CALORIES
Self explanatory
Cd……………………COEFFICIENT OF DRAG
A factor which represents the drag acting on a body or more precisely,
the ratio of the drag on a body moving through air to the product of the velocity and the surface area of the body
CL……………………CRANK LENGTH
Self explanatory
CTL………………….CHRONIC TRAINING LOAD
A measure of overall fitness.
The cumulative impact of training done some time before. This could be as long as 6 weeks ago or more, or conversely a shorter duration, say 3 weeks ago. Not to be confused with recent training. (see ATL above)
CP……………………CRITICAL POWER
The average power a cyclist is capable of generating for a given period of time
CPV………………….CIRCUMFERENTIAL PEDAL VELOCITY
Put simply - the velocity at which the pedal travels around in a circle
CRITS……………….CRITERIUM (RACES)
Racing for the totally insane
FT…………………….FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD
The average wattage that you can sustain over a 20 minute test
FTP…………………..FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD POWER
It's generally agreed that your Functional Threshold Power is the maximal power output you can sustain for the duration of one hour. Many riders attempt to define their FTP using a shorter duration (possibly in some cases to avoid having to grind away for one hour on a trainer)
HIT…………………..HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING
It’s worth mentioning the Tabata method at this juncture.
A popular regimen based on a 1996 study uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at 170% of VO2Max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, continuing for 3/4 minutes
HR……………………HEART RATE
Self explanatory
HRM…………………HEART RATE METER/MONITOR
Self explanatory
HRMax………………HEART RATE MAXIMUM
The maximum number of contractions per minute that your heart can make/take.
IF…………………….INTENSITY FACTOR
The intensity of the workout. That is, the normalized power for a ride with respect to the functional threshold of the rider = NP/FT. (See NP below and FT above)
J………………………JOULES
The energy exerted by the force of one Newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre (see Newton below)
KJ…………………….KILOJOULES
KK……………………KURK KINETIC TRAINER
Stationary Indoor Bike Trainer - Kinetic by Kurt
L1,L2 ETC.………….SPECIFIED LEVEL OF INTENSITY
(See IF above and Z1/Z2 etc. below)
LBS…………………..LOCAL BIKE SHOP
Self explanatory
LSD…………………..LONG SLOW DISTANCE
Self explanatory
LT…………………….LACTATE THRESHOLD
Is the exercise intensity at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the blood stream.
LTHR…………………LACTATE THRESHOLD HEART RATE
Estimated heart rate at your lactic threshold
MAOD………………..MAXIMAL ACCUMULATED OXYGEN DEFICIT
The summed difference between the energy you produce aerobically and the overall energy demand. (Thanks to Alex for that definition lifted from his blog.)
MAP………………….MAXIMAL AEROBIC POWER
The greatest rate at which oxygen can be delivered to working muscles during dynamic exercise.
MLSS………………...MAXIMAL/MAXIMUM LACTATE STEADY STATE
This is defined as the highest workload that can be maintained over time where there is a balance between lactate production and lactate clearance.
MMP…………………MEAN MAXIMAL POWER
N……………………..NEWTONS
This is defined as the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one metre per second squared
NMP…………………NEUROMUSCULAR POWER
Effort in training greater than you goal race effort
NP……………………NORMALIZED POWER
Calculated power over a given duration that better takes into account non- steady state efforts
OBLA………………..ONSET OF BLOOD LACTATE ACCUMULATION
When an athlete feels pain or burn, this point is often measured as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold (AT) or onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA).
PDC………………….POWER DISTRIBUTION CHART
Would appreciate someone sending me their distribution chart (Please PM me)
PDF………………… POWER DURATION PROFILE
Need help here!
PMC.......................PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CHART
A graph charting the relationship between one’s CTL (critical training load), ATL (acute training load) and TSB (training stress balance), and of course interpreting and managing said graph
PMs………………….POWER METERS
Quarq, Cycleops-Powertap, SRM, iBike etc.
PP……………………POWER PROFILE/POWER PROFILING
Need permission here to paste a Power Profiling table.
PT……………………POWERTAP WIRELESS HUB SYSTEM
pVO2MAX………….POWER AT VO2MAX
(See VO2Max below)
QA……………………QUADRANT ANALYSIS
To grasp the neuromuscular demands on the body, be it in a race or training session, it is necessary to analise one’s powermeter data.
RHR………………….RESTING HEART RATE
Self explanatory
RPE………………….RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION
Perceived exertion is how hard you feel your body is actually working. During any physical activity one experiences a variety of physical sensations, ie. an increase in heart and breathing rate, an increase in perspiration and of course muscle fatigue
RR……………………ROLLING RESISTANCE (TYRES/TIRES)
A fantastic link telling you everything you need to know about tyres and rolling resistance Tire Rolling Resistance - Roues Artisanales - Bike tech magasine - handbuilt wheels boutique
RR……………………ROAD RACE
Self explanatory
SR……………………STAGE RACE
Self explanatory
SRM…………………CRÈME DE LA CRÈME POWER METER (to some)
SST………………….SWEET SPOT TRAINING
So called ‘Sweet Spot Training’ is fairly hard training carried out over an extended period, however it is not as hard as training at FT (functional threshold) and not as easy as simple endurance or tempo training. Therefore we can say SST fits in nicely somewhere between the 2 levels mentioned.
TRIMPS…………….HEART RATE BASED TRAINING IMPULSE
Now regarded by many coaches as being of no value whatsoever.
TSB………………….TRAINING STRESS BALANCE
When peaking for an event, a cyclist should have a high TSB (a high level of fitness and a low level of fatigue)
TT……………………TIME TRIAL
A competitive event where cyclists riding solo are timed over a set distance.
TSS………………….TRAINING STRESS SCORE
A measure of the intensity (IF) and the duration of the ride (in minutes)
Obviously if the ride is more intense, the TSS increases. The same applies to the duration.
VI…………………….VARIABILITY INDEX
Need help on this one
VO2Max…………….MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE/DELIVERY
VO2 max (also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity) is the maximum capacity of the body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise, denoting the level of physical fitness of the athlete.
W………………….....WATTS
W/kg………………….WATTS PER KILOGRAM
Z1,Z2 ETC…………..SPECIFIED LEVEL OF INTENSITY
Here we are with an up-date on the original post. I have attempted to explain in simple terms without going into too much detail the meaning of acronyms as used in these forums. It is ironic that I should be the one to compile this post as I personally do not train employing very many of these acronyms and their meanings. That is not to say that they cannot be incorporated into one’s training; I think it the Americans who say, “Different strokes for different folks”.
I would greatly appreciate anyone PMing me to improve on or amend any of the following definitions, as I don’t profess to be an expert on these matters. There are 2 or 3 acronyms below where I haven’t attempted an explanation as I really don’t understand them. Again, help here would be appreciated.
Hope the following help some to gain a better understanding of what the regulars are talking about in their posts.
Cheers! Tyson
THE NEW LIST
AC……………………ANAEROBIC CAPACITY
Is an athlete’s ability to cycle/run etc. fast over and above VO2max (see VO2 Max below) Athletes are only able to sustain this effort for a short time measured in minutes.
AEPF………………..AVERAGE EFFECTIVE PEDAL FORCE
I think to understand this we have to consider what ‘Power’ is. If we take a look at the formula Power = Pedal Force x Cadence (more precisely angular velocity)
What this formula tells us, is that a cyclist is able to increase power by exerting more force on the pedals given the same cadence by using a bigger gear or increasing cadence whilst applying the same pedal force. Of course power can be increased by applying more force to the pedals and at the same time increasing the cadence.
The AEPF can be formulated from the above.
AP……………………AVERAGE POWER
Self explanatory.
ATL………………….ACUTE TRAINING LOAD
(See TSS below) Put simply, it is a short term measure of the level of fatigue experienced by the rider and is usually measured over 5 or 7 days
It is calculated employing the TSS values from the workouts of said period. This could be work done as recently as last weekend.
(Also see CTL below)
AWC…………………ANAEROBIC WORK CAPACITY
The maximum rate at which energy is provided by aerobic respiration.
C……………………..CADENCE
Self explanatory
C……………………..CALORIES
Self explanatory
Cd……………………COEFFICIENT OF DRAG
A factor which represents the drag acting on a body or more precisely,
the ratio of the drag on a body moving through air to the product of the velocity and the surface area of the body
CL……………………CRANK LENGTH
Self explanatory
CTL………………….CHRONIC TRAINING LOAD
A measure of overall fitness.
The cumulative impact of training done some time before. This could be as long as 6 weeks ago or more, or conversely a shorter duration, say 3 weeks ago. Not to be confused with recent training. (see ATL above)
CP……………………CRITICAL POWER
The average power a cyclist is capable of generating for a given period of time
CPV………………….CIRCUMFERENTIAL PEDAL VELOCITY
Put simply - the velocity at which the pedal travels around in a circle
CRITS……………….CRITERIUM (RACES)
Racing for the totally insane
FT…………………….FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD
The average wattage that you can sustain over a 20 minute test
FTP…………………..FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD POWER
It's generally agreed that your Functional Threshold Power is the maximal power output you can sustain for the duration of one hour. Many riders attempt to define their FTP using a shorter duration (possibly in some cases to avoid having to grind away for one hour on a trainer)
HIT…………………..HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING
It’s worth mentioning the Tabata method at this juncture.
A popular regimen based on a 1996 study uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at 170% of VO2Max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, continuing for 3/4 minutes
HR……………………HEART RATE
Self explanatory
HRM…………………HEART RATE METER/MONITOR
Self explanatory
HRMax………………HEART RATE MAXIMUM
The maximum number of contractions per minute that your heart can make/take.
IF…………………….INTENSITY FACTOR
The intensity of the workout. That is, the normalized power for a ride with respect to the functional threshold of the rider = NP/FT. (See NP below and FT above)
J………………………JOULES
The energy exerted by the force of one Newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre (see Newton below)
KJ…………………….KILOJOULES
KK……………………KURK KINETIC TRAINER
Stationary Indoor Bike Trainer - Kinetic by Kurt
L1,L2 ETC.………….SPECIFIED LEVEL OF INTENSITY
(See IF above and Z1/Z2 etc. below)
LBS…………………..LOCAL BIKE SHOP
Self explanatory
LSD…………………..LONG SLOW DISTANCE
Self explanatory
LT…………………….LACTATE THRESHOLD
Is the exercise intensity at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the blood stream.
LTHR…………………LACTATE THRESHOLD HEART RATE
Estimated heart rate at your lactic threshold
MAOD………………..MAXIMAL ACCUMULATED OXYGEN DEFICIT
The summed difference between the energy you produce aerobically and the overall energy demand. (Thanks to Alex for that definition lifted from his blog.)
MAP………………….MAXIMAL AEROBIC POWER
The greatest rate at which oxygen can be delivered to working muscles during dynamic exercise.
MLSS………………...MAXIMAL/MAXIMUM LACTATE STEADY STATE
This is defined as the highest workload that can be maintained over time where there is a balance between lactate production and lactate clearance.
MMP…………………MEAN MAXIMAL POWER
N……………………..NEWTONS
This is defined as the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one metre per second squared
NMP…………………NEUROMUSCULAR POWER
Effort in training greater than you goal race effort
NP……………………NORMALIZED POWER
Calculated power over a given duration that better takes into account non- steady state efforts
OBLA………………..ONSET OF BLOOD LACTATE ACCUMULATION
When an athlete feels pain or burn, this point is often measured as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold (AT) or onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA).
PDC………………….POWER DISTRIBUTION CHART
Would appreciate someone sending me their distribution chart (Please PM me)
PDF………………… POWER DURATION PROFILE
Need help here!
PMC.......................PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CHART
A graph charting the relationship between one’s CTL (critical training load), ATL (acute training load) and TSB (training stress balance), and of course interpreting and managing said graph
PMs………………….POWER METERS
Quarq, Cycleops-Powertap, SRM, iBike etc.
PP……………………POWER PROFILE/POWER PROFILING
Need permission here to paste a Power Profiling table.
PT……………………POWERTAP WIRELESS HUB SYSTEM
pVO2MAX………….POWER AT VO2MAX
(See VO2Max below)
QA……………………QUADRANT ANALYSIS
To grasp the neuromuscular demands on the body, be it in a race or training session, it is necessary to analise one’s powermeter data.
RHR………………….RESTING HEART RATE
Self explanatory
RPE………………….RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION
Perceived exertion is how hard you feel your body is actually working. During any physical activity one experiences a variety of physical sensations, ie. an increase in heart and breathing rate, an increase in perspiration and of course muscle fatigue
RR……………………ROLLING RESISTANCE (TYRES/TIRES)
A fantastic link telling you everything you need to know about tyres and rolling resistance Tire Rolling Resistance - Roues Artisanales - Bike tech magasine - handbuilt wheels boutique
RR……………………ROAD RACE
Self explanatory
SR……………………STAGE RACE
Self explanatory
SRM…………………CRÈME DE LA CRÈME POWER METER (to some)
SST………………….SWEET SPOT TRAINING
So called ‘Sweet Spot Training’ is fairly hard training carried out over an extended period, however it is not as hard as training at FT (functional threshold) and not as easy as simple endurance or tempo training. Therefore we can say SST fits in nicely somewhere between the 2 levels mentioned.
TRIMPS…………….HEART RATE BASED TRAINING IMPULSE
Now regarded by many coaches as being of no value whatsoever.
TSB………………….TRAINING STRESS BALANCE
When peaking for an event, a cyclist should have a high TSB (a high level of fitness and a low level of fatigue)
TT……………………TIME TRIAL
A competitive event where cyclists riding solo are timed over a set distance.
TSS………………….TRAINING STRESS SCORE
A measure of the intensity (IF) and the duration of the ride (in minutes)
Obviously if the ride is more intense, the TSS increases. The same applies to the duration.
VI…………………….VARIABILITY INDEX
Need help on this one
VO2Max…………….MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE/DELIVERY
VO2 max (also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity) is the maximum capacity of the body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise, denoting the level of physical fitness of the athlete.
W………………….....WATTS
W/kg………………….WATTS PER KILOGRAM
Z1,Z2 ETC…………..SPECIFIED LEVEL OF INTENSITY
