Using a pm to determine how long to rest

Hi everyone,

this is my first post, so wish me well!

I just got an Avio power meter from the UK and will be using it to train from now on. However, after a lot of hard rides and sportive racing over the past few years, I'm knackered (aged 40). I've felt pretty bad on the bike for about two years now, despite taking off as much as a month at a time to try to recover. Specifically, my quads feel sore after even minimal effort on the bike, in the way that they do at the end of a hard VO2 max interval, for example. (For example, returning to the bike after a month, I felt like I'd already done a 100k ride that morning...)

I assume that I need to take off a lot of time to recover from all the abuse I've given my body on the bike, but I'm wondering if there is any way to determine how long to rest using my power meter. And if there aren't any power meter-specific techniques for this, how does one go about determining how long to rest after (presumably) overtraining?

Any advice would be much appreciated,

Calum

 

Count your breathings, stay in touch with your body!

 

That's also my take on the body's capacity vis-a-vis training. As what training coaches say, don't forget to listen to your body. Even if you are on a training program and that you need to push yourself to the limit, listen to your body if there is a complaint. When the body is feeling fatigued, that's a sign that you should give it rest. And after resting for a long period of time and your body is still not up to the task then something might be wrong with your training program which means it is not appropriate to your physical capabilities.

 

I usually just take alternate days off regularly, but after long rides it depends if I feel that I can bike again. I think that maybe you just pushed yourself too hard on the first ride back since you've stopped riding for a while so you may have overestimated how your body still needs to readjust again to your usual biking routine. Take it slow and treat it like you're not a pro biker.

 

I assume that I need to take off a lot of time to recover from all the abuse I've given my body on the bike, but I'm wondering if there is any way to determine how long to rest using my power meter. And if there aren't any power meter-specific techniques for this, how does one go about determining how long to rest after (presumably) overtraining?

 

how long to rest using my power meter. And if there aren't any power meter-specific techniques for this, how does one go about determining how long to rest after (presumably) overtraining?

 

It is very hard to say that using a just power meter, but if you use a power meter and heart rate you can track those numbers and see the relation between them.
A very good method is to track Pw:Hr in Trainingpeaks on aerobic steady workouts, it should be below 5% and then you can track Efficiency Factor to see how is your heart rate reacting to generate power.
It is good to have a specific plan every week so it is easier to track everything.
I hope it helps.