Training Peaks

[Alan M]

Does anyone have a TP account and if so what does it add?

[huw williams]

Training peaks is basically an online training diary that allows extensive and detailed logging of your training and nutrition. It has reasonably extensive performance analysis software in-built (though not as good as it's specific performance analysis package WKO+) to analyse ride data. It supports downloads from all the usual suspects Powertaps, SRMs Garmins etc. A typical download of a ride displays all the date you record, so you'd get a map of the route you'd completed from the Garmin, plus heart rate and Power files (providing of course you use a powertap or similar device plus a HRM). It'll support all the intervals or laps you record too, allowing you to view interval specific data.

Once your training has been downloaded TP calculates all your weekly totals in terms of time, distance and time in training zones etc so you have a very handy view of how much time you spend training at various intensities. As you might imagine, this is extremely useful if you train using heart rate/power zones but only if you use the data progressively (you still gotta train in the correct manner at the end of the day).

One of the biggest benefits is that week on week, month on month, year on year you can check back and see what your rides were achieving (or not) and progress the training you are doing. This in itself can be highly motivating.

It also records nutrition (counts calories etc) if that's what you're into, and you can keep daily metrics of resting heart rate, sleep patterns, weight etc which is very useful in flagging up days when you probably shouldn't go out training. Furthermore it allows you to plan out training weeks in advance and will send you an annoying email reminding you what your planned training for the day is.

The bottom line is TP is a very extensive training tool, just how useful it is is entirely down to how much use you make of it. The greater the extent to which you use training zones and understand training intensities, the more you'll get out of it and if you feel your training needs structure then it'll certainly help provide that. if you're the kind of rider who prefers to just go out and do what you feel on a day by day basis, then you won't get so much out of it.

If you think it might be for you, pop down and I'll run through it on screen with you as a few of the riders I work with use it and I have good examples of where it works and where it doesn't.

H