4 ways to improve your fitness performance with Wattbike data

We often get asked about the best ways to improve performance, and our answer is always to look at your performance data. With every Wattbike session you do, hundreds of data points are collected and uploaded to the Wattbike Hub. If you’re getting started, here are the ones you need to know:

USE POLAR VIEW TO IMPROVE YOUR PEDALLING TECHNIQUE

Wattbike’s unique industry measurement, Pedalling Effectiveness Score, is designed to help you maximise your pedalling power. By understanding how you pedal and seeing your real-time left/right leg balance through Polar View on the Wattbike Hub, you’ll be able to seek improvements as you perform focused technique sessions. Improving your pedalling effectiveness will help you to utilise your muscles in the correct way, so you’ll be able to cycle faster, tackle hills easier and improve your FTP.

Find out more about improving your pedalling technique

FIND OUT YOUR FTP

Take the 20-minute test on the Wattbike Hub to find out your FTP in order to set your training zones. Perform a warm-up for about 10 minutes and then perform the test. Make sure you ride at a pace that you can sustain for 20 minutes, but will also leave you exhausted at the end. Take the average power for the 20 minutes and deduct 5% and you will have your FTP score. Alternatively, if you’re using the Wattbike Hub app, it will calculate it for you.

Learn how to calculate your FTP

TRAIN WITHIN YOUR ZONES

Once you know your FTP you can start setting your training zones. Most training plans outline the zone you should be training in for each section, so you can adjust your intensity accordingly. By working within these zones, you’ll know exactly how hard you’ll need to be going to be getting the best out of your training as you’ll have no excuses to not match the required effort. You’ll also know exactly how easy you can go over rest periods in order to avoid injury.

Get started with training zones

GET TO KNOW YOUR POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO (W/KG)

If you’re using your indoor training to see gains when you’re on the road, you’re going to want to pay attention to your w/kg. This is calculated by the Wattbike Hub when you enter your data. Unless you’re training on a completely flat surface, your power to weight ratio will determine your overall cycling efficiency. To improve your w/kg, you’ll most likely be looking to lose weight whilst increasing or keeping your power output constant. It’ll either be a case of getting more miles in or adding in some explosive power or interval training, but either way, you’ll have to get on that bike!

Puzzled by power to weight ratios? Allow us to explain.

Ready to get started?Purchase the Wattbike Atom and start seeing results.