Well Known Tri Coaches Who Don't Understand Power...but still talk about it :-)
I saw this article on Xtri by ChuckyV come across my Twitter feed yesterday.
My notes, per him basically calling EN and other power-focused coaches out:
Why we don't prescribe a 60' TT to determine FTP:
- Completely unrealistic for us to use a 60' TT as an FTP testing tool because 98% of us out there just don't have access to a 60' quality, flat, unbroken TT course. Maybe if I were a pro based in the country outside of Solvang I would have that kind of riding, but 98% of us don't. We might as well be telling you need to TT on the moon.
- Too mentally costly. Personally, I friggin' hate (pardon the language) this global, Harden The Fuck Up way of speaking. Triathlon isn't hard. Riding a bike isn't hard, not in the spectrum of things in this world that are, truly, hard. But if I can get you to create some mental caluses with 2 x 20, before which you don't tremble in fear and after which you don't want to shoot me, why would I subject you to a 1hr TT if we can get the same data by doing something more manageable? You're in spandex riding a bike in the sunshine...get over your bad self.
- Why test at all if we can use the data to determine FTP? Training is testing and testing is training?
FTP can't be used to calc'd power for IM racing:
My one sentence answer? Read the EN 3.0 Race Report Forum. Seriously, years and years of data and reports of people who:
- Did EN style FTP training and endurance training
- Tested FTP
- Jammed that number into a spreadsheet
- Slapped some numbers on their stem.
- Did what the wattage gearing chart told them to do
- Had great bike splits, great run splits, AND great races.
As the guy standing over here with the Race Report Forum in my back pocket, I say "I've got the data that says my way works. Let's see yours that says your way is better. Until then, I'll just quietly teach my Team how to kick your ass."
We are coming up on racing season soon, where the tone of the forum will shift towards race execution. With >25 people racing IMWI, I'm already thinking that way 
Comments
Rich, I really appreciate your straight up approach to training and well life. My boys think it is sick that I have a coach who is a Marine! I will be proud to represent EN @ IMWI!!! Rock on ENers!!!
Reductio ad absurdum.
He leaps seamlessly from bashing testing protocol to assuming training volume rarely exceeds one hour. Gotta hand it to him. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit...
I rode 4 the other day pretty damn well after nothing but trainer work all winter. Just dialed it back. What a concept.
Get him, Coach Dick!
Jordon Rapp has a great comment from the blog post you referenced...My take on Chucky is he markets himself as the Anti-establishment coach from the Spikey Air, being banned at Kona for drinking beer while racing, to his Anti-USAT stance.
The more I read this blog the more I just roll my eyes.
Reading blog posts from other coaches that we know are complete crap but our competitors take seriously
OR
Reading Rich's equally entertaining responses :-)
I pretty much know whenever a good post shows up somewhere, it's only a matter of days before Rich has some thoughts to share.
Here's another one on power, on TriFuel by prolific triathlon writer Matt Russ. My favorite excerpt:
"How do you test for and design a pacing strategy based on power? I prefer to use the athlete’s actual performance during their work outs, specifically key bricks, to formulate a strategy based on known performance. I avoid using formula based strategies (ex. % of Functional Threshold Power) as it relies on a test that may or may not be accurate at the athlete’s present fitness level."
A functional threshold test that doesn't accurately predict your current fitness level? Sound like somebody doesn't like looking at the real hard truth of the numbers you have earned by testing. I can't make this stuff up....ugh, sometimes tasting other people's koolaid is not fun.
Again, the best answer is just "my method works, here are the race reports. Can you show me yours?" Nuff said.
That said, seems to be the season of writing and producing content. You and I should lock ourselves in a box and crush it.
TIME OUT!!! Is beer seriously illegal on the course in Kona? I've got to rethink my priorities.
Seriously, that is just stoopid. But you know, I bet it works. He can play the "you're special" card. Imagine telling Joe Schmoe, "we're going to plan everything based on YOUR super-special personal performance in key workouts, and devise a super-special race strategy specific to super-special you and only you, cuz you are, you know, super special. And of course, you need me 1:1 for a gazillion dollars a month to do the super-special work."
It's rubbish, it's a come on.
For those who don't know the backstory, ChuckyV is/was a decent pro. I have no idea how much he raced, how fast he is/was. One claim to fame was a spiked mohawk haircut...or something. Anyway, one year at Kona (I think, could been another race) he was having a bad day and decided to have a beer(s) on the course somewhere. WTCorwhoever said this was against the rules and banned him from racing IM's for a year or so. At the time the incident made him a bit of a contrarian folk hero in the IM set and this contrarian bent is continued with his blog, coaching style, etc.
Frankly, you guys probably pay much more attention to other coaches out there than we do...or at least I do. I'm only concerned with IM coaching and, not to say we can't learn anything, but I frankly don't see many IM specific coaches out there that we can learn from. Power...same thing.
But I get hopped up when someone with little/no power experience decides to present themselves as an expert...poorly. There's lots of stuff I don't know much about but I'm generally smart enough to keep my mouth shut until I do, or ask smarter people to tell me if I'm whack first.
Just a *slight* devil's advocate position here. Remember, there are a LOT of AGers who do very very well at IM races without following EN race day or training strategies. I think of my training buddy, who stubbornly refuses to get a power meter, and insists on racing "by feel" - he goes 9:2X at IM AZ in 35-39, finishes fifth, and will be at Kona with me. I have yet to convince him that he doesn't have to suffer or walk outside of aid stations on the marathon.
What EN gives us, I believe, is a proven program to make it much more likely that we will achieve our maximum potential on race day, AND that it will actually feel EASIER than other methods. It's not the ONLY possible way to success, but very well may be the most reproducible method, and certainly is the "easiest" I've seen (in quotes, because, after all, we are talking HIM and IM here.)
@Al, agreed. If we were talking about training and/or racing by PE then he could be our poster boy. We'd learn a lot. But CV and MR are talking about training and racing with power. CV is just wrong, or simple doesn't understand some simple concepts. MR is less wrong but points to similar misunderstandings. FTP, assuming it's calc'ed/tested properly, is by definition a measurement of current fitness.
Smartass Rich's responses to each coach:
It the humble words of The Govenator Arnold from pumping iron "it's not so hard giving the wrong advices" when asked what does he do when his compettion asks him how to prepare.
Only when the beer comes from a spectator and is in a glass bottle.....Feel free to rock the Bud from start to finish
Hayes- LOL! I think this is what you meant...
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A spreadsheet with the data of 400+ athletes might make an impact, but then what would those others whine about?
These articles are their answer when they can't justify their fees and want to feel better about what they don't know.
I am by no means a WSM or even a SM – I am just an old guy M with an opinion. My opinion is that there seems to be an excess of discussion on testing results. Many of us in EN worry a great deal about how we perform in tests, and beat ourselves up when we do less than we have anticipated.
If I recall correctly, R mentioned a while back that he rarely tests, and I found this very refreshing. I suspect that once we have been at this power stuff for a while, we have a pretty good handle on our FTP. We can tell when we need to bump those numbers up a notch. Correspondingly, is it really necessary to wait for the next test results before adjusting those numbers? – I don’t believe so.
With that in mind, I believe we should keep our eye on what makes us faster and stronger – consistent training efforts. Testing merely helps us verify a benchmark that we pretty much already know.
Training and changing are dynamic and evolving. I like to adjust on a more intuitive level rather than relying and/or waiting for the next FTP test.
Yes, I believe the only valid "test", or benchmark, of the effectiveness of one's training, is a race with other people. The tests we use for FTP or VDOT are only useful for helping one set training effort levels.
Al, I see your point and somewhat agree but not fully as I see other benefits to our tests.
I feel the tests are a good indication that training has been effective and the results are also incredibly helpfull in determining our target pace for races. That said, the two race simulations to determine if these paces are correct are even more helpful and simpling testing well doesn't mean anything.
A 300 watt FTP test and a 60 VDOT mean absolutely nothing if I mess up the race execution!
I think it's a moot point:
Matt,
I vote for Rich's responses. Nothing like the kick to the nutz answer from a Marine.
Vince
Jay