Setting up training zones for heart rate and power in TrainingPeaks is easy to do with 20 minute Field Test data. Once the athlete has uploaded their file, we go into TrainingPeaks and find their 20 minute Normalized Power and Average Heart Rate.
In the opened ride file, we click on the Lightning Bolt in the right hand data bar to switch to Peak Power, then scroll down to Peak 20:00 min. That selects the 20min effort and we can see the Normalized Power and Average Heart Rate from the test.
By keeping the warm up, test effort, and cool down all in one file, we can see how the athlete did on the rest of the ride and if that may have affected their test. Plus we get a full Training Stress Score (TSS) for the day’s ride.
From Joe Rider’s 224 watt Normalized Power, we subtract 5%, and enter the 213 watts in our FasCat Zones Sheet to calculate his training zones. We’ll also add in his average heart rate of 168bpm from the test (we do not subtract 5% for HR).
To keep everything accurate, we then add those numbers to his Power and Heart Rate Zones in TrainingPeaks. In Joe Rider’s Account Settings, we input his calculated 213 watt FTP, choose “threshold power” for the auto calculation and use Andy Coggan’s zones from the drop-down menu.
Next we add the all-important 83-97% of FTP Training Zone, Sweet Spot (for Joe that is 178-207 watts). With that his power zones are set!
Lastly to set his HR zones, we enter his average HR from his 20 min field test into the threshold HR field (remember, we do not subtract 5% for HR like we do for power). From there we’ll go into the auto calculation and choose “lactate threshold” for the type and Andy Coggins (5) for the method. Then we’ll add in the sweet spot zone manually between zones 3 and 4, just as we did for his power zones. Finally, we add in his HR zones that we calculated using the FasCat Zones Sheet into each of those HR zones and we are done!
Now we can go into Joe Rider’s files and see how much time he’s spent at Sweet Spot or other zones in a group ride, race, or hill repeats!
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Regarding HR Zones in your spreadsheet, I’ve been finding that some rides/races outside of a field test I achieve a higher 20-minute peak HR. Is it best to continue to use the HR avg from my field tests? It appears that if I plug in the new values from other rides/races, that I would never be able to hit the VO2 max HR Zone 5 since it puts the value just at, or above, my max HR.
I set a new Threshold HR in Training Peaks and want to adjust my settings. I see where I enter the updated HR but need to know what “Type” and “Method” to use so TP can auto calculate. I assume I am using the Andy Coggan method since that’s what we use for Power. Thanks.
You are correct! Nice going -
So Coggan Method but which Type? (see below). Thanks.
The first one, ‘lactate threshold’
