Source : Bikeradar.com Author : Tom Bell
We often say that talking about power without weight is "playing hooligans", if you look at the output of power alone, it does not explain some problems, especially when climbing. The power-to-weight ratio is one of the important indicators to measure a rider's climbing ability.
If your power-to-weight ratio is kept at a normal level, it will be able to test your climbing ability more accurately, and your climbing data will be more informative. Today's article will show you how to calculate the power-to-weight ratio, how to raise it, and how its improvement will affect your riding ability.
How to calculate the power-to-weight ratio
The output power in watts divided by weight (kilograms) is your power-to-weight ratio, expressed in watts per kilogram (W/kg).
How to measure it? You need to maintain a stable power output for a certain period of time or at a certain physiological threshold, where the power output should be the maximum power you can "hold", and then divide it by your weight, which is your power-to-weight ratio. And the concept of maximum power is a bit vague, how to determine it? Lactate threshold, critical power, or most commonly functional threshold power (FTP) can be used as standard.
For example, after you complete the FTP test, the functional threshold power is 250 watts and your weight is 75 kg, then your power-to-weight ratio is 3.33 watts/kg.
While lactic acid concentration, critical power, and FTP are slightly different, they are all essentially trying to determine the highest tipping point at which a rider can maintain high-intensity exercise without "blowing up" right away.
In addition, your power-to-weight ratio can be calculated during long and short continuous rides, such as climbing a mountain, or riding an entire race or cycling activity.
Why is power weight so important?
When you start climbing, the power-to-weight ratio between different riders comes into play, which in turn evolves into a gap in climbing ability.
The main source of resistance to climbing hills is gravity, and how much gravity you need to overcome depends largely on your own weight. For example, a rider who weighs 60 kg and can output an average power of 300W will go up the hill faster than a rider who weighs 90 kg and produces the same power.
In contrast, when riding on flat roads, the main resistance to forward movement is air resistance. Air resistance increases with speed, and the windward area in front of the rider is very important for speed. In this case, the impact of weight on the rider's riding is much less than when climbing, because riders with higher wind resistance tend to weigh more, and flat road riding places more emphasis on "flying bricks with great force".
And for riders who want to climb faster in the virtual world, the power-to-weight ratio is more than just a statistic.
On indoor cycling software such as Zwift, RGT Cycling, and Rouvy, virtual roads and trails use your power-to-weight ratio as an important determinant of riding speed.
Therefore, having a good power-to-weight ratio can help you win Zwift races. In addition, Zwift categorizes races and teams based on power-to-weight ratios to help you match the right teams and races.
How to judge a good power-to-weight ratio?
In summary, you have learned how to test the power-to-weight ratio and understand its impact on cycling. So what is the excellent power-to-weight ratio in terms of different ability levels?
Below is a power-to-weight ratio chart, you can judge according to the chart. The chart divides the power-to-weight ratio into world-class, sub-top, excellent, very good, good, moderate, poor, entry (level 2), entry (level 1) based on functional threshold power (FTP), and the criteria for men and women are different.
This chart combined with your actual situation can help you understand where you are most talented or weak, and improve your goals accordingly. It should be noted that the vast majority of drivers are not "all-round".
At FTPs above 6, the advantage of the power-to-weight ratio of climbing riders is more pronounced. But compared to pure sprinters, these climbing riders typically have a weaker power-to-weight ratio over 5 seconds and 1 minute because their muscles have largely adapted to aerobic metabolism.
Similarly, due to greater muscle mass and greater anaerobic capacity, pure sprinters will have a lower power-to-weight ratio under the same FTP.
At the end of the day, a power-to-weight chart like this can help you compare yourself to other riders to determine the most appropriate power delivery time and future training focus.
How to improve the power-to-weight ratio?
If you want to be a good hill rider, then you need to focus on improving the power-to-weight ratio, which you can achieve by increasing power and reducing weight.
The ideal way to lose weight is to lose body fat, not muscle. You can make a diet plan based on your energy intake and achieve your weight loss goals through a long-term diet plan.
In general, diets that help achieve weight loss goals are relatively high in protein (1 to 1.5 g/kg), as well as some fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are filling and relatively low in calories, and a moderately high protein intake can also help reduce muscle mass when losing weight.
If you train regularly, you can consume a certain percentage of carbohydrates to stimulate elevated levels during high-intensity training and improve your immune system. Depending on the overall training volume, carbohydrate intake is between 6 and 10 g/kg.
Training to increase power output needs to be set differently according to the time when the power-to-weight ratio works, such as more than one minute, or one hour. But the goal of many riders is to improve power-to-weight performance in situations such as maximum FTP. Here's how to help you achieve this goal.
1. Long-term, low-intensity basic training riding, about 55% to 75% FTP or 68% to 83% threshold heart rate, which will help reduce lactic acid accumulation and improve lactate clearance.
2. Interval training intensity is maintained near your threshold power or heart rate, which helps improve your ability to remove lactic acid. Some riders especially like to alternate training between slightly above and slightly below the threshold.
3. Interval training can help you significantly increase your heart rate and increase your aerobic capacity. Some riders often like to push themselves to the limit when training at intervals, such as 120% to 130% FTP. After that, you can maintain your heart rate at around 90% of your maximum heart rate and continue exercising for another four to six minutes.