MAP Testing - where failure is a success...

So, am I getting better coach?

Well coach knows the answer already but how do you really tell? Well with a power meter, it isn't difficult to work out. Aside from actual race performances, the best guides are performance tests. These come in various shapes and sizes and generally follow a consistent protocol so that results can be compared over time. I have already described one such test I've done a number of times - the 16km (10 mile) Time Trial, which gives a really good marker of changes in aerobic fitness. See post here for an example.

Maximal Aerobic Power (MAP) is another such performance marker and can be determined with consistency through performing a ramp test. There are a number of protocols for ramp tests but they all have a common theme, i.e. you ride in such a manner where resistance is continually increased until you can no longer produce the power. It's a bit brutal (and should only be attempted by healthy subjects) but all up it's pretty quick (less than 15 minutes).

MAP and the testing protocol I use are described in more detail on Ric Stern's web site.

The protocol is the same as British Cycling's testing protocol - and involves riding on a stationary ergometer set-up, beginning with a resistance at the lower end of endurance training levels and then increasing the resistance by 15 to 25 watts per minute (the ramp rate). Different athletes would use a different starting power and different ramp rates. Where possible, the ramp rate should be gradual, rather than in large steps of 20 or 25W/min.

The outcome we are looking for is the mean maximal power output for 1 minute, which (assuming the resistance is continually increasing) should be the average power for the final minute of the test prior to failure.

How do you do a MAP Test?

Well Ric has a few suggestions on his site (and please read the disclaimer!) but it helps to have an ergo trainer and a powermeter. At worst a flat road ending with a hill climb can also mimic the circumstances needed. I do the test by hooking my PowerTap equipped bike onto my friend Tanya's Computrainer. This is ideal as the Computrainer allows for programmable resistance increments of just 5 watts.

After a warming up, I start the test and Tanya then hits the +5 watts button every 12 seconds, while I just focus on riding. It's pretty relentless and I go 'til failure. There ain't much more to it. Coach and I then use the PowerTap data and Cycling Peaks to analyse results.

So what does a test result look like?

Well here's a picture of the result of a recent ramp test:

Alex's MAP Test

There are five lines on the chart. The two horizontal dashed lines show:
- Average Cadence for the test (green dashes) and
- My Functional Threshold Power (yellow dashes).
These are simply there to provide a visual reference point for the real test data.

The three jagged lines are:
- Power (yellow)
- Heart Rate (red)
- Cadence (green)

So we can see the power gradually increasing until failure. Note the mean maximal 1-minute power of 399 Watts. Darn. I was hoping I'd crack 400 this time. Never mind, there is still room for improvement there.

Couple of other things I noticed. For some reason my cadence gradually rises on these tests. It's a pattern I've noticed before. Just my way of generating more power, rather than grinding it out I tend to pedal more quickly as power goes up. Perhaps that is the result of being a track rider where the only way to go faster is to pedal faster.

But see the short drop in cadence about a minute or so before the end of test. Well that's where Tanya decided I needed my now furiously sweating brow to be wiped (it was a pretty warm day) and as a result I lost a little rhythm. Not badly but when you are approaching your physical limits, little things can throw you. Cadence picked up again after that but I was not long for this world and I finally cracked in the low 400s, just shy of 10 minutes after starting.

Heart rate is also shown for reference. A couple of spikes in the line which I presume are data errors (but who knows? ). I don't use heart rate much as a guide but you should expect to see HR approaching maximum during a test like this. Some like to also measure the rate of HR recovery in the couple of minutes after such a test.

So what does it all mean?

Well two things flow from this. Firstly, using this protocol, coach & I are able to set and adjust training levels from recovery right through to anaerobic capacity efforts. See Ric's training zone calculator to explain.

Secondly, we can measure whether training is actually improving my MAP.

My Map Results over last few months

Shown above are the results of my MAP tests these last few months. As we can see, a 38 Watt improvement in my MAP - a little over 10% increase so far (and a 13% increase in terms of power to weight ratio). So if you have a power meter and a trainer (especially one with a programmable resistance) then you have the perfect set up to test your own progress.

So what are you waiting for?