Power profiling

As Andrew Coggan states in his introduction to power profiling, It's human nature to want to know how you compare to others in your sport. He developed a chart that relates racing category with power-to-weight ratio for 5-second, 1-minute, 5-minute, and FTP (1 hour) intervals. It's interesting to see where my numbers fall on the chart. I don't have accurate numbers for the 1-minute duration because I haven't tested for that time interval, but I will soon. I was pleased to see that my FTP and 5-minute power to weight ratios are good; however, it's clear that I need a lot of work on my sprinting (5 sec and 1 min).

The chart depicts in red my power-to-weight ratios. The upward slope to the right indicates a typical time trialist profile. (Based on the other numbers, I'm guessing my 1-minute number will be in the 7.2 or 7.3 watts/kg range.) A good all around racer would have a flatter profile. A sprinter's profile would slope downward from left to right. Some of it is dictated by genetics (fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle fiber percentages). But I think I could flatten my curve quite a bit with proper training.

Click the chart to see it better.