My First Power Meter
%2520(1).webp)
Power meters, they’ve been around for a while and have pretty much revolutionised the way cycle training is monitored and structured. They are arguably, the most reliable form of monitoring physiological progress, providing immediate feedback during sessions and identifying strengths or weaknesses.
As cycling has become progressively more mainstream and technology has become smarter and more accessible, you’ll often find people training and racing with a power meter. Power meters enable you to ride to your specific level and accurately monitor your progress. So whether your goal is to smash ‘Jeff’ up a hill, improve your race performance or simply get faster, you will be able to get there in a more data driven and focused way.
So how do power meters affect the way we train? I thought I would use myself as an example and show you how my training progressed to the next level.
The Stone Age
So when I started cycling I was using Heart rate and RPE (rate perceived exertion) to quantify my training and efforts, I didn’t have a power meter so that’s the best I could do. But riding to HR and RPE in Northumberland is pretty difficult as there are a lot of hills and being competitive in nature I found it difficult to ‘cruise up’’ them. The measure of my progress was purely on race results and comparing times up the same hill. There are a few issues with this, mainly that I was at the mercy of confounding variables such as wind, temperature, time of day, traffic ect. Race results are reliant not only on physical prowess but race tactics and execution are a huge factor therefore attributing success to training is difficult.
Hello Power!
On getting a new job in London, my role enabled me to start training indoors and more specifically training to power. I knew all about training to power through studying applied sport science in university and continued to keep up to date with the latest science. Now I had access to it. Firstly though, I had to get used to it.
I got all my training zones from a functional threshold power test (FTP). This is a nasty little test that takes skill to execute. Initially my test data was all over the place, but I wasn’t disheartened as I knew it was just a case of learning how to execute the test for a fair reflection of my fitness. Once I had an accurate FTP result, I was able to set specific goals and targets. The quality work was predominantly done indoors using data from the power meters, but I still used HR driven training during longer, outdoor rides or with social clubs. By combining my training I was able to make sure that I found the balance between training and remembering why I ride in the first place.
How did my training change?
In a word, focus. Training to power, especially indoors, brings focus to every ride. Every training session has a purpose and I was able to check back and answer ‘Did I accomplish the objective of this session?’. Another thing power training brings is relating a wattage or output to an RPE or sensations of a ride. By putting a number to those sensations, when I took away the data, I was left with a far more reliable and relatable internal gauge of stress. Lastly is recovery, indoor and power based sessions are more intense, there isn’t ‘dead space’ or easy pedaling, this means they are far more taxing. So I started paying a lot more attention to my recovery. Stretching, nutrition and cool downs are brought into sharp focus, because if you get these things wrong, there's a risk of slipping into an overtrained mess.
How was my performance?
In terms of performance, I improved so much. My power went up as it was properly applied and stressed, my pedalling efficiency improved, my left to right balance and power distribution during pedaling evened out. Ultimately, I felt so much more in control of my progress which was shown in race results. Upon returning to old the familiar hills of Northumberland, without intending to, I would rip through my previous records with ease. In terms of time scale, we’re not talking years here, but mere months. Just a short time spent with focused power training gave significant results.
Are you tempted?
Are you interested in getting a power meter or have you just got one and don’t know where to start? My advice is give yourself a week of ‘playing’ around, firstly, ride as hard as you can for 5 minutes and see how many watts you put out. Pedal at an easy pace where you can hold a conversation and relate that to your wattage, this helps you to start associating numbers to sensations. Next do an FTP test and set some goals based on your results. Finally watch your numbers soar.
Your goal can be FTP related or simply smashing your favourite strava section. It’s important to make sure you’re working towards something. Without structure and proper application of the numbers, you’ll get to watch your fitness decline or stay the same. Power meters are great tools, if used properly. If not, you might as well take it off.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, about power meters or training to power, feel free to drop me an email.

ENGINE
Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday, we’re focusing on pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
On Thursday evening, we’ll focus on handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand walks and finishing off the session with core and strength work.
HYROX
This is the Last Simulation before race week. We will lower the volume but keep the intensity high to make sure you are ready for race day!
ENGINE: Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises
MOBILITY
This week, we have the topic: Why are your calves and hamstrings always tight? What can we do to remedy this? Get yourself booked in, and I will show you! This is a great session for everyone, but it is extra beneficial to those runners out there!
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength, we have a chance to progress our 20 RM RDL, followed by some heavy press and strict press cluster sets.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on the squat clean. With a fun complex followed by some pulls. Perfect technique session, working on the barbell timing and full depth in the clean

Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Jebel Jais Ride
Today our weekly endurance ride is at Jebel Jais! If you're interested to join email us here.
.jpg)
Monday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 600m repeats. Which will start at 5km pace and progress to 3km pace, so that the pace increases within each rep.
Wednesday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running a negative split session, meaning that the second half is faster than the first. After 30 mins of easy running, lock into a 20 mins block of effort from 7 - 9 RPE.
Saturday
Time: 5:15am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 56km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
Sunday
Time: 6:00am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 21km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
.jpg)
Eid Mubarak, we hope you all have a great long weekend! Class times are different this week, so please check the schedule on Mindbody! We have a great week lined up, so see you all on the gym floor!
Monday:
We start the week with an epic partner workout. Grab a partner, and let's start the week with a bang!
Conditioning:
40 min amrap in pairs
50 Cal Row
6 wall walks
50 CB Clean and Jerk
6 Wall Walks
50 Box Jump Overs
6 Wall Walks
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we have some push-and-pull work in our strength area, focused on overhead pressing, and then 2 12-minute AMRAPs for you to get stuck into.
Strength:
Every 90 sec x 8 Alt between
A: 8 Dual DB Z press
B: 20 Alt Gorilla Rows
Conditioning:
12 min amrap
30 Wall balls
30/25 cal ski
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 Mins
12 min amrap
30/25 Sal Ass bike
20 V Ups
20 Russian KB Swings
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are hitting some paused back squats in the strength, and then we get after a real grind of a WOD with some burpee pull-ups, front squats, and running.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 6 - 3/3/2/2/1/1 Tempo Back Squats @21X1
Conditioning:
10 rounds for time
5 Front Squats
Pool Run
5 burpee pull-ups
Thursday:
Thursday, snatch complex with some accessory, followed by the workout ACID BATH.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 8 - 1 Snatch Pull + 1 hang Power Snatch +
1 Power snatch
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 3 - 5 Snatch Grip Deadlift
Conditioning:
For time
500m ski
500m row
1000m c2 bike
Friday:
FUF - Finishing the week with some push-pull work in the strength, before an all-in barbell workout to end the week! What Better!
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 5 - 5 push press
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 4 complete 6 DB bench Press @ 30x1 + 3-5 strict pull ups
Conditioning:
5 min amrap
9 Deadlift
6 Hang Power Clean
3 STOH
Rest 3 mins x 3
%2520(1).webp)
Power meters, they’ve been around for a while and have pretty much revolutionised the way cycle training is monitored and structured. They are arguably, the most reliable form of monitoring physiological progress, providing immediate feedback during sessions and identifying strengths or weaknesses.
As cycling has become progressively more mainstream and technology has become smarter and more accessible, you’ll often find people training and racing with a power meter. Power meters enable you to ride to your specific level and accurately monitor your progress. So whether your goal is to smash ‘Jeff’ up a hill, improve your race performance or simply get faster, you will be able to get there in a more data driven and focused way.
So how do power meters affect the way we train? I thought I would use myself as an example and show you how my training progressed to the next level.
The Stone Age
So when I started cycling I was using Heart rate and RPE (rate perceived exertion) to quantify my training and efforts, I didn’t have a power meter so that’s the best I could do. But riding to HR and RPE in Northumberland is pretty difficult as there are a lot of hills and being competitive in nature I found it difficult to ‘cruise up’’ them. The measure of my progress was purely on race results and comparing times up the same hill. There are a few issues with this, mainly that I was at the mercy of confounding variables such as wind, temperature, time of day, traffic ect. Race results are reliant not only on physical prowess but race tactics and execution are a huge factor therefore attributing success to training is difficult.
Hello Power!
On getting a new job in London, my role enabled me to start training indoors and more specifically training to power. I knew all about training to power through studying applied sport science in university and continued to keep up to date with the latest science. Now I had access to it. Firstly though, I had to get used to it.
I got all my training zones from a functional threshold power test (FTP). This is a nasty little test that takes skill to execute. Initially my test data was all over the place, but I wasn’t disheartened as I knew it was just a case of learning how to execute the test for a fair reflection of my fitness. Once I had an accurate FTP result, I was able to set specific goals and targets. The quality work was predominantly done indoors using data from the power meters, but I still used HR driven training during longer, outdoor rides or with social clubs. By combining my training I was able to make sure that I found the balance between training and remembering why I ride in the first place.
How did my training change?
In a word, focus. Training to power, especially indoors, brings focus to every ride. Every training session has a purpose and I was able to check back and answer ‘Did I accomplish the objective of this session?’. Another thing power training brings is relating a wattage or output to an RPE or sensations of a ride. By putting a number to those sensations, when I took away the data, I was left with a far more reliable and relatable internal gauge of stress. Lastly is recovery, indoor and power based sessions are more intense, there isn’t ‘dead space’ or easy pedaling, this means they are far more taxing. So I started paying a lot more attention to my recovery. Stretching, nutrition and cool downs are brought into sharp focus, because if you get these things wrong, there's a risk of slipping into an overtrained mess.
How was my performance?
In terms of performance, I improved so much. My power went up as it was properly applied and stressed, my pedalling efficiency improved, my left to right balance and power distribution during pedaling evened out. Ultimately, I felt so much more in control of my progress which was shown in race results. Upon returning to old the familiar hills of Northumberland, without intending to, I would rip through my previous records with ease. In terms of time scale, we’re not talking years here, but mere months. Just a short time spent with focused power training gave significant results.
Are you tempted?
Are you interested in getting a power meter or have you just got one and don’t know where to start? My advice is give yourself a week of ‘playing’ around, firstly, ride as hard as you can for 5 minutes and see how many watts you put out. Pedal at an easy pace where you can hold a conversation and relate that to your wattage, this helps you to start associating numbers to sensations. Next do an FTP test and set some goals based on your results. Finally watch your numbers soar.
Your goal can be FTP related or simply smashing your favourite strava section. It’s important to make sure you’re working towards something. Without structure and proper application of the numbers, you’ll get to watch your fitness decline or stay the same. Power meters are great tools, if used properly. If not, you might as well take it off.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, about power meters or training to power, feel free to drop me an email.

Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Jebel Jais Ride
Today our weekly endurance ride is at Jebel Jais! If you're interested to join email us here.
.jpg)
Monday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 600m repeats. Which will start at 5km pace and progress to 3km pace, so that the pace increases within each rep.
Wednesday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running a negative split session, meaning that the second half is faster than the first. After 30 mins of easy running, lock into a 20 mins block of effort from 7 - 9 RPE.
Saturday
Time: 5:15am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 56km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
Sunday
Time: 6:00am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 21km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
.jpg)
Eid Mubarak, we hope you all have a great long weekend! Class times are different this week, so please check the schedule on Mindbody! We have a great week lined up, so see you all on the gym floor!
Monday:
We start the week with an epic partner workout. Grab a partner, and let's start the week with a bang!
Conditioning:
40 min amrap in pairs
50 Cal Row
6 wall walks
50 CB Clean and Jerk
6 Wall Walks
50 Box Jump Overs
6 Wall Walks
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we have some push-and-pull work in our strength area, focused on overhead pressing, and then 2 12-minute AMRAPs for you to get stuck into.
Strength:
Every 90 sec x 8 Alt between
A: 8 Dual DB Z press
B: 20 Alt Gorilla Rows
Conditioning:
12 min amrap
30 Wall balls
30/25 cal ski
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 Mins
12 min amrap
30/25 Sal Ass bike
20 V Ups
20 Russian KB Swings
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are hitting some paused back squats in the strength, and then we get after a real grind of a WOD with some burpee pull-ups, front squats, and running.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 6 - 3/3/2/2/1/1 Tempo Back Squats @21X1
Conditioning:
10 rounds for time
5 Front Squats
Pool Run
5 burpee pull-ups
Thursday:
Thursday, snatch complex with some accessory, followed by the workout ACID BATH.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 8 - 1 Snatch Pull + 1 hang Power Snatch +
1 Power snatch
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 3 - 5 Snatch Grip Deadlift
Conditioning:
For time
500m ski
500m row
1000m c2 bike
Friday:
FUF - Finishing the week with some push-pull work in the strength, before an all-in barbell workout to end the week! What Better!
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 5 - 5 push press
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 4 complete 6 DB bench Press @ 30x1 + 3-5 strict pull ups
Conditioning:
5 min amrap
9 Deadlift
6 Hang Power Clean
3 STOH
Rest 3 mins x 3

ENGINE
Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday, we’re focusing on pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
On Thursday evening, we’ll focus on handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand walks and finishing off the session with core and strength work.
HYROX
This is the Last Simulation before race week. We will lower the volume but keep the intensity high to make sure you are ready for race day!
ENGINE: Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises
MOBILITY
This week, we have the topic: Why are your calves and hamstrings always tight? What can we do to remedy this? Get yourself booked in, and I will show you! This is a great session for everyone, but it is extra beneficial to those runners out there!
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength, we have a chance to progress our 20 RM RDL, followed by some heavy press and strict press cluster sets.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on the squat clean. With a fun complex followed by some pulls. Perfect technique session, working on the barbell timing and full depth in the clean
%2520(1).webp)
Power meters, they’ve been around for a while and have pretty much revolutionised the way cycle training is monitored and structured. They are arguably, the most reliable form of monitoring physiological progress, providing immediate feedback during sessions and identifying strengths or weaknesses.
As cycling has become progressively more mainstream and technology has become smarter and more accessible, you’ll often find people training and racing with a power meter. Power meters enable you to ride to your specific level and accurately monitor your progress. So whether your goal is to smash ‘Jeff’ up a hill, improve your race performance or simply get faster, you will be able to get there in a more data driven and focused way.
So how do power meters affect the way we train? I thought I would use myself as an example and show you how my training progressed to the next level.
The Stone Age
So when I started cycling I was using Heart rate and RPE (rate perceived exertion) to quantify my training and efforts, I didn’t have a power meter so that’s the best I could do. But riding to HR and RPE in Northumberland is pretty difficult as there are a lot of hills and being competitive in nature I found it difficult to ‘cruise up’’ them. The measure of my progress was purely on race results and comparing times up the same hill. There are a few issues with this, mainly that I was at the mercy of confounding variables such as wind, temperature, time of day, traffic ect. Race results are reliant not only on physical prowess but race tactics and execution are a huge factor therefore attributing success to training is difficult.
Hello Power!
On getting a new job in London, my role enabled me to start training indoors and more specifically training to power. I knew all about training to power through studying applied sport science in university and continued to keep up to date with the latest science. Now I had access to it. Firstly though, I had to get used to it.
I got all my training zones from a functional threshold power test (FTP). This is a nasty little test that takes skill to execute. Initially my test data was all over the place, but I wasn’t disheartened as I knew it was just a case of learning how to execute the test for a fair reflection of my fitness. Once I had an accurate FTP result, I was able to set specific goals and targets. The quality work was predominantly done indoors using data from the power meters, but I still used HR driven training during longer, outdoor rides or with social clubs. By combining my training I was able to make sure that I found the balance between training and remembering why I ride in the first place.
How did my training change?
In a word, focus. Training to power, especially indoors, brings focus to every ride. Every training session has a purpose and I was able to check back and answer ‘Did I accomplish the objective of this session?’. Another thing power training brings is relating a wattage or output to an RPE or sensations of a ride. By putting a number to those sensations, when I took away the data, I was left with a far more reliable and relatable internal gauge of stress. Lastly is recovery, indoor and power based sessions are more intense, there isn’t ‘dead space’ or easy pedaling, this means they are far more taxing. So I started paying a lot more attention to my recovery. Stretching, nutrition and cool downs are brought into sharp focus, because if you get these things wrong, there's a risk of slipping into an overtrained mess.
How was my performance?
In terms of performance, I improved so much. My power went up as it was properly applied and stressed, my pedalling efficiency improved, my left to right balance and power distribution during pedaling evened out. Ultimately, I felt so much more in control of my progress which was shown in race results. Upon returning to old the familiar hills of Northumberland, without intending to, I would rip through my previous records with ease. In terms of time scale, we’re not talking years here, but mere months. Just a short time spent with focused power training gave significant results.
Are you tempted?
Are you interested in getting a power meter or have you just got one and don’t know where to start? My advice is give yourself a week of ‘playing’ around, firstly, ride as hard as you can for 5 minutes and see how many watts you put out. Pedal at an easy pace where you can hold a conversation and relate that to your wattage, this helps you to start associating numbers to sensations. Next do an FTP test and set some goals based on your results. Finally watch your numbers soar.
Your goal can be FTP related or simply smashing your favourite strava section. It’s important to make sure you’re working towards something. Without structure and proper application of the numbers, you’ll get to watch your fitness decline or stay the same. Power meters are great tools, if used properly. If not, you might as well take it off.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, about power meters or training to power, feel free to drop me an email.
.jpg)
Monday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 600m repeats. Which will start at 5km pace and progress to 3km pace, so that the pace increases within each rep.
Wednesday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running a negative split session, meaning that the second half is faster than the first. After 30 mins of easy running, lock into a 20 mins block of effort from 7 - 9 RPE.
Saturday
Time: 5:15am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 56km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
Sunday
Time: 6:00am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 21km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
.jpg)
Eid Mubarak, we hope you all have a great long weekend! Class times are different this week, so please check the schedule on Mindbody! We have a great week lined up, so see you all on the gym floor!
Monday:
We start the week with an epic partner workout. Grab a partner, and let's start the week with a bang!
Conditioning:
40 min amrap in pairs
50 Cal Row
6 wall walks
50 CB Clean and Jerk
6 Wall Walks
50 Box Jump Overs
6 Wall Walks
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we have some push-and-pull work in our strength area, focused on overhead pressing, and then 2 12-minute AMRAPs for you to get stuck into.
Strength:
Every 90 sec x 8 Alt between
A: 8 Dual DB Z press
B: 20 Alt Gorilla Rows
Conditioning:
12 min amrap
30 Wall balls
30/25 cal ski
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 Mins
12 min amrap
30/25 Sal Ass bike
20 V Ups
20 Russian KB Swings
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are hitting some paused back squats in the strength, and then we get after a real grind of a WOD with some burpee pull-ups, front squats, and running.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 6 - 3/3/2/2/1/1 Tempo Back Squats @21X1
Conditioning:
10 rounds for time
5 Front Squats
Pool Run
5 burpee pull-ups
Thursday:
Thursday, snatch complex with some accessory, followed by the workout ACID BATH.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 8 - 1 Snatch Pull + 1 hang Power Snatch +
1 Power snatch
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 3 - 5 Snatch Grip Deadlift
Conditioning:
For time
500m ski
500m row
1000m c2 bike
Friday:
FUF - Finishing the week with some push-pull work in the strength, before an all-in barbell workout to end the week! What Better!
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 5 - 5 push press
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 4 complete 6 DB bench Press @ 30x1 + 3-5 strict pull ups
Conditioning:
5 min amrap
9 Deadlift
6 Hang Power Clean
3 STOH
Rest 3 mins x 3

ENGINE
Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday, we’re focusing on pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
On Thursday evening, we’ll focus on handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand walks and finishing off the session with core and strength work.
HYROX
This is the Last Simulation before race week. We will lower the volume but keep the intensity high to make sure you are ready for race day!
ENGINE: Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises
MOBILITY
This week, we have the topic: Why are your calves and hamstrings always tight? What can we do to remedy this? Get yourself booked in, and I will show you! This is a great session for everyone, but it is extra beneficial to those runners out there!
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength, we have a chance to progress our 20 RM RDL, followed by some heavy press and strict press cluster sets.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on the squat clean. With a fun complex followed by some pulls. Perfect technique session, working on the barbell timing and full depth in the clean

Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Jebel Jais Ride
Today our weekly endurance ride is at Jebel Jais! If you're interested to join email us here.
%2520(1).webp)
Power meters, they’ve been around for a while and have pretty much revolutionised the way cycle training is monitored and structured. They are arguably, the most reliable form of monitoring physiological progress, providing immediate feedback during sessions and identifying strengths or weaknesses.
As cycling has become progressively more mainstream and technology has become smarter and more accessible, you’ll often find people training and racing with a power meter. Power meters enable you to ride to your specific level and accurately monitor your progress. So whether your goal is to smash ‘Jeff’ up a hill, improve your race performance or simply get faster, you will be able to get there in a more data driven and focused way.
So how do power meters affect the way we train? I thought I would use myself as an example and show you how my training progressed to the next level.
The Stone Age
So when I started cycling I was using Heart rate and RPE (rate perceived exertion) to quantify my training and efforts, I didn’t have a power meter so that’s the best I could do. But riding to HR and RPE in Northumberland is pretty difficult as there are a lot of hills and being competitive in nature I found it difficult to ‘cruise up’’ them. The measure of my progress was purely on race results and comparing times up the same hill. There are a few issues with this, mainly that I was at the mercy of confounding variables such as wind, temperature, time of day, traffic ect. Race results are reliant not only on physical prowess but race tactics and execution are a huge factor therefore attributing success to training is difficult.
Hello Power!
On getting a new job in London, my role enabled me to start training indoors and more specifically training to power. I knew all about training to power through studying applied sport science in university and continued to keep up to date with the latest science. Now I had access to it. Firstly though, I had to get used to it.
I got all my training zones from a functional threshold power test (FTP). This is a nasty little test that takes skill to execute. Initially my test data was all over the place, but I wasn’t disheartened as I knew it was just a case of learning how to execute the test for a fair reflection of my fitness. Once I had an accurate FTP result, I was able to set specific goals and targets. The quality work was predominantly done indoors using data from the power meters, but I still used HR driven training during longer, outdoor rides or with social clubs. By combining my training I was able to make sure that I found the balance between training and remembering why I ride in the first place.
How did my training change?
In a word, focus. Training to power, especially indoors, brings focus to every ride. Every training session has a purpose and I was able to check back and answer ‘Did I accomplish the objective of this session?’. Another thing power training brings is relating a wattage or output to an RPE or sensations of a ride. By putting a number to those sensations, when I took away the data, I was left with a far more reliable and relatable internal gauge of stress. Lastly is recovery, indoor and power based sessions are more intense, there isn’t ‘dead space’ or easy pedaling, this means they are far more taxing. So I started paying a lot more attention to my recovery. Stretching, nutrition and cool downs are brought into sharp focus, because if you get these things wrong, there's a risk of slipping into an overtrained mess.
How was my performance?
In terms of performance, I improved so much. My power went up as it was properly applied and stressed, my pedalling efficiency improved, my left to right balance and power distribution during pedaling evened out. Ultimately, I felt so much more in control of my progress which was shown in race results. Upon returning to old the familiar hills of Northumberland, without intending to, I would rip through my previous records with ease. In terms of time scale, we’re not talking years here, but mere months. Just a short time spent with focused power training gave significant results.
Are you tempted?
Are you interested in getting a power meter or have you just got one and don’t know where to start? My advice is give yourself a week of ‘playing’ around, firstly, ride as hard as you can for 5 minutes and see how many watts you put out. Pedal at an easy pace where you can hold a conversation and relate that to your wattage, this helps you to start associating numbers to sensations. Next do an FTP test and set some goals based on your results. Finally watch your numbers soar.
Your goal can be FTP related or simply smashing your favourite strava section. It’s important to make sure you’re working towards something. Without structure and proper application of the numbers, you’ll get to watch your fitness decline or stay the same. Power meters are great tools, if used properly. If not, you might as well take it off.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, about power meters or training to power, feel free to drop me an email.
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Power meters, they’ve been around for a while and have pretty much revolutionised the way cycle training is monitored and structured. They are arguably, the most reliable form of monitoring physiological progress, providing immediate feedback during sessions and identifying strengths or weaknesses.
As cycling has become progressively more mainstream and technology has become smarter and more accessible, you’ll often find people training and racing with a power meter. Power meters enable you to ride to your specific level and accurately monitor your progress. So whether your goal is to smash ‘Jeff’ up a hill, improve your race performance or simply get faster, you will be able to get there in a more data driven and focused way.
So how do power meters affect the way we train? I thought I would use myself as an example and show you how my training progressed to the next level.
The Stone Age
So when I started cycling I was using Heart rate and RPE (rate perceived exertion) to quantify my training and efforts, I didn’t have a power meter so that’s the best I could do. But riding to HR and RPE in Northumberland is pretty difficult as there are a lot of hills and being competitive in nature I found it difficult to ‘cruise up’’ them. The measure of my progress was purely on race results and comparing times up the same hill. There are a few issues with this, mainly that I was at the mercy of confounding variables such as wind, temperature, time of day, traffic ect. Race results are reliant not only on physical prowess but race tactics and execution are a huge factor therefore attributing success to training is difficult.
Hello Power!
On getting a new job in London, my role enabled me to start training indoors and more specifically training to power. I knew all about training to power through studying applied sport science in university and continued to keep up to date with the latest science. Now I had access to it. Firstly though, I had to get used to it.
I got all my training zones from a functional threshold power test (FTP). This is a nasty little test that takes skill to execute. Initially my test data was all over the place, but I wasn’t disheartened as I knew it was just a case of learning how to execute the test for a fair reflection of my fitness. Once I had an accurate FTP result, I was able to set specific goals and targets. The quality work was predominantly done indoors using data from the power meters, but I still used HR driven training during longer, outdoor rides or with social clubs. By combining my training I was able to make sure that I found the balance between training and remembering why I ride in the first place.
How did my training change?
In a word, focus. Training to power, especially indoors, brings focus to every ride. Every training session has a purpose and I was able to check back and answer ‘Did I accomplish the objective of this session?’. Another thing power training brings is relating a wattage or output to an RPE or sensations of a ride. By putting a number to those sensations, when I took away the data, I was left with a far more reliable and relatable internal gauge of stress. Lastly is recovery, indoor and power based sessions are more intense, there isn’t ‘dead space’ or easy pedaling, this means they are far more taxing. So I started paying a lot more attention to my recovery. Stretching, nutrition and cool downs are brought into sharp focus, because if you get these things wrong, there's a risk of slipping into an overtrained mess.
How was my performance?
In terms of performance, I improved so much. My power went up as it was properly applied and stressed, my pedalling efficiency improved, my left to right balance and power distribution during pedaling evened out. Ultimately, I felt so much more in control of my progress which was shown in race results. Upon returning to old the familiar hills of Northumberland, without intending to, I would rip through my previous records with ease. In terms of time scale, we’re not talking years here, but mere months. Just a short time spent with focused power training gave significant results.
Are you tempted?
Are you interested in getting a power meter or have you just got one and don’t know where to start? My advice is give yourself a week of ‘playing’ around, firstly, ride as hard as you can for 5 minutes and see how many watts you put out. Pedal at an easy pace where you can hold a conversation and relate that to your wattage, this helps you to start associating numbers to sensations. Next do an FTP test and set some goals based on your results. Finally watch your numbers soar.
Your goal can be FTP related or simply smashing your favourite strava section. It’s important to make sure you’re working towards something. Without structure and proper application of the numbers, you’ll get to watch your fitness decline or stay the same. Power meters are great tools, if used properly. If not, you might as well take it off.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, about power meters or training to power, feel free to drop me an email.

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