Training with Power: USA Cycling Course

This course shows cycling coaches how to read the most important power metrics, understand what they mean for a workout and in the context of weeks and months of training, and then transform this power-based analysis into clear coaching decisions.

USA Cycling CEU Course on Training with Power Metrics

Our online course, Training with Power Metrics, shows coaches how to read watts, power files, and long-term load metrics the way expert coach Joe Friel does—so you can open an athlete’s dashboard and instantly understand what’s really happening with their fitness, fatigue, and race readiness. This practical guide shows how to simplify power data and isolate the key signals you need to make coaching decisions without getting bogged down in complex charts or data overload.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Make sense of watts, average power, and Normalized Power, so you can explain why two “141-watt” rides feel completely different and use NP to see the true stress your athletes are under.
  • Use Functional Threshold Power (FTP) to set smart training zones from a simple 20-minute test and quickly see when an athlete is riding too easy, too hard, or at the correct intensity.
  • Read Intensity Factor (IF) and Variability Index (VI) to check if “easy days” are truly easy, design race-like sessions, and tune pacing for time trials versus stochastic road races and gravel events.
  • Track aerobic fitness and durability using Efficiency Factor (EF) and aerobic decoupling, so you can see when your athletes are ready for longer rides, harder blocks, or a bump in training load.
  • See what TSS, CTL, and ATL really mean so you can quickly spot when training load is productive or drifting towards overreaching.
  • Use Training Stress Balance (TSB) and Performance Management Charts to view a whole season at a glance, spot fatigue early, and time peak with confidence before key events.

See how every metric fits together—from watts to NP to TSS, CTL, ATL, and TSB—so you can look at an athlete’s season and immediately understand where they are and what they need next.

Completing this course will clarify power-based training, equipping you with the clear picture you need to guide your athletes toward smarter training, better pacing, and better rides and races.

Log into USA Cycling Course Catalog See Course

How to Enroll

All USA Cycling courses are offered exclusively through USA Cycling’s online learning management system at learn.usacycling.org.

Questions? Contact Suzy Sanchez, Director of DEI and Membership Programs, at ssanchez@usacycling.org.

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