Training Metrics- What you view during workouts matter

 The data you view during a workout has an impact on how you execute, adjust, and mentally interpret the training session. Not all data is the same. Some are very useful and others can be distracting and do not give an accurate picture of the effort or work being done. Here are my recommendations on what data you should be viewing during training sessions.

Bike- for indoor rides on a trainer key metrics should be:

power

cadence

heart rate

If you are using a platform such as Trainer Road or Zwift, you will have plenty of data to view.

For outdoor rides 

time

heart rate

cadence

power or core temperature

Average speed is not a good indicator of training effort, since wind humidity, and terrain can all have a big impact. Cadence may be more important than power since how the power is generated is important.

In the absence of power, core temperature is a good metric since overheating will drop your FTP (functional threshold power) leaving all of your current power zones suspect.

Run

I find viewing 3 data fields to be optimal. Four fields make the numbers a little bit small and can be distracting by having too much information. Here are my suggested data fields:

time

heart rate

cadence

core temperature (if available)

If run power is available, viewing that in real time is unnecessary as it will fluctuate rather quickly. The only exception may be if you're doing a tempo run in order to learn pacing based upon cadence heart rate and power.

Running pace is not a great metric to use as it may entice you to race to work out. Running pace will be affected greatly by temperature humidity as well as rising core temperature and elevation. 

These are my recommendations. Additional data and information will be downloaded after the workout but these are the ones I suggest you have in view while you're doing your workout. As always these are subject to debate and fine-tuning based on the individual. 

Happy training!