The Power Meter Handbook: A User's Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes Paperback – September 1, 2012

Having read and constantly referred back to all Joe Friel's books, all the variations of his Training Bible aimed at Cyclist, Triathletes, etc... I immediately purchased this book as soon as it came out.This book picks off where the 'Training Bibles' left off as it dives deep into power meter training, which is the biggest training trend for cyclist of all levels, as power meters become widely available and accessible.I've been training with a power meter since 2008, and read Andy Coggan's book in great detail, and also use it regularly, as I a view these types of books more as reference book to keep coming back to, rather than books you read once and put it back on the shelf.In spite of being knowledgeable about training and power meters, I found this book to be a great reading book as well as a great reference book.The book is very easy to read and addresses very well not only the how, but also the why of power meter training. Even though, I'm a believer and already use it, I found those section very entertaining and very educational.The tone of the book assumes no prior knowledge from the reader and I found that very useful. The material and concepts are all very current and up-to-date.Joe Friel's ability is to make simple all the concepts behind power meter training easy to understand and very logical, without going into deep technical details as Andy Coggan's reference book on power meter training.I view this book as targeted at an wider audience that includes not only athletes that currently only use heart rate and want know why and how to us power meters, but also experienced athletes that want to complement their knowledge.Don't hesitate, get this book, read it and keep coming back to it !!!! and to address other comments, to get an even deeper understanding do read Andy Coggan's book (which Friel quotes throughout this book), although it is more technical and takes longer to understand.In summary, this is the perfect book for cycling enthusiasts that are training with heart rate and are curious about power meter based training. It has something for everyone, from athletes with no knowledge of power meter training to athletes with already years of power meter training on their background.Great addition to my library !!! Now we need this book on Kindle !!!Rodrigo[...]

I bought this to help me understand a bit more in-depth the how to get the most from my power meter. The book is laid out in an comprehensive manner and is easy to understand. Like many, I've scoured the internet reading many articles, so I had a base understanding. This book helped build the base to a higher level. It made me realize that some of the production numbers I'd been ignoring were actually useful, and how to use those numbers to get stronger and keep from bonking. Now, I'm no longer young or a triathlete, so some things regarding racing and getting ready for a triathlon I skimmed over. I'm more of a medium distance rider in a mountainous area and prefer rides in the 100K distance. This has a chapter giving training advice on how to train for a century and long rides. I found it very useful for completing my first century. I've become a stronger rider, 1) for training/riding more, and 2) for training/riding smarter due in a large part to the info in this book.

I have found this book really good. Joe has a knack for turning complex sports physiology concepts into practical training advice - for example relating training / performance zones to on ride / race performance around the concept of "burning matches" (get the book to find out the details) is one of his scientifically based simple analogies that helps you understand how your own performance works and why pacing can be so important. Changes I would like to see is a version of the book less focused on racing and more on non-competitive cycling performance. I would also prefer traditional power profile analysis where you mark your performance on vertical bars, one for each standard time period, with scales from untrained to world record. He instead creates a continual curve of power versus log time, may be more correct but lacks an intuitive feel. Lastly the graphics do not translate through the Kindle version very well, more of a Kindle product issue versus Joe presentation. Overall this is a good ready and a must buy for the power meter equipped performance cyclist!

I've used a power meter for the last 7 years, and found it to be an invaluable training device.When I first started using a power meter, I purchased Coggan and Allen's book (Training and Racing with a Power Meter) on the subject and then later purchased their second addition. Those books were a tad bit too "scholarly." I found the main points to be hidden in the minutiae. And looking at those power file charts was like a layman looking at X-Rays; Most images were shades of gray with very few clear signs. After years of reading and reviewing the books, I developed a decent idea of what I needed to be doing in terms of training. But it did take multiple readings and reviews. Maybe they should have had an editor.With Friel's book, I have found that many of my assumptions from reading the Coggan/Allen books were correct. But Friel's book makes it much clearer and straight forward. You get what you need to know to be able to use a power meter.Friel's book is to the point and helpful. It is well written and easy to understand. I wish it had come out years ago.