The intensive use of a power meter in cycling has led to the development of new models, new software and a lot of associated terminology. The most appealing and widely used term is undoubtedly FTP or Functional Threshold Power. For a long time, this concept was a real relief but when it was equated with MaxLass, anaerobic threshold, 4 mmol and others, it showed confusion and ambiguity, not least because FTP has no real physiological meaning.

Training Stress Score is another commonly used term. This quantitative measurement gives a good picture of the external stimulus acting on the cyclists body but the physiological impact is far from clear. TSS can have a similar value despite the fact that totally different systems are activated so that the actual internal load on the body is misjudged.

Charles Dauwe D.Sc. developed a modern version of the rather "old" Critical Power Concept,
the Extended Critical Power concept ECP.
Through his enlightening approach, he had managed to transform
a rather mathematical approach into a tool with both great physiological and practical significance.
Using a series of judiciously chosen "to the limit" efforts, this model calculates new
physiological data points, load indexes and training zones
and is therefore able to better understand the true physiological impact of training and competition.

Thanks to this concept and the implementation of the Individual Recovery Index IRI, it is now possible to calculate the dynamics of the anaerobic exhaustion and recovery - ExRec - in a highly individualized way.
Consequently, we can now perfectly manage our anaerobic energy reserve.

This Exhaustion-Recovery process, also known as W’ bal, has now been coded into computer applications such as

Typhoon: a standalone and web based program that calculates your metabolic profile and provides an in-depth physiological analysis of all recorded power files
SuperCycle: an application that allows the dynamics of exhaustion and recovery to be displayed "live".
Training module: a unique tool to make interval training targeted and efficient.

This new approach is a real game-changer in the wonderful world of coaching.
It allows the trainer to precisely monitor the physiological needs of the race and the acute response to the training task,
to estimate the chronic adaptations quite closely, to better plan the periodization
and to align the training sessions with the
necessary training load for the planned competitions.