30. MEASURING DURABILITY: THE GUIDE

Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash

Durability is the ability to decrease as less as possible performance during prolonged exercise. In a previous post, we saw that durability is not related to traditional endurance physiological or performance markers measured at rested state like VO2max, thresholds’ power and 20min max mean power output (Read more here). So, a higher VO2max or FTP doesn’t necessarily mean a higher durability. As a consequence, we can’t make assumptions on a given athlete’s durability level based on physiological or performance measured at rested state: we have to measure also durability to have a comprehensive physical evaluation.

So, how to measure durability?

There are 3 ways:

1.       Standardized test (preferred)

2.       Record Power Outputs after a certain energy expenditure (kilojoules)

3.       Power-Heart Rate Decoupling

1. STANDARDIZED TEST

This is the best solution as, while using approach 2 and 3 we are trying to estimate durability (with some limitation that we will see below), durability’s standardized test protocols directly measure this physical capacity.

How to design it?

Durability’s standardized testing consists in measuring a physiological and performance marker at rested state (test 1), and then repeating the same measurement after a prolonged fatiguing protocol (test 2) . Using this approach, durability’s score will be represented by the % decrease in the chosen physiological/performance marker between before and after the fatiguing protocol.

Durability score (%) = (B-A) / A * 100

where:

• A is the physiological/performance marker measured at rested state (Test 1);

• B is the physiological/performance marker measured after the fatiguing protocol (Test 2);

For example, a rider who has 20 min mean maximal power output of 420 W in a rested state and 400 W after a fatiguing protocol, he/she has a durability score equal to -5% (a lower decrease, -2% for example, would mean a better durability).

When designing a durability standardized test, it is important to consider each of the following points:

1. Choose a proper fatiguing protocol

2. Choose a proper physiological/performance marker on which you want durability to be measured

3. Choose a proper standardized nutrition protocol

4. Testing in one day or two days?

5. Right interpretation of the results

1.1 Choose a proper fatiguing protocol: