Whenever you track any activity mode with your COROS device, your fitness data - Training Load, Training Status, and Recovery - will automatically update.
Certain fitness metrics, such as Power Zones, Cycling Efficiency, and Cycling FTP, are only updated when certain requirements are met. This article breaks down the different COROS fitness metrics available for cyclists.
Initial Requirements
In order to receive certain metrics, you will need to meet the requirements listed below during a bike activity to provide the algorithm the data it needs to assess your FTP. An accurate FTP extrapolates your individual power zones and provides accurate data for cycling activities.
- Record an indoor or outdoor ride that includes a segment of at least 20+ minutes of steady, uninterrupted riding (no intervals).
- During the 20-minute steady segment, your COROS device is recording heart rate data and is paired with a power meter.
- During this segment, your heart rate must average at least 60% of your heart rate reserve.
- For example, if your max heart rate is 180 and resting heart rate is 50, your heart rate reserve is 130. 60% of 130 is 78. Now to get the target range, we will add resting heart rate to the previous numbers. 78+50=128. To qualify for this example, the athlete needs to maintain a heart rate reading over 128bpm.
Once you have met these requirements, you will see Power Zones, Cycling Efficiency scores, and Cycling FTP available on your COROS device and in your COROS app.
Power Zones
Training with power is one of the most valuable tools for cyclists to improve their fitness. The COROS cycling power zone model is based on a percentage of your FTP (Functional Threshold Power) to allow your workouts to be as individualized as possible.
COROS power zones are broken down into 7 zones:
- Recovery: Easy, recovery rides.
- Aerobic Endurance: Long rides. Easy, but sustained effort.
- Aerobic Power: Tempo, or sweet spot rides. Harder effort that require focus, but sustainable for longer periods.
- Threshold (at or near FTP): FTP workouts. Strenuous effort and hardly sustainable.
- Anaerobic Endurance (above FTP): VO2max workouts. Effort is very demanding and can be sustained for several minutes at a time.
- Anaerobic Power: Strength workouts. Highly demanding effort that can only be sustained for a few minutes.
- Sprint: Neuromuscular workouts. Maximal effort that can be sustained for up to a minute at most.
Cycling Efficiency
Efficiency measures how the effort on your last activity compares to your fitness level. Various external and internal factors can impact your Efficiency score, such as quality of sleep, temperature, and elevation.
The score that you can receive will range from 80% to 120% and has 5 different levels.
- Excellent: 105% - 120%
- Great: 102% - 104%
- Good: 99% - 101%
- Fair: 96% - 98%
- Low: 80% - 95%
Not every bike activity will receive an Efficiency score. All of the following requirements need to be met to evaluate an Efficiency score:
- Track your ride with both heart rate data and power meter data in Bike or Indoor Bike mode.
- Ride for at least 10 minutes to allow for sufficient data to be gathered.
- For interval training, each interval should be over 3 minutes.
- Your heart rate during the ride should be between 65%-95% of your max heart rate, and it should remain steady throughout the workout (no large and sudden increases or decreases).
FTP Test
Take a guided FTP Test directly on your COROS device. FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power, which is defined as the highest average power you can sustain for approximately an hour, measured in watts. FTP is one of the most commonly used training metrics in cycling. It can be used as a benchmark statistic, and to determine training zones when training with power.
On your COROS watch, go to the main activity menu > Fitness Tests > Cycling FTP Test. To complete the test, you will need the following:
- Indoor trainer that measures power
- Heart rate data (external HR strap if using DURA)
- Initial COROS FTP assessment from recorded bike activities
For more information on the FTP Test, please click here.
Training Load
Training Load is a universal way to quantify your training and measure your stress through activities over time. Based on time and intensity, Training Load allows you to compare the strain of workouts across different sports using the same metric.
Every activity tracked with heart rate data will receive a Training Load score, classified on a personalized scale of Low, Medium, and High. View your Training Load score in the activity summary in your COROS app, or by scrolling down from the main watch face to the Training Load widget.
COROS recommends a 7-day Training Load for you based on your fitness level and the amount of training completed in recent weeks, based on a 3:1 training cycle ratio. This means that if you have three consecutive weeks of increased Training Load, the fourth week will have a lower recommendation for enhanced recovery.
Training Status
Training Status is calculated based on a rolling average of 7 days and 42 days, and tells you how effective your most recent training was.
There are three key metrics that make up Training Status:
- Base Fitness: The amount of Training Load your body has accumulated in the long term (the last 42 days).
- Load Impact: The amount of Training Load your body has accumulated in the short term (the last 7 days).
- Intensity Trend: The relationship between Base Fitness and Load Impact, illustrated on a 6-point scale to compare your recent training with your overall fitness.
- Excessive: Recent training may be overreaching or excessive.
- Optimized: Productive training is increasing Base Fitness.
- Resuming: Increased Training Load is improving your fitness.
- Performance: You are ready to take on significant physical effort.
- Decreasing: Low recent Training Load; Base Fitness is declining.
Recovery
COROS assesses your real-time Recovery based on a combination of your Base Fitness, Training Load, and remaining energy since your last exercise. Typically, you do not need to be fully recovered before you start the next training session. You can schedule your training according to different Recovery recommendations.
- 0% - 19%: Exhausted; rest is recommended
- 20% - 69%: Fatigued
- 70% - 89% Normal
- 90% - 100%: Fresh; ready for hard training
Workouts and Training Plans
Download official workouts and training plans to your COROS watch, or create your own within the COROS app.
To get started, open your COROS app to the Profile page (fourth tab) and select either Workouts or Training Plan Library. At the top of the next page, toggle to the Official Workout Library / Official Plan Library to view official workouts from COROS coaches and professional athletes. Select any workout to view more details and add it to your workout or training plan library.
Scheduled workouts and training plans will appear in your Training Calendar, which you can open from the Progress page (first tab) in the app.
If you have a workout scheduled for today, simply open your watch to the correct activity mode (such as Run or Track Run if you have a run workout). Your watch will automatically prompt you if you wish follow the scheduled workout for the day. After confirming, your watch will guide you through each phase of the workout with real-time alerts. For more information, see Using COROS Watches for Structured Workouts.