What are normalized power, intensity factor, and training stress score?
Created by Andrew Coggan, Ph.D., a noted exercise physiologist, this is obtained via an algorithm that adjusts for variations in power with reference to lactate threshold and other physiological responses. Suppose you race a 1 hour criterium, where you are frequently sprinting out of corners, covering breaks, etc., and you race to your limit, such that there are very few if any slack periods. Average power with coasting time will nonetheless be considerably lower than a flat 1 hour time trial where you paced steadily and had nothing left at the end, yet you feel just as stressed physically. The normalizing algorithm adjusts for variations in power, such that the resulting normalized power value will be very close to what you would have achieved in a TT of equivalent duration. In short, it is meant to more accurately reflect the actual metabolic strain that the body incurs, rather than the average stress load imposed. Heres how it is calculated: first, a rolling 30-second average (mean
