Testing is fundamental to improving performance. And the team at Wattbike are obsessed with both. Without a reliable start point to benchmark against, there can be no reliable results. Testing on a Wattbike gives accurate, comparable and repeatable data which you can trust.
There are always new claims and trends within the industry, but there’s only one training tool that does it all; the Wattbike. It measures over 40 different performance parameters with unerring accuracy. To improve fitness and health, it’s the most effective piece of equipment you’ll find in the gym environment.
What is FTP and why does it matter?
This is one of the key metrics for anyone interested in performance measures. Functional Threshold Power (FTP) represents your ability to sustain the highest possible power output over an hour. Regular assessment of your FTP will give you an indication of whether your performance is improving, and gives you a benchmark on which to base specific training zones.
The best way to measure your FTP is with a 20-minute test on the Wattbike. But by performance, we aren’t just referring to elite athletes. Anyone who has a goal to improve their health and fitness will be looking at performance measures. And the Wattbike is a highly adaptable training tool for all abilities.
To mirror this range of performer, the Wattbike is now the chosen testing tool across several sectors; from the uniform services, healthcare, the private and public fitness sector as well as within elite sport.
Wattbike and the Army
The ‘A3 Test’ was designed by Wattbike in partnership with the British Army to help evolve their testing and physical assessments. It is a three-part assessment on the Wattbike that allows accurate testing of individuals’ aerobic fitness.
The aim was to increase resilience and reduce the incidence of further injury whilst making a positive contribution to recovery times and long term exercise adherence. The test still provides a challenge, but an impact-free one for soldiers.
There are now over 2000 Wattbikes within Army units and now over 100 specially trained Master Trainers who deliver the training throughout the Army. The A3 Test has now been officially written into the MATT2 Fitness document (Military Annual Training Tests and Workplace Induction Programme) which maps out the mandatory fitness tests.
Wattbike & Nuffield Health
Nuffield Health recognised the benefits of the Wattbike early on and now have them in most their gym facilities, medical centres and hospitals. The Nuffield health and wellbeing experts, including their personal trainers, physiologists and physiotherapists, have all collaborated with Wattbike to create a set of protocols that have been incorporated across their service lines.
Wattbikes are used by the physiotherapy teams as a rehab and recovery tool, and to test and identify muscle imbalances. A Wattbike test has also been incorporated into the 360+ Health Assessments as a test of current fitness performance and an indicator of future cardiovascular health.
Wattbike and the UCI
The UCI World Cycling Centre is an elite coaching and training centre based in Aigle, Switzerland. Their mission is to identify talented cyclists from around the world to help them realise their potential. The coaches have been integrating Wattbike into their global programme since 2014 and following this, they have been able to create a universal testing protocol in partnership with Wattbike to find future cycling stars.
Having welcomed over 1,000 athletes, the centre is unique in developing world class talent and has 34 World Championship titles and three Olympic Champions to its credit. Because of the ground-breaking testing protocols, they have been given the accolade of ‘Olympic Training Centre’.
Wattbike created a specific UCI WCC test to help identify riders. This is now delivered at the HQ and the satellite centres in Korea, Japan, South Africa, India and Argentina and at pop-up camps worldwide.
