Stryd Powermeter

chicken and egg wrote:

You've got a problem there. You need your critical power to get your stress score, but you're unwilling to get your critical power.

Yeah, it's a pretty big problem. Half the people who bought Stryd don't understand the CP/FTP concept and how to train with it. They seem to refuse to read or learn anything about it either, then claim power doesn't work or it's worthless. Quite funny, honestly.

Stryduser wrote:

Coach Cookie wrote:

Cyclists use powermeters that actually measure power. Stryd doesn't measure power. That is a FACT, scambro!

Yeah, and if you have half a brain and can read, you'll know Stryd isn't measuring anything except for foot accelerations and rotations, and then estimating power based on accurate pace and distance. Their whitepaper is freely available and it gives some basis for their algorithm and how it works. And Stryd correlates at 95% or higher with measurements from a force-plate based treadmill for power, GCT, and VO.

I mean, who would think it's measuring power anyways? How would it? No strain-gauges or pressure transducers or anything. But that doesn't make it a scam or not useful.

If it actually measured power, that would make it useful for someone like me, but it doesn't. I run on snow all winter. Sometimes that snow is hard packed/not slippery at all and slows me down maybe 10 seconds per mile. Sometimes it's medium soft and might cost me about a minute per mile. Sometimes it's really soft and costs me 2-3 minutes per mile. Sometimes I'm postholing, and costs me 10 minutes per mile. For the same effort in different snow conditions, Styd would just say that you're just using less and less power. It goes the same goes for summer running on trails/mountains or gravel or sand. Or when it gets windy. It seems that whenever I used to go to the track for a workout, it'd be blowing 15 mph. Real power would actually be useful in that situation. But Stryd would not being picking up on the wind either.

Actual power like you find on bike power meters would be useful. Stryd doesn't do it unless you run only on surfaces like pavement, and don't get substantial wind.

You're absolutely right, it won't account for wind or running surfaces with varying levels of looseness/compaction. They admit that, so you have to know yourself and adjust power/effort accordingly. Wind is another issue. If you have gusts of wind, you will see erroneous power spikes due to pressure spiking and influence on the barometric altimeter. They also admit this. I've experienced both soft terrain and wind gusts on runs at Red Rock Canyon in Vegas. Didn't stop me from using the device, though, or saying that it's sh!t. I understand the limitations and have my own personal adjustments I make.

They offer a tool that may or may not work for you. Only you can tell whether it'll be useful. But for many of us, it IS useful.

Stryduser wrote:

You're absolutely right, it won't account for wind or running surfaces with varying levels of looseness/compaction. They admit that, so you have to know yourself and adjust power/effort accordingly. Wind is another issue. If you have gusts of wind, you will see erroneous power spikes due to pressure spiking and influence on the barometric altimeter. They also admit this. I've experienced both soft terrain and wind gusts on runs at Red Rock Canyon in Vegas. Didn't stop me from using the device, though, or saying that it's sh!t. I understand the limitations and have my own personal adjustments I make.

They offer a tool that may or may not work for you. Only you can tell whether it'll be useful. But for many of us, it IS useful.

I already have a much simpler, cost effective, well established device that does account for these variables.

It's called a heart rate monitor. You should check it out.

The only reason I'd consider a Stryd is for accuracy on the treadmill. But in the end, it's just not worth $199 and all the fuss of keeping track of another device. Even the $99 newer stripped down version... still seems overpriced.

I have a heart rate monitor too, but it has its own set of issues (eg effect of heat, dehydration on heart rate). I'm finding the Stryd to be the more useful of the two.

whatsupchucky wrote:

I already have a much simpler, cost effective, well established device that does account for these variables.

It's called a heart rate monitor. You should check it out.

The only reason I'd consider a Stryd is for accuracy on the treadmill. But in the end, it's just not worth $199 and all the fuss of keeping track of another device. Even the $99 newer stripped down version... still seems overpriced.

Yeah, you're not offering me anything useful with HR monitor. I use one already and it's far more limited than Stryd. That's why I got Stryd. Thanks for the offer, though!

Seriously. It's useless stuff.

/thread

I have a Stryd, and it's neither a complete game changer nor totally worthless. It's a good tool for racing on hilly courses, especially over longer road distances. HR is garbage for a lot of reasons, and RPE is not very reliable on hills. I always thought that I was pretty conservative at going uphill, but Stryd has me backing off even more, and I have seen improved race performances as a result. I also like using it to compare performances on different courses. Was that 15:30 on a pancake-flat course really a better performance than that rolling 16:15? Turns out it wasn't.

On flat courses it won't help. Nor is running power going to take the place of pace on a 400 meter track where a lot of the real work gets done.

As for runners not being knowing that they need to figure out their CPs (a totally arbitrary metric), that's actually an example of cyclists not knowing nearly as much as they think they do. Rather than doing one of those silly field tests, you can just use any recent race performance in running to set some relative zones. Not that most experienced runners even need zones.

I admit that I could only listen to this for about 2 minutes because it appears to be something about "critical velocity," or something on that order which I have already heard about. I mean get he should get to the point earlier in his talk if he expects us to spend the time on it.

Yes we have to have powerful muscles.

However trying to run with power is where distance runners get injured. What we should be spending time on is improving running form and efficiency. I'm all for running hills, bounding, down hills, jumping drills, etc. But do them with good form. Seek to improve your running form and then do it that way all the time!

Running seems like a simple activity but the human body is complicated. Learn how it works and take care of it. Then it will take care of you. (Simply landing on your forefoot when running is not enough to improve one's running form. We run with our whole body. )

BLATANT outright scam / gimmick.

Bikes need power meters as they can roll. Meaning hills up or down, wind... etc... have a tremendous affect on speed. Which renders time / distance as a useless indicator of effort.

With running you need a watch and mile markers or a 400m track. That is your power meter, that is how you measure your effort and train.

I would unfriend someone if they bought that. IRL!

800 dude wrote:

I have a Stryd, and it's neither a complete game changer nor totally worthless. It's a good tool for racing on hilly courses, especially over longer road distances. HR is garbage for a lot of reasons, and RPE is not very reliable on hills. I always thought that I was pretty conservative at going uphill, but Stryd has me backing off even more, and I have seen improved race performances as a result. I also like using it to compare performances on different courses. Was that 15:30 on a pancake-flat course really a better performance than that rolling 16:15? Turns out it wasn't.

Your 16:15 might not be better. Stryd doesn't truly KNOW. You're taking their fairly arbitrary calculations as a best guess. They had to drastically change their calculations for downhill estimates about a year ago. If that's worth $199 for you, and more hardware, then great.

Pfitz's HR method has been great for me to tweak my marathon performances and get some PRs even though in my 40's I should be past my prime. There was a learning curve, and I had to have the discipline to figure out my numbers, but once I did it has absolutely worked. A big breakthrough for me was changing my watch to display "lap average heart rate" in one of the data fields.

Now even on hot days, cold days, hilly courses, etc. No problem. I know several others who have had similar success using the same method.

“It won't account for wind or running surfaces with varying levels of looseness/compaction. They admit that, so you have to know yourself and adjust power/effort accordingly. Wind is another issue”

So you basically admit it’s worthless unless under a narrow set of circumstances.

Now tell us how stupid we are.

Lol, you would unfriend someone IRL? Dramatic, much? Yeah, on a track, the stopwatch is king. Who argues that? But your mile markers...on a perfectly flat course, sure, that would make sense. But many of us don't run on flat terrain. So Stryd is a surrogate for real-time grade adjusted pace.

It's still not worthless. What are you losses to wind? From the papers I've ready, it can be up to 5%. Is that a huge deal? I get it, you're nitpicking because you want to argue. I mean, that's half of you in this thread. No biggie....

-Critical power is your power at LT pace.

-Who knows WHAT you are saying about powerful muscles.

-If you seek to improve your running form or efficiency, you are only guessing at how to do that if you are not measuring it. You can measure it using Stryd.

I know exactly who "Stryduser" is. He works for Stryd.

I don't.

Coach Cookie wrote:

I know exactly who "Stryduser" is. He works for Stryd.

Then tell me who I am? I'm active on their forums and use the thing myself. That's about all of the claim I have to the device.

800 dude wrote:

I have a Stryd, and it's neither a complete game changer nor totally worthless.

Same.

Since you asked this... AFAIK elites using Stryd in the training and race:

Joseph Gray (Mountain GOAT)

Ben Kanute (2nd in Ironman 70.3 WC)

Kristian Blummenfelt (2nd in WTS Grand Final)

Lionel Sanders had it when he broken the world record in Ironman Arizona last year

Lots of guys in the US/Norway triathlon Olympic team train with it too

Those are just some examples based on the public information. Not sure if there are other guys who don't want to make it public yet.

I actually agree with you that Stryd is less useful for elite track guys because the distance is known. But some elites in other fields definitely see the benefits from it.