A Review of Intellicoach Erg+ Software, created by Paul Smeulders

By Richard Wharton, www.OnlineBikeCoach.com

 

The Computrainer Bicycle Ergometer has been one of the most popular and groundbreaking Indoor Training Systems ever since it was introduced to the cycling public almost two decades ago. However, the ability to program load-specific workouts into the Computrainer system did not become reality until the Computrainer Coaching Software became available in the mid-to-late 90’s. This addition to the Computrainer’s capabilities helped current and future owners augment their training with wattage-specific workouts that enhanced workout quality and quickened riders’ adaptation to stress at ever-higher loads. The ability for Computrainer owners to save workouts and convert them into Excel-compatible spreadsheets also gave cyclists and coaches the ability to analyze the quality of workouts, realize strengths and weaknesses, and then ostensibly create more difficult workouts to ensure progression and better power-weight ratios over different periods of time, depending upon each rider’s goals.

 

The one difficulty with the creation of “ERG” files, as they became known, was the semi-complex methodology of creating files. While the programming of files was based on simple Windows Notepad “.TXT” files with a .erg extension, riders quickly became disinterested in the tedious nature of ERG file creation, and instead opted for either “Spinscan” based workouts which could also be saved, and “3d” or “PC Challenge” workouts”, which could also be saved, and allowed the rider to race against previous performances. However, all that is about to change.

 


(A screenshot of the Intellicoach Erg+ Workout Editor)

 

In mid 2003, Paul Smeulders, a programmer from Ontario, Canada, created a program that complements the Computrainer Coaching Software perfectly. It was released in the spring of 2004, and it is arguably the most important piece of Computrainer-based 3rd-party software available today. If you own a Computrainer, or are thinking about purchasing one, this should help you make your decision an easy one.

 

To start off, the Intellicoach Erg+ is a graphical way to create ERG files for Computrainer workouts. Using the Workout Editor, Computrainer CS users can create workout files that are as specific to their needs as they would like. Intellicoach Erg+ allows for the creation of seven different types of lines or intervals, and values like time, slope, and wattage can be manipulated down to the second and the watt. Once files are completed, they’re saved as “ERP” files, and can then be re-edited or manipulated, with insertions or deletions just a few clicks away. Once a rider has the ERP file created the way he wants a workout to go, he then converts it into an ERG file, where it can then be uploaded to the Computrainer Coaching Software and run as a workout. This creation and editing feature alone make Intellicoach Erg+ valuable, but this is only a small part of the story…

 

Once a rider has completed a workout, Intellicoach Erg+ can help the rider plan the next workout! The rider just needs to convert the resulting “CDF” file into a “TXT” file, and it can be imported into Intellicoach Erg+. Then, using some of the software’s powerful interior features, a rider can CREATE an “ERP” file automatically, one based on the actual intervals that have been recorded. Furthermore, if a rider believes that the workout accomplished all of its’ goals, he can “scale” the loads of the workout up or down by individual percentage points, thus creating the ultimate graphical interface for watt-and-time-specific ERG file workouts!

 

Here are some examples below:

 

 

This is an example of a rider’s recent Computrainer workout. It is converted from a CDF extension format into a TXT format, and is then imported into Intellicoach Erg+ using the “Convert Road Performance” tab.

 

 

Once the “Enable Auto-Fitting” button is checked, Intellicoach Erg+ creates an overlay which best-represents the wattage averages for each specific interval. Intervals can be created which are “best-fit”, or can be more “blockish”, depending upon the rider’s next-workout goals.

 

This is the same workout, scaled with a more ‘block’ oriented set of intervals.

 

If a cyclist like the one above, feels that he needs a more rigorous workout focusing on higher watts per interval, Intellicoach Erg+ allows him to ‘scale’ the workouts up or down, as the next image shows.

 

 

The entire workout can be scaled up or down, but so can INDIVIDUAL efforts. Here, interval 4 is going to be scaled down, maybe to give the rider a rest in the middle of the workout…

 

Remember: each individual interval can be modified for length, intensity, slope, and shape. Intervals can be inserted or removed between existing efforts, like the following…

 

Here, the rider has decided to put a descending effort in to the middle of the workout. The original workout still exists in the background in green, but the future workout overlay in blue reveals the shift in time for the future workout’s demands… yet there are still seven total intervals in the ride.

 

 

There are other features in Intellicoach Erg+ that make it appealing to every Computrainer owner. Currently, Intellicoach Erg+ can import and create ERG files from: Computrainer CDF and TXT files, Polar HRM files, SRM files and Power-tap files. Ergomo files are pending… This allows riders the ability to look at OUTDOOR performances and make efforts to mimic and manipulate them to create more realistic INDOOR training efforts.

 

 

This is a typical wattage-based outdoor ride for a rider. Notice the stochastic nature of the ride itself.

 

 

This is what the corresponding ERG file would resemble when based upon the non-smoothed outdoor ride. When the outdoor ride is smoothed, it looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Intellicoach Erg+ ERP file is overlaid, it is also smoothed…

 

 

 

And again, individual parts may be modified. Let’s say the rider knows that “Heartbreak Hill” is leaving him 15 meters behind his friends every time, and he wants to improve his power over that specific section. The workout can be modified so that what was once a 380-watt pull for 10 seconds is now a 400-watt pull for 15 seconds. Time and Load are altered to induce adaptation.

 

 

 

If a rider decides that he just wants to turn the workout into multiple block intervals, with one click, this may also be accomplished, although it won’t relate to the ride as directly as in other ways.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

The net result is a piece of software that allows a rider to create ERG workouts for the Computrainer that are as simple or complex as he chooses them to be, and can mimic, enhance, or modify outdoor rides in the same way. The Coaching Software has always been a powerful part of the Computrainer Ergometer, but now, with Intellicoach Erg+, it has become one of the most personalized and powerful ways to train for progression indoors. If you are a Computrainer owner looking for ways to enhance your performance through indoor training, check out Intellicoach Erg+ Erg + software at www.Intellicoach Erg+.ca or contact Paul Smeulders directly at: bikesmelly@yahoo.ca