What is Normalized Power?
Normalized Power (NP) is a weighted average power that accounts for the variability of effort during a ride. It better represents the true physiological cost of a workout than simple average power, because the body's response to intensity is non-linear — short hard efforts are disproportionately costly.
The algorithm works by taking a 30-second rolling average of power data, raising each value to the 4th power, averaging all those values, and then taking the 4th root of the result. This mathematical transformation gives extra weight to high-intensity surges.
For a steady ride, NP will be close to average power. For a variable ride with attacks, climbs, and recoveries, NP will be significantly higher than average power. This makes NP essential for calculating TSS — it ensures a variable crit race and a steady time trial with the same physiological cost produce similar training load values.