Power Meters #4: Lessons from Olympic Gold — Noel Donaldson

Two scientists have spent years publicly disagreeing about the same problem: what actually stops you mid-race. Prof. Tim Noakes says your brain has a built-in governor that pulls the plug before you'd ever choose to. Prof. Samuele Marcora says that's the wrong villain — but ends up agreeing on almost everything that matters on race day.I went back through my own archived interviews with both of them — recorded the same year, just months apart, never in the same room — to sort out which one actually explains the two mistakes I've made more times than I'd like to admit: going out too hard because the first half felt fantastic, and giving up with more left in the tank because it felt unbearable.No live guest this week — just the two best arguments I've got on tape, back to back, and what it cost me to actually listen properly the second time round. I lean one way. You might not, once you've heard both.If this changes how you read your next race, this is the show for you every week — subscribe so you don't miss the next one. And if you want the version of this I can't quite fit into an episode, the free newsletter runs alongside it at whchambers.com.

I've spent the last couple of years asking rowers, coaches, and the people who literally build power meters the same question: does knowing your wattage actually make the boat go faster, or does it just give you a more precise number to obsess over? Turns out the answer depends entirely on who you ask.This is the Power Meter Series roundup — the best of five conversations in one episode. Pete King and Dick Smith, racing out of an uncoached four at Wallingford, on the coaching cliché their own data proved wrong. James Goodwin, Swiss Rowing's Head of Sports Science, on why power beats boat speed as a measure and what "critical power" actually means. Michael Naughten, who helped build the EmPower Oarlock, on a half-second-per-500m gain from one rigging fix. Noel Donaldson — the coach behind two Olympic gold medal crews — on why he calls power "an interesting one, and a dangerous one." And Boston masters rower Greg Benning on why "fewer bad strokes" beats chasing a target number.Five very different answers. None of them what I expected going in.Full interviews are in the archive if you want to go deeper on any one of them, and there's a companion article — the Power Series Roundup — at whchambers.com.

We're rowers.We train hard, eat well, stay lean, and pride ourselves on being fitter and faster than most people our age.So how is it that former elite rowers are almost seven times more likely to develop atrial fibrillation?This episode is personal. I've been through AFib myself, and today I'm sharing what the latest science reveals, what I learned from my own recovery, and what every masters rower should be watching out for.Welcome to Faster with Bill. Let's get into it.

James Goodwin is Head of Sports Science at the Swiss Rowing Federation. He explains how to train using power as your primary metric, how it changes session design, and how that translates into boat speed.Get the free Faster newsletter — the frameworks and tools I use: whchambers.com

Fil Ljubicic chairs the Indoor Rowing Commission at World Rowing. We talk about the 2025 Official World Rowing Indoor Championships and where indoor racing sits in the sport's future.Get the free Faster newsletter — the frameworks and tools I use: whchambers.com

Michael Naughton, Chief Operating Officer at Nielsen-Kellerman, on the Empower Oarlock — what it measures, why it measures it that way, and how to read what it tells you.Get the free Faster newsletter — the frameworks and tools I use: whchambers.com

Noel Donaldson is one of the most successful rowing coaches in the world — multiple world championships and Olympic gold medals across three decades and two countries.He shares what he's learned using power meters with everyone from gold medal international crews to school crews, and how the data actually helps make a boat go faster.Get the free Faster newsletter — the frameworks and tools I use: whchambers.com

Michael Naughton, Chief Operations Officer at Nielsen-Kellerman.What we cover: • How Michael got into rowing • The origins of NK • The Cox Box and Stroke Coach, from development to today • How the falling-out with Concept2 over the erg display ended up growing NK • What they’re building nextMichael holds an MS in Naval Architecture/Ocean Engineering from UC Berkeley and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Miami.

Pete King and Dick Smith from Oxford on why and how they use power meters, which brand they chose, and — most interestingly — how they use the data to decide seating in the coxless four and to find each rower’s strengths and gaps.Both were in the Wallingford coxed four that won the masters title at the Head of the Charles in 2017 and set a course record in 2018, part of a crew with multiple national and international masters titles.

An exclusive conversation with Vincent Gaillard, Executive Director of World Rowing, about where the sport is heading.What we cover:​ The 15-year plan to change rowing’s reach, image and revenues​ Expansion into coastal and indoor rowing​ Driving awareness and audience engagement​ What comes after the 1,500m format at the LA Games​ The new partnership with Concept2​ Rowing’s future in e-sports