tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87313419507269347112024-03-13T07:55:05.483-07:00Cycling Performance Tips ebookDr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731341950726934711.post-535211161628679862017-11-11T12:46:00.000-08:002017-12-23T16:39:56.090-08:00Bicycling Performance Metrics<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How
hard am I working? Am I pushing myself and getting the maximum from
my training efforts? These are common questions for any cyclist
focused on a high quality workout.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There
are a number of metrics (or measures) of how hard you are working as
you cycle. </span></span>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
simplest of these is a rating of perceived exertion (RPE), a numerical self-assessment of your
perception of personal effort on a ride (or other activity) that requires no additional equipment. With a little practice, anyone can use this measure.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">More
complex, but also more precise, are several laboratory-derived measurements
such as lactate threshold (LT) or oxygen uptake (VO2). But as they
require specialized equipment, they are not really available to the
average cyclist.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Between
these extremes we have the cycle computer, heart rate monitor, and
power (watt) meters.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">What
follows is a summary of the most commonly used metrics in the
physiology and cycling literature.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Perceived
Exertion (perceived effort)</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="valid"></a>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
RPE is a simple self-scoring of how
hard you feel you are pushing yourself. The original RPE scale ranged
from 6 to 20 and assumed that adding a 0 to your level of
perceived effort would correspond with your heart rate (i.e. if
you were resting, a 6 on the scale your heart rate would be in the
neighborhood of 60). There is also a condensed 10-level version. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although
RPE isn't accurate enough for detailed physiologic studies, research
has demonstrated an amazingly high correlation for an individual from
day to day. In other words if you felt you were exercising at 6 out of 10 (somewhat hard) on two different days, your heart rates would be quite similar.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Additional
links:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cptips.com/percxtn.htm"><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://www.cptips.com/percxtn.htm</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Energy versus Power</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">ENERGY is a quantity (or amount) of</span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> FORCE and is measured in joules, ergs, or calories. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">When energy is applied (to move an object, a bicycle and rider for example) WORK is being done. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">POWER is the RATE at which that work is done (energy is applied to the task) and is measured in watts. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It takes more power to do the same work over a shorter period of time. Power in the bicycle world is expressed in Watts. 1 Watt = 0.86 Calories per hour. A biologic Calorie (capital C) is equal to 1000 physical chemistry calories (small c).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An example: You use 100 Calories of energy on a 1 hour ride and then later in the day do another 100-Calories ride in only 30 minutes. You did the same amount of work on both rides, but the 30 minute ride was more difficult. You needed to be a more "powerful" rider to complete it in 30 instead of 60 minutes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In terms of power:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">100
Calories over .5 hours = 200 Calories/hour. 200 Cal/hour divided by
0.86 = average power output of 232 Watts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">100
Calories over 1 hour = 100 Cal/hour. 100 Cal/hour divided by 0.86 = average power output of 116 Watts, a much easier ride (less power applied) even though the same work was done.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your road speed reflects the amount of power being delivered to the pedals. But air resistance increases exponentially with speed so you can't just substitute road speed for watts being generated.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another example may help in the explanation. To win a race, or
finish first on a ride (assuming an equal weight of
bikes and riders, aerodynamics, etc) you need to power your pedals at a HIGHER
AVERAGE WATTAGE than your competitors. If all riders and their bikes
are the same weight, you will all have expended the same total
energy in the event. But as the winner spent less time on the course, his/her average energy
expenditure per minute (or wattage) will have been the highest of all the riders.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Peak
power output is a measurement of the maximum power you can generate
over a short, several second interval (e.g a power lift in the gym or
a sprint on the bike). Peak power reflects quadricep muscle strength,
while average power output (over 30 minutes for example) reflects
BOTH muscle strength and your level of conditioning, to allow you to use those muscles for a longer period of time before they fatigue.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So
we really have 2 power measurements – peak power and average power:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Peak
power: the maximum power, usually in watts, you can produce in
a short (several second) burst.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Average
power: a power level you can maintain over a much longer period of time. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When
you read about cycling performance, the number most commonly
referenced is the average power. It is
measured with a</span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
power meter which records watts of power being delivered to the pedals
(and then via the chain to the rear wheel). </span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #333333;"> </span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Metabolic Measures</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let's review some basic
cardiovascular physiology. Oxygen is required to maximize the
efficient metabolism of carbohydrates and fats in order to produce Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the compound that powers muscle cell
contraction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The delivery of oxygen to muscle
cells is a multi-step process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, we need to move oxygen from
the air we breathe into the blood stream. In a normal individual, this step, which depends on lung capacity and the diffusion of oxygen across the alveolar wall
into the blood, is NOT rate limiting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The oxygen binds to hemoglobin in the red blood cells and is then transported to the muscle cells. The amount of oxygen delivered to the muscle cells depends partly on the oxygen concentration in the blood (Training, EPO, and
blood doping all increase the blood hemoglobin levels and in turn the amount of oxygen that will bind to a cc or milliliter of blood).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The volume of blood passing by individual cells also determines how much oxygen is delivered. The volume increases with an increasing heart rate and stroke volume (the volume of blood pumped per beat). The stroke volume, and thus oxygen delivery, increases with training.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, oxygen is extracted from
the blood by the muscle cells. A training program will increase the
efficiency of oxygen extraction by increasing the density of small blood vessels or capillaries around individual muscle fibers.</span></div>
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</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Additional
links:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cptips.com/exphys.htm"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.cptips.com/exphys.htm</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Heart
rate</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
body adjusts the heart rate to meet our oxygen needs. As the
intensity of exercise increases, the body responds by increasing the
heart rate. Thus it is an easy way to quantify exercise intensity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Maximum
Heart Rate (MHR) </b></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Everyone has an individualized maximum heart rate or MHR. As muscle oxygen delivery = heart rate x stroke volume, our heart rate indicates the relative amount of oxygen being delivered per minute, and the MHR the upper limits of oxygen utilization. As it is much more easily measured than maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) (read below), which requires a physiology lab and expensive equipment, the MHR is often used as a surrogate.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1muSckGQgIkVeSDdSoIJqlWkwoGl_ymvC1IH5X_f-V0u-Zp7kMs5dAJ00yP1GRLmmyDd_t3AAVadDXkq6NQlGQqNNA5AENGw5n_5TgLe13GT5uUZpJZXF7Z9Q1oG8pdE5xoTiT-22uQb/s1600/heart+rate+versus+VO2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="449" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1muSckGQgIkVeSDdSoIJqlWkwoGl_ymvC1IH5X_f-V0u-Zp7kMs5dAJ00yP1GRLmmyDd_t3AAVadDXkq6NQlGQqNNA5AENGw5n_5TgLe13GT5uUZpJZXF7Z9Q1oG8pdE5xoTiT-22uQb/s400/heart+rate+versus+VO2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>%
Maximum Heart Rate (%MHR)</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
number is a reflection of the intensity of aerobic effort. A higher
%MHR indicates a greater aerobic effort. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>VO2
(oxygen consumption)</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">VO2
is a direct measure (heart rate was an indirect measure) of the
amount of oxygen being extracted from the air you breathe to produce
ATP to power muscle (and other cellular) activity. It is expressed as
a volume (V) per specified time interval (usually 1 minute). </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>VO2max
</b></span></span>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">VO2max
is the maximum volume of oxygen that an individual can extract from the air by breathing and represents the upper limit of aerobic (or oxygen
dependent) metabolism. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As
levels of exertion outstrip the cardiovascular system's ability to
deliver the necessary oxygen (exceeding the individual's VO2max), anaerobic (or oxygen independent) energy production takes over. Anaerobic
metabolism is not only less efficient (less ATP is formed per gram of
muscle glycogen metabolized) with a more rapid depletion of muscle
glycogen stores, but leads to a progressive build up of lactic acid
and other metabolites that ultimately impair muscle cell performance.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4a7eW-r2G2R74R5q9f10X3cJoIvI_GM6wydRZhG9zFgEP3ZJ3gxNUkxPMOSXFMeI9SLXHg2wECC4TQvZmPiL941C4tJQE0D9RhWkkMZx4dEuxR9wlrajy_6Q5-oj37bOqfmtg7TgQ9hK/s1600/VO2max+vs+ex+int.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4a7eW-r2G2R74R5q9f10X3cJoIvI_GM6wydRZhG9zFgEP3ZJ3gxNUkxPMOSXFMeI9SLXHg2wECC4TQvZmPiL941C4tJQE0D9RhWkkMZx4dEuxR9wlrajy_6Q5-oj37bOqfmtg7TgQ9hK/s400/VO2max+vs+ex+int.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>%VO2max</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This
is a measure of how close an individual is to their personal aerobic
maximum expressed as a % of their personal VO2max. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lactate
Threshold</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (LT; also known as functional
threshold power or FTP, anaerobic threshold or AT, maximal lactate
steady state or MLSS), and onset of blood lactate or OBLA)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></strong>
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In an exercising muscle, the blood flow to individual muscle cells is quite variable. </span></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The cells that receive less oxygen will produce more lactic acid (from anaerobic metabolism) than those that are well perfused with oxygen-rich blood. In addition, muscle cells with an adequate oxygen supply also actively remove lactate from the blood. </span></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The blood lactate level reflects the final balance between production and clearance.</span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></strong>
<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If exercise intensity is plotted against blood lactate levels (see graph), there is a point at which the blood lactate concentration begins a rapid rise. We call this exercise intensity the lactate threshold.</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Although generally expressed as a %VO2max or %MHR, it can also be stated as an absolute power output (in watts).</span><br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTpOHIt1HfET_j4m0A06sxh3RYbpbTm5LdJSIOjbtKc_X71HqXMU0IyqDVq4nCpDW1WR6WdRjGfM27gymhUOBdz2x1eZeF7e8vPqPClMIAClHaNaEFDSeHelVNQWtWNqQlJCdeKq6YIrU/s1600/lactate+versus+VO2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="609" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTpOHIt1HfET_j4m0A06sxh3RYbpbTm5LdJSIOjbtKc_X71HqXMU0IyqDVq4nCpDW1WR6WdRjGfM27gymhUOBdz2x1eZeF7e8vPqPClMIAClHaNaEFDSeHelVNQWtWNqQlJCdeKq6YIrU/s400/lactate+versus+VO2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lactic acid has a direct negative effect on both muscle cell contraction and cellular energy production.</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong>
<strong><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">When
there is excess oxygen being delivered to a muscle cell, both fat
and carbohydrates are used to supply energy for muscle contraction. As the oxygen supply becomes more limited, fat metabolism falls off. And when oxygen demand finally outstrips supply, the cell becomes anaerobic and can only metabolize glycogen. Because anaerobic carbohydrate metabolism is less efficient (than aerobic metabolism), producing less ATP per
molecule of glycogen metabolized, there is less total energy
available before you bonk
– run out of gas.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An individual's lactate threshold varies with their level of </span><strong><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">conditioning. A training program increases the number of capillaries per muscle cell as well as increasing the rate at which lactate is removed from the blood. The net effect is an increase in the LT as a %V02max.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oepkoFz6uyeNntjW27IYGHPtwV3WPNxznFD6KRX_OSBt7Ih4VLhCGpWUiALZrfu8IYU_ZBYm-vIVuVItM2ppI1lFfRBghr5MP1n0EY6IRLude8krLhjOgcSN9ViPFoM9K4VbhPZjkz9s/s1600/lactatecurve1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="516" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oepkoFz6uyeNntjW27IYGHPtwV3WPNxznFD6KRX_OSBt7Ih4VLhCGpWUiALZrfu8IYU_ZBYm-vIVuVItM2ppI1lFfRBghr5MP1n0EY6IRLude8krLhjOgcSN9ViPFoM9K4VbhPZjkz9s/s400/lactatecurve1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<strong><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The lactate threshold is in the range of 50 to 60% MHR in untrained individuals and with training will increase to 80 to 85% MHR. This means that for a similar level of exercise intensity (same %V02max or %MHR), the trained individual produces fewer inhibitory products of anaerobic metabolism, and internal energy supplies can support this power output (watts) for a longer time. Some competitors in an event might be able to generate a higher peak power output in a sprint, but the ultimate winner will be the rider who is able to maintain a higher average wattage for the entire event.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Metrics
to monitor your performance improvement.</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I
break performance metrics into 3 groups..</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The
first group monitors our real-time level of exertion just as a tachometer or speedometer in a car reflects how hard the engine is working. Percent maximum
heart rate (%MHR), percent maximum oxygen uptake (%VO2max), and power
output objectively identify how hard we are working. They help us track the intensity of our intervals or keep us from going
out too fast on a long ride . </span>
</div>
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<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The
second group tracks hard-wired physiologic upper limits which even
with training don't improve significantly. Maximum heart rate is
an excellent example. No matter how hard you train, this upper limit
is unchanging. Likewise VO2max tends to be a static number. With
training we can learn to push through the discomfort - tolerating higher levels of lactic acid for example - performing better at
these “maximums” (and in competition), but
the absolute numbers don't really change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The
third group of metrics is used to measure your progress over a season
or as part of a regular reassessment in a training program. </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before
we look at my favorites in this third group, I want to emphasize the
importance of eliminating, as much as possible, any variables which
might impact results. If you are going to be assessing your
improvement (or lack thereof) you want the most reproducible and
accurate results possible. </span>
</div>
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</div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Using
an indoor trainer (with the same bike and tires) is a simple way to
minimize external (weather) and equipment variables from day to day. Reproducibility is especially important for the power and lactate threshold
measurements described below. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Additional
testing considerations:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Test at the same time of day and
with the same timing in relation to your last meal.</span></div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maintain the same resistance (or
gearing) on your trainer from session to session.</span></div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keep the room temperature constant.
(A fan is often a helpful addition.)</span></div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keep notes, including the timing of the test
in your training cycle and a self assessment of your fatigue level
before and after the test interval. </span>
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, you might want to go the
extra step and do the testing after a day off the bike.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1.
Personal bests</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most
of us have favorite routes and track our PRs or personal best times. It is an easy measure of improvement as the season progresses, but because it is influenced by various
uncontrollable variables, especially weather and traffic, it is imprecise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2.
Peak Power</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (maximal
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>anaerobic</u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
or sprint effort)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This
is the measure of your maximum power output. Its advantage is that it avoids the negative impacts of both fatigue and the build up of acidic byproducts in the
muscles from an all out maximal anaerobic effort.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To perform this test go all out for </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>six seconds </u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">with gearing set at a level allowing you maximize your RPMs without the need to change gears. From a dead stop,
standing, give it your all. Measure peak watts achieved (or top
speed on a cycling computer).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>3.
Average Power </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(maximal
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">aerobic</span></u></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
power)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
this test, you identify the maximum average power you can sustain for
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">three
minutes</span></u></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">. The intent is to approach, but not exceed, an anaerobic effort with its build up of anaerobic metabolites. If
you start too fast (sprint speed), and go at an anaerobic pace, the build up of these acidic metabolites will </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">negatively impact your three minute performance. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Using
a resistance that lets your maintain your cadence for the full 3 minutes (no need to downshift to an easier gear near the
end) and calculate an average power (or speed) over the full 3 minutes
(monitoring splits can help in the calculation).</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4.
</b></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Lactate
Threshold</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
(maintainable power; 20 – 60 minutes)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This
test identifies the wattage (or speed) that can be sustained for
time-trial and similar intensity events of up to 1 hour duration. It is, I feel, the best
measure of overall cycling fitness. With a duration longer than
the average power metric, it naturally keeps you at an intensity where
there is an equilibrium between lactate production and lactate
removal. Go too fast, and the higher levels of lactate will slow you down until things come back into
balance.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first step is to identify a resistance that allows you to maintain a relatively steady pace for a 20 minutes ride. Your watts or speed may vary a bit, generally slower at the
start, but at the end of the 20 minute interval you should feel you
have given your all. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your
LT is approximately </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">0.95
x your average power (or speed) for the full 20 minutes. Why subtract 5%? Because you are using a 20 minute test to reflect an intensity you could maintain for a full hour's ride. The shorter interval tends to be about 5% faster than a full 60 minute effort. </span>
</div>
Dr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731341950726934711.post-41721726494682236952017-07-05T05:20:00.002-07:002017-07-05T05:20:28.807-07:00Keys to Improvement<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have you decided you want to become a faster rider? You are tired of finishing at the back of the pack on your weekend rides? Or perhaps you feel you have reached a performance plateau?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just increasing your weekly mileage will not get you the results you are looking for. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The key to improvement in your performance will be in changing the intensity, not volume, of your training miles. What is your next step?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">First, you need to have put in </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">your 400 or 500 early season base training miles. You need these miles to help strengthen the ligaments and tendons around your joints or in the muscles to lessen the odds of an injury by stressing them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Then you need to review your weekly riding schedule and add both</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/06/interval-training-cycling-performance.html">intervals</a> and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/07/keys-to-improvement-resistance-training.html">resistance work</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">to your training program.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-----------------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Dr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731341950726934711.post-10724128304866549752017-07-03T10:36:00.001-07:002017-07-05T04:50:40.027-07:00Keys to Improvement - Resistance Training<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Resistance training (gym work, weight training) will improve your <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24532151">cycling performance.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is not as powerful a factor in training as improving your cardiovascular efficiency, but it may provide the edge that helps you beat your buddies to the finish on a weekend ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Why does it help? There are several possibilities that come to mind. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The common factor is an improvement in the potential power power output that the muscle can delivere to the pedals of your bike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Power = energy produced per unit of time = watts</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you produce more power with your cycling muscles, you will move your bicycle at a faster speed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first possibility, suggested in the article, is that resistance exercises (which require that all the muscle fibers in a single muscle work together to achieve maximal force of contraction) improve the efficiency (co-ordination) of a muscle's nerve/muscle units. If the muscle fibers in the muscle (your quadriceps for example) are working in a highly coordinated fashion, all contracting in concert, it will increase power output.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The second is that resistance exercise may improve the velocity (speed) at which the muscle fibers contract when the nerve stimulation arrives. A faster contraction translate into more force generated per unit time which translates into more power (watts).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, resistance exercise will increase the strength of a muscle, as the individual fibers increase in size in response to the stress of increasing loads (as weights are added). That is why you can lift greater weights as training progresses. And once again, being able to produce a more forceful muscle contraction means more muscle power is available.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thus a well rounded training program should be built around both intervals to improve the cardiovascular aspects of high end performance as well as include components of resistance training to maximize the muscles power potential.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And it may not need to be an all out session at the gym. <a href="https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/lifting-lighter-weights-can-be-just-as-effective-as-heavy-ones/">This article</a> (the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27174923">original reference</a>) suggests that you don't have to push heavy weights to improve muscle strength. It suggests that instead of pushing weights of 80 - 90% of your maximum for 10 reps, you can use lighter weights (30 - 50% of your one time maximum) for up to 25 reps (to the point of fatigue) and gain the same benefit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thus it is not tissue injury and repair that leads to strength improvement but the stress of achieving the total muscle fatigue. This approach not only should decrease the risk of tissue injury that might sideline your biking, but eliminate the barrier of needing to undergo an uncomfortable workout to achieve improvement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My recommendations would be to add 2 days a week of resistance work a week to your training program and do some standing climbs on a regular basis which might increase leg strength as effectively as work in the weight room.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-----------------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Dr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731341950726934711.post-12698811179088050642017-06-20T08:35:00.000-07:002017-07-05T04:54:17.582-07:00Keys to Improvement - Interval Training <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Interval training is the single most effective addition to a training program designed to improve
your performance on the bicycle. The training is based on the
biologic principle that stress in biologic systems produces changes
(physical and metabolic) to adapt the organism to the stress. This
principle is common across all biologic systems – from trees
adapting to prevailing winds to increases in strength with weight
training in humans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you want to ride faster, high
intensity work intervals (segments of exercise ridden at a pace that
you can't talk easily) alternating with rest intervals (to catch your
breath) need to be part of your training program. They will improve
your performance more than increasing your total miles (training
volume) ridden at a moderate pace. High-aerobic intensity endurance
interval training is significantly more effective in improving VO2max
than performing the same total work at or below your lactate
threshold (~ 70% HRmax).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An interval training program
includes a series of bouts of intense physical activity (the work
interval or WI) alternating with periods of recovery (the rest
interval or RI). The rest interval allows the body to recover and
prepare for the another period of maximum stress. Using several sets
of intermittent stress/recovery, interval training increases the
total time spent at one's peak level of performance for the day's
training. A study in runners found that continuous, maximal
performance (to exhaustion) could be sustained for only 0.8 miles
while a similar level of peak exertion could be maintained for a
total of over 4 miles when the training session included periods of
relaxation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And as this study shows us, the
intensity of peak effort is a major factor in improvement.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17414804">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17414804</a>
</span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But not the only factor as
illustrated in this study.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21812820">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21812820</a>
Time spent at maximum effort and intensity interact. It suggests
that once a minimal threshold has been passed (probably around the
lactate threshold of ~70%VO2mx) the total time spent at maximum
exertion can have a disproportionate effect compared to intensity in
stimulating improvement. To quote: “Accumulating 32 min of work at
90% HR max induces greater adaptive gains than accumulating 16 min of
work at ∼95% HR max despite lower RPE.” </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The down side of intervals as a
training tool is the observation that training program drop out rates
double when intervals are part of the program. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you have limited time to
train, intervals are the preferred approach to maximize improvement
for time spent. A study in a group of sedentary participants
demonstrated the efficiency of intervals for training. It included
two exercise routines - one with intervals and second steady
moderate workout. There was also a 3rd control group with no exercise
program.</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The interval
group..."warmed up for two minutes on stationary bicycles, then
pedaled as hard as possible for 20 seconds, rode at a very slow pace
for two minutes, sprinted all-out again for 20 seconds, recovered
with slow riding for another two minutes and then finally pedaled
all-out for a final 20 seconds before they cooled down for three
minutes. The entire workout lasted 10 minutes."</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The endurance group
"rode...at a moderate pace on a stationary bicycle at the lab
for 45 minutes, with a two-minute warm-up and three-minute cool
down."</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The results? "Twelve weeks
of brief intense interval exercise improved indices of
cardio-metabolic health to the same extent as traditional endurance
training in sedentary men, despite a five-fold lower...time
commitment." </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you deciding how intervals
might fit into your training schedule, keep these 2 points in mind. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a) Your current level of fitness
will determine the benefit you might gain. The less trained you are,
the greater the benefit from interval training. At the extreme,
highly trained elite athletes improve only marginally with intervals
but still use them to maintain their high level of fitness. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">b) The purpose of the intervals
you chose to use depends on the goal of your training. If it is for a
sprint event, then the intervals you will use will be structured
differently than for a long distance endurance event.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>THE PHYSIOLOGY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I divide intervals into 2
groupings – aerobic (intensity below VO2max) and anaerobic
(intensity >VO2max).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Both types stimulate similar
adaptive changes in the heart, lungs, and smaller blood vessels
within the muscle that then work together to increase the delivery of
oxygen to the exercising muscle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Aerobic intervals (done at less
than VO2max) also stimulate changes in cell enzymes and energy
pathways that improve the efficiency of use of fat and glycogen by
the exercising muscle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anaerobic intervals (done at >
100% VO2max and thus less dependent on fat as an energy source)
stimulate adaptive changes to buffer and remove the acidic byproducts
of anaerobic metabolism. This increases the ability to work at
anaerobic levels for longer and longer times. Although many authors
suggest that lactic acid is the primary metabolic culprit, there is a
significant body of literature that suggests other acidic byproducts
are the real limiting factor in anaerobic sprint activity. Studies in
subjects who, because of a genetic defect, do not produce lactic acid
demonstrate the same discomfort with anaerobic exercise as normal
riders. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In 2015 </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/10/28/1507176112.abstract"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Place
et al</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
demonstrated that 1) </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cptips.com/antiox.htm"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">antioxidants</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
seem to blunt the biologic response to interval training and 2)
highly trained athletes seem to derive less relative benefit from
their interval training.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another</span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25539479"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
study</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
suggested that resistance exercise (weight training) induces
mitochondrial changes similar to those seen using cycling intervals.
Thus resistance training fits nicely as a supplement to (and should
be part of) more traditional aerobic interval training programs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In summary, the changes from
interval training include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">adaptation in the heart
(pump for the blood) to pump more blood per minute through the lungs
to extract oxygen and deliver it to the muscle cells.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">development of more
capillaries per muscle fiber which translates into more blood
delivered to individual exercising muscle cells every minute. This
means more oxygen for use by the now more efficient mitochondria as
well as the ability to carry away greater amounts of the waste
products of both aerobic and anaerobic activity. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">changes in muscle cell
metabolic machinery to increase the amount of oxygen that can be
used by the cell per minute in the breakdown of muscle glycogen to
produce ATP. These changes are thought to occur in the cell
powerhouse, the mitochondria and extend the length of time until one
becomes anaerobic in activity at or above VO2max</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">improvement in our
ability to deal with the muscle discomfort of anaerobic level
activity and exercise longer at any level of exertion.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>INTENSITY OF INTERVALS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember that I have arbitrarily divided intervals into 2 groups based on the intensity of the WI (work interval).</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Aerobic - intensity < VO2max (or 105% VO2max) and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anaerobic - intensity > 105% VO2max</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To improve your VO2max, you will need to exercise at an intensity that is above your
Lactate Threshold (about 70%VO2max or 70% Maximum Heart Rate).
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17414804">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17414804</a>
. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once you have crossed that
threshold, improvement increases with increasing exercise intensity
until you reach an upper limit at about 105-110% VO2max (or anaerobic
metabolism). At that point, further intensity does not appear to
provide additional stimulus to improve your VO2max.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19910820">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19910820</a>
. There are two possible explanations for an upper limit.</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, once you reach this
limit it is difficult to maintain intensity and the total “work”
(effort x time at effort) you are doing with the interval. And the
total work at maximum effort which may be the stimulus to
improvement, begins to decrease.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19910820">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19910820</a> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Second, the actual
molecular stimuli may be maximal at your VO2max and thus greater
exertion adds no additional stimulus to adapt.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This does not mean there is not a
benefit from anaerobic intervals, just that they do not appear to
increase VO2max. They still appear to improve the ability to remove
anaerobic metabolism waste products.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thus you should use anaerobic
intervals (intensity ></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="mailto:VO@max"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">VO2max</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
) to improve sprinting ability. And aerobic intervals to improve your
VO2max and thus the speeds you can maintain without slipping into
anaerobic metabolism.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>DURATION OF INTERVALS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We know that the longer an
interval (of equal intensity) the better the improvement in VO2max.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24066036">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24066036</a>
. But the duration (length of time you can hold any interval pace)
depends on the intensity of the interval. The more intense your
interval pace, the shorter the time you can maintain it. Even
competitive athletes can maintain these maximum exertion intervals
for only 30 seconds before they gradually slow. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The duration of an aerobic work
intervals (below VO2max) depends on the interval intensity. You can
hold an interval at 70% VO2max (Lactate threshold) longer than one at
your VO2max. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For a VO2max interval, 4 minutes
is a common duration noted in the literature. This fits nicely with
the simple approach to measuring your VO2max which is often defined
as the fastest speed you can maintain over a ¾ mile course, which is
usually 3 or 4 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anaerobic intervals are generally
15 to 30 seconds at a perceived exertion (PE)</span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of 10.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your goal should be a total time
of 10 to 20 minutes of hard pedaling (the total time of the work
intervals themselves - don't count warm up, recovery, or cool down).
If you are just beginning an interval program, start with 5 minutes
of peak effort per riding session (total interval time for any
training day) and work up from there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is not clear to me if there
is a liner relationship between the total time ridden at any work
interval intensity and VO2max improvement i.e. a total riding of 8
minutes at WI intensity leads to twice as much improvement in VO2max
as a total time of 4 minutes. Just as you get greater improvement
with your first resistance training sets, the first 2 or 3 minutes
may get you 50% of the total potential improvement, the next 2 or 3
minutes another 30 or 40% (rather than another 50%), and the final 2
or 3 minutes only 10%. This could explain why the new programs using
fewer short intervals are so successful – they take advantage of
this early disproportionate response. There is no indication of an
upper limit beyond which further interval time becomes unproductive
although the more work intervals you ride, the more difficult it is
to keep up your intensity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>TIME RATIO OF WORK INTERVAL TO
REST INTERVAL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To maximize the benefit from
interval training, it makes sense that you'd like to maximize your
training minutes (total work interval minutes for the day) at the
planned level of exertion (Lactate Threshold, VO2max, Anaerobic). </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The rest interval is important in
preparing you for the next intense work interval. If you don't rest
long enough, the intervals will gradually decrease in intensity over
the session, and the total minutes spent at maximum exertion will
decrease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is not necessary that your
heart rate return entirely to normal before the next interval. If you
are using a heart rate monitor, for example, wait for your heart rate
to drop to 60 or 65% of your maximum heart rate. If you are using
perceived exertion (i.e. how you feel) to decide, wait until your
breathing has returned to it's normal depth and rate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The rest interval should be
active rest (easy spinning) and the duration of the rest interval,
as you might expect, dependent to a degree on the duration of the
exercise interval. Generally the duration of the active rest should
be equal to the work interval with the caveat that if you are finding
you can not hold your interval intensities, you should lengthen the
recovery time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don't forget your 20 to 30 minute
warm up and 15 minute cool down at the beginning and end of your
daily session. I like this common sense approach used by </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.drmirkin.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr.
Mirkin</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I take a very slow
10-minute warm up.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If my legs still feel
tired or stiff or I have localized pain after the warm up, I take
the day off.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If my legs recover
during the warm up, I then do a series of standing 50-pedal-stroke
intervals fast enough to make me short of breath each time, followed
by a slow recovery of however long it takes to get my breath back
and for my muscles to feel fresh again. I do not time recoveries,
since starting an interval before full recovery would slow down my
next interval.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As soon as my legs start
to feel heavy, I stop the interval workout and start my slow and
short cool down.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>NUMBER OF INTERVAL SETS PER
TRAINING DAY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My definition of an interval set:
one work interval and one rest interval = 1 interval set. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have never seen data or a
recommendation for total interval sets per day and think it will end
up being a highly individualized number based on how many sets you
can do before your work interval intensity begins to fall off. For 4
minute aerobic intervals, 4 sets seems a number. For anaerobic
intervals I suspect 8 or 10 sets will be the upper limit for most
riders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What if you don't have the time
for the number of interval sets you had planned for the day? We know
from weight-training studies that the first set or two of resistance
exercise provides the majority of the stimulus for improvement with
multi-set workouts. If you do five sets of bench presses, for
instance, much of the benefit occurs during the first set. The second
set stimulates most of the remaining improvement possible from the
session. The final three sets do relatively little. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is likely that the same
applies to interval training. Thus the first one or two sets
(exercise and recovery = 1 set) of intervals are the most likely to
provide the bulk of the training benefit with the remaining intervals
subject to the law of diminishing returns. So just two sets may
provide the majority of the possible benefits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It may be that if you spread
your interval sets throughout a 2 or 3 hour ride it will get you
just as much benefit as putting them together in a 30 or 40 minute
session as you have the same total time spent at your maximum
intensity in both scenarios. If so, you might get similar benefit if
you did your 8 – 30 second intervals dispersed throughout a 2 or 3
hour ride as doing them all in the first hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>NUMBER OF INTERVAL DAYS PER WEEK</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The intensity and duration of
your intervals will impact the third factor in an interval training
program, the frequency of your interval training days. The longer
your intervals, the more minor muscle damage and the more need for an
easier riding day in your training plan before another interval
session.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most trainers recommend 2 focused
interval days per week – probably based on the results in the study
to be presented shortly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr. Mirkin is a proponent of
incorporating some training stress (intervals) into every riding day
(even on a slow easy day). But at the same time he advocates
listening to your bodies and getting off the bike for a rest day if
your legs are telling you that it is not a day to ride. So when he
talks about intervals, you have to pay close attention to be sure you
understand which type of interval he is addressing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Per Dr. Mirkin, "A sound
endurance program should include .... one or two workouts with many
short intervals, and probably at least one workout that includes a
few long intervals each week." The dedicated short interval
days would include 6 or 8 - 30 second intervals. The long interval
day would be 2 or 3 - 2 minute intervals. And the remainder of the
riding days that week would have "mini-intervals" embedded
on a random basis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>THE DEFINITIVE STUDY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The most significant study (I
coould find) comparing different approaches to interval training was
published in 2015 by Stoggl and Sperlich.
</span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3912323"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3912323</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Study participants were high
level competitive athletes. Four training regimens, all of which
included 6 riding days a week, were compared.</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">High Volume Training (HVT)
– 5 days of riding 1 – 3 hours at 65 – 70% VO2max (below the
lactate threshold or LT) and a single day a week riding for an hour
at LT.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Threshold Training (THR) –
4 days of riding at Lactate Threshold ~ 70 – 80% VO2max, a fifth
day with intervals just slightly above LT, and a sixth recovery
below the LT. </span>
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">High Intensity Interval
training (HIIT) – which included one stretch of 12 out of 16 days
of intervals at 90 – 95% MHR</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Polarized Training (POL)
- 2 interval days a week (at 90 – 95% MHR) with the remaining 4
days recovery riding below the LT.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The HIIT and POL intervals days
were structured with a 20 minute warm up, then four sets of 4 minute
intervals with a 3 minute recovery between them, and finally a cool
down. The interval intensity was 90 – 95% MHR (or close to VO2max).
</span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The authors documented a
significantly greater increase in VO2max with Polarized Training over
the HIIT program, presumably due to the benefit of the additional
recovery time in POL. A clear indication that where intervals are
concerned, more (interval time) is indeed less (improvement in
VO2max).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>NONTRADITIONAL INTERVALS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">HEART RATE INTERVALS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you have a </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cptips.com/hrmntr.htm"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">heart
rate monitor</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">,
you can key intervals to your maximum heart rate. Ride your intervals
at 80 to 90% of your maximum heart rate, then spin easily until your
heart rate drops to 60 to 65% of maximum.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ROLLING HILLS INTERVALS
(fartleks)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Find a road where small hills
come one after another. Fly up one side, blast down the other and use
your momentum to conquer the next rise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rhythm is everything. Here's how
to keep yours on successive climbs: As you ride into a hill that
takes just seconds to climb, shift one gear lower (next larger cog)
than you might normally use. Stay seated and spin for about two
thirds of the climb. If you're riding with others, they'll probably
be standing, pedaling slower than you and maybe pulling a little
ahead. Don't worry about getting dropped. Keep spinning. You're
saving your legs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the final third of the hill,
click to a bigger gear (next smaller cog), stand and apply the
pressure. Your legs will still have snap, thanks to spinning to this
point. When you hit it right, you'll know where the phrase "dancing
up the hill" comes from.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">TELEPHONE POLE INTERVALS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was a suggestion from the
Roadbikerider.com webzine. When you're training alone, sprinting
against imaginary opponents can be deadly dull. Next time you feel
like some speed work, use telephone poles as sprint markers. After
warming up, start by sprinting from one pole to the next and then
spinning easily for 4 poles. Repeat 3-5 times. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To vary the drill and increase
the effective length of your sprint, go all out for 2 poles, spin
easily for the next 4, and repeat 3 times. Of course, all telephone
poles aren't the same distance apart. Use the varying spacing to
simulate race conditions. After all, you never know how long you'll
need to sprint. Go hard to the next pole, no matter how far it is,
then spin for a minute or two to recover. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Follow this with another sprint
between poles. It's perfect for developing the ability to rev up in
an instant and then hold your speed for the required distance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PACE LINE INTERVALS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These training techniques
simulate what happens in road racing. They're great workouts and
guaranteed monotony-busters as well. Warm up and settle into a single
pace line moving at a moderate speed. Then try one of the following:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rear Attacks. The last
person in line charges past the group, creating a breakaway. When
she gets about 200 yards ahead, the pace line works to pull her
back. Everyone rides easily for a few minutes, then another rider
springs from the rear. Repeat 3 or 4 times.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bridges. When she's about
50 yards clear, another rider chases her down while the pack keeps a
steady tempo. Once together, the breakaway pair eases up and drifts
back to the bunch. Then two more riders repeat the drill. Continue
until everyone has participated.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Chases. One rider stops by
the side of the road as if getting a wheel change or taking what
Phil and Paul call "a natural break." Another rider drops
back like a dutiful teammate, and then the two work together to
chase down the group. Repeat with pairs of riders.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ENDURANCE RIDE INTERVALS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can decrease your time on
long endurance rides with a little interval training. You might try
these two tricks on your next long ride.</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Vary your speed. Vary the
effort level within each ride. Don't lock into a pace that's neither
too hard nor too easy. A little variety will lead to improvement in
your times.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do 4 sprints every hour.
Fast accelerations of even 10-30 seconds can raise your average
cruising speed. It doesn't have to be an all-out sprint. Simply
stand and accelerate until you spin out the gear, then sit down and
spin up to 10 rpm faster. Hold this rpm for several more seconds,
then back down gradually. Separated these intervals by 15-20 minutes
of riding at your normal pace.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you are on a long ride a
slow, meandering pace can make you feel sluggish or even bored.
Before that happens, give your legs a little lift. Throw in a short
"pick me up interval" every few minutes. Pickups are like
sprints but not as hard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Watch for opportunities. Get out
of the saddle and accelerate away from stop signs, over short hills,
out of turns or past the lair of a troublesome mutt. Don't script
these pickups. Instead, do them when the terrain or situation asks
for it. To do a pickup, choose a cog 2-3 teeth smaller (higher gear)
than you'd normally use for the situation. So, if you'd usually roll
over a rise in a 53x21-tooth, use the 53x19. Don't sprint all-out.
That's not the purpose. Instead, simply stand and wind up the gear
for 10-12 seconds. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Effort should be about 80% of a
flat-out sprint. You shouldn't be panting after you sit down. A few
deep breaths should get you back to the ride's baseline effort.
You'll be amazed at how much better you feel on longer rides when you
relieve saddle pressure and treat your legs to these brisk efforts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>CAN INTERVALS HARM THE HEART?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Assuming you do not have a family
or personal history of heart disease, is there a level of exercise
that is dangerous or too much for a normal, healthy person? This
article
(<a href="https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/can-too-much-exercise-harm-the-heart/">https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/can-too-much-exercise-harm-the-heart/</a>)
in the NYT implies that there is not. But the caveat is that the
heart is healthy, and silent myocardial ischemia (which could be
unmasked with the stress of interval training) is all too common.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is sound evidence that
there is indeed an upper limit for cardiac healthy exercise. The
curve of benefits versus exercise volume doesn't just plateau, it
probably starts to drop off as the extremes are reached. These three
studies suggest there is a reason to remain skeptical. </span>
</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21330616">Diverse
patterns of myocardial fibrosis in lifelong, veteran endurance
athletes</a> </span></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">provides
suggestive evidence of cardiac scarring in veteran athletes
associated with the number of years spent training, number of
competitive marathons, and ultraendurance (>50 miles) marathons
completed. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21330616">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21330616</a>
</span>
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097479">Risk
of arrhythmias in 52 755 long-distance cross-country skiers: a
cohort study</a> </span></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">documents
that among male participants of a 90 km cross-country skiing event,
a faster finishing time and a high number of completed races was
associated with a 30% higher risk of arrhythmias.
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097479">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097479</a>
</span>
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We know that </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677079">competitive
level events can cause cardiac muscle injury</a> </span></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-
"chronic training for and competing in extreme endurance events
such as marathons, ultra-marathons, ironman distance triathlons, and
very long distance bicycle races, can cause transient acute volume
overload of the atria and right ventricle, with transient reductions
in right ventricular ejection fraction and elevations of cardiac
biomarkers, all of which return to normal within 1 week."
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677079">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677079</a>
</span>
<br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How would I suggest you approach
this sticky issue? First, the benefits. Assuming you have no family
or personal history of cardiac disease, there is no solid data on an
upper limit of beneficial exercise (where more is really less health
wise). </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then the risks. The two health
risks from high intensity cycling are musculoskeletal (or overuse)
injuries and cardiovascular. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The musculoskeletal injuries are
known to all of us who exercise and participate in aerobic sports.
Overuse leads to injury. And the cure is to listen to your body, and
if it hurts when you are using it, decrease your activity level. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is no evidence that short
term, high level work interval exertion (30 second anaerobic
intervals or 4 minute aerobic intervals) is harmful to the heart.
Although acute stress might cause some modest cardiac muscle injury
(and leakage of muscle enzymes into the blood where they can be
measured) this heals within a few days, and only with repeated
injury/healing/injury does scarring appear to be a risk. Thus the
cardiovascular risks appear to be from repeated stress at the
ultraendurance event level. (Pushing through the pain, as it were.) </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My suggestion?</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Intervals to improve your
aerobic fitness should not be a worry. If there is any question of
vague discomfort or you are just starting an aerobic exercise
program, see your physician and get a cardiac stress test.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There should be absolutely
no worries about long rides once or twice a week to get your
musculoskeletal systems in shape for longer rides.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you train, listen to
your body.</span><br />
</span><ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If it hurts (bones,
joints, butt) when you use it, reassess and modify your program.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If your legs are tired as
you do start intervals, take a day off, do some easy spinning (with
light interval stress if you feel compelled) and come back ready
for another try the next day.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>NO JUNK MILES (OR SOME STRESS
EVERY DAY)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am going to digress a bit on
Dr. Mirkin's philosophy of daily metabolic stress to enhance
performance - what he calls "no junk miles”. Junk miles are a
focus on total miles, ridden at any speed, as compared to a focus on
how hard you are riding that day. The ideal solution is a balance of
1) adequate miles to be comfortable on the bike for long rides as
well as 2) intervals of some sort every day you ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How did we arrive at what had
been gospel - twice a week intervals? Why not do intervals more
frequently? The medical literature is interesting in how standards
develop. A study is done, in this case looking at interval training
twice a week. Subsequent investigators use the same frequency for
their studies. And without further investigation twice a week becomes
the defacto "optimum". The demands of a balanced training
program reinforce this frequency. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You need a long day at some point
during the week to get use to longer times on the saddle, an
occasional day of restful spinning to minimize the risk of
overtraining and burnout, maybe a ride during the week with friends,
a day or two off the bike with bad weather or to take care of family
or work responsibilities, and soon an ideal training week has room
for just 2 (or perhaps 3) focused interval days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But this </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://drmirkin.com/fitness/no-more-junk-miles.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">personal
observation</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
courtesy of Dr. Mirkin suggests that you should incorporate periods
of increased exertion (work intervals) into every ride. He came to
this conclusion based on personal observations that the more
traditional approach was not working for him and his tandem partner.
In his words: "....every time that you exercise intensely, you
damage your muscles. You know this has happened when your muscles
feel tight, heavy or sore on the next day. To deal with this
soreness, we followed a program of racing as fast as we could three
times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). On the other four
days we would recover by riding 20 to 30 miles slowly, at about 10 to
11 miles per hour. But something was wrong with this program because
we were gradually losing our ability to ride as fast as we had in a
previous year. We were doing too many junk miles on our four recovery
days each week."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He decided that fewer rest days
were actually better for them, and that when he eliminated the rest
days (at least a regimented number per week) he actually had less
overall muscle pain. He also speculated that every ride should
include some stress to provide the stimulus to maintain or improve
his speed. And finally, he felt that the only reason to do extra easy
miles was to acclimate the riders' butts and shoulders to prolonged
time in the saddle. Basically that "....Slow riding or running
does not increase your ability to take in and use oxygen and it does
not make your muscles stronger."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So they changed their training -
not more rest, but more intervals "...riding a short distance
fast enough to make you very short of breath. Then you slow down
until you recover your breath, and keep on alternating short fast
bursts with slow recoveries until your legs start to feel stiff and
heavy. Then you stop the workout for that day." Intervals were
worked into every riding day. Maybe 50 - 100 pedal strokes (which at
a normal cadence is about a minute). And this number was based on how
the legs felt. Not an arbitrary number to be mindlessly achieved. "On
some interval days, we would do 50 pedal-stroke repeats, resting
between each long enough to get our breath back. Other days we would
do 100 or 150 pedal stroke repeats. We never plan to do a fixed
number of intervals. Instead we would stop the intervals as soon as
our legs started to feel heavy or stiff, or when our legs did not
recover and continued to feel tired a minute after finishing a fast
interval."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So instead of a mandatory one or
two rest days every week, they rested based on how they felt.
"...then as you continue to ride, your leg muscles usually start
to feel better and you can ride fast after you have warmed up.
However, if your legs do not feel fresh after you have warmed up for
more than 15 minutes, you should just take the day off. So some weeks
this might lead to more days off the bike, and other weeks riding
everyday might happen."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With this approach it was the
duration and intensity of intervals that would change from day to
day. Not the traditional 2 days of focused interval riding with
intervals that might be longer in duration. And the total riding time
might end up being less than the average "preplanned" ride.
Even on what would traditionally be a long slow distance ride,
intervals (hills could be substituted) were done. Not as a focused
period of time within the ride, but randomly throughout the ride (a
fartlick or mini-interval). And finally, even on a rest day of easy
spinning there would be mild changes in tempo throughout the ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But this required one to listen
to their legs. Along with adding the physiologic stress of interval
training to every ride was the concept of backing off, or stopping
completely, if the legs were tired after the warm up. Not an 'I must
ride' approach to training. My guess is that a lot of us take this
approach already, varying our tempo. </span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How would I summarize Dr.
Mirkin's approach??</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, if you have the
time, you can benefit from daily riding (or 6 days a week). You may
feel better than if you were focused on taking 2 days off the bike
each week.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rest is part of training.
But it is not incorporated into your training program as a
preplanned rest day, but by listening to your body - and being
disciplined about it. If you are tired after your warm up, stop. Get
off the bike. You have had your daily ride and will benefit more
from the rest than the additional miles.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The traditional 2 focused
interval days (at or near VO2max) is still part of the overall
program of stressing physiologic stressing of the cardiovascular and
muscle systems. But you are adding, within the limits of how you
feel, lesser levels of stress to every ride - counted pedal
revolutions, a sprint up a hill, a race to the next light post or
telephone poll.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We need to change our focus from
a preplanned weekly schedule of riding days of different types and
instead look at each day as it comes - rest if tired, push a bit
every time we are on the bike, and still keep a day or two of focused
interval training.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>IN SUMMARY</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a minimal level
of aerobic stress (an intensity threshold) needed to stimulate the
changes that will increase your VO2max which will in turn increase
your average speeds when you are riding aerobically (non sprint). </span>
<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The total amount of time
riding at work interval intensity is the most important factor in
determining VO2max improvement. The rest interval allows you to
increase the total riding time at that intensity.</span><br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You should develop a good
mileage base (300 to 500 miles) before adding intervals to your
training program. Adding the stress of intervals with a lower
mileage base increases the risks of musculoskeletal injury.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your training schedule
needs to include adequate recovery time. Overuse of intervals can be
counterproductive. Intervals are most effective when they are part
of a POL program and limited to two high intensity sessions a week.
If your legs feel tired after you have warmed up, cut short or
eliminate intervals that day.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There does not appear to
be additional benefit from riding intervals as hard as possible
(that is doing an interval at sprint or anaerobic levels above 105%
of your VO2max).</span><br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Likewise there is no
significant improvement in VO2max derived from doing riding longer
rides at more leisurely intensities (less than 70 – 80% VO2max). </span>
<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="fart"></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Consider
incorporating intervals into all of your training rides. Even on a
“recovery” day, if you feel good on the bike, change it up, but
keep them short and of lower intensity. This modification of
interval training does require flexibility and the commitment to
avoid intervals when you are feeling tired. Your training schedule
would then include dedicated interval days plus random intervals on
other rides (even long slow days) to stimulate the muscles. </span>
<br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is an example of how you
might fit daily intervals into a weekly riding schedule:</span></span></ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Short Intervals
(anaerobic) – Once focused day a week of 6 to 8 30 scond
intervals. Done at your all out maximum (a sprint and thus most
certainly anaerobic). Short enough to allow you to apply and
maintain maximal force on the muscle for the entire interval. </span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mini Intervals (fartleks)
– Good for any day on the bike. A purposeful increase in your
speed during a slow easy or other non interval day. They build some
metabolic stress into the ride. A short, perhaps 50 pedal
revolutions in duration, increase in cadence and then back to base
line. Speed up to the next telephone pole. Count pedal revolutions.
Push up a short hill. All qualify as a mini interval.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rest is important. There
should be time allowed during the week for a rest day, but
Incorporate it into your riding program by listening to your body –
and being disciplined about it. Not because it is on the calendar.
If you are tired after your warm up, stop. Get off the bike. You
have had your daily ride and will benefit more from the rest than
the additional miles. Look at each day as it comes – rest if
tired, push a bit every time we are on the bike, and still keep a
day or two of focused interval training.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You also need your non
interval training miles. The successful use of intervals in a
training program requires the balance of some dedicated interval
time but also adequate total riding miles (the total number of hours
on the bike per week). </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is the combination of
intensity of exercise (best achieved with intervals) and total time
on the bike (or volume) of exercise (from the long slow distance
rides) that determines a cyclist's overall performance in an event
or on a longer ride</span></span></ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>MY TRAINING PROGRAM?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I use the approach advocated by
Dr. Mirkin – some cardiovascular stress every day but with the
day's intensity modified as I see how I feel after warming up on the
bike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My training week is generally
composed of </span>
</span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 days including 3 or 4
longer, aerobic intervals</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 day with 6 or 7 30
second anaerobic intervals</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3 days at about 70% VO2max
that include other “mini-intervals” or an occasional anaerobic
interval depending on how I feel.</span><br />
</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 rest day.</span><br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Aerobic Intervals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have a ¾ mile relatively flat
course that I use to determine my VO2max. Basially the speed you can
hold for ¾ mile is your VO2max speed. I use the same ¾ mile
distance for my aerobic interval, doing 3 or 4 work intervals for a
day's session.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anaerobic Intervals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Again I have a flat, straight
course that I can ride without being distracted. When you are pushing
it, you don't want to worry about cars coming from the side. I do 6
or 7 intervals in a session. But I also throw in an anaerobic
intervals randomly on other days as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mini-Intervals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I try to mix it up on other days.
Sprinting up a short hill is a favorite.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />-----------------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Dr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731341950726934711.post-1515606578668424982017-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:002017-06-24T13:21:53.837-07:00Introduction -- Cycling Performance Tips Ebook <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the late 1980's I wrote Bicycling Fuel as a nutrition guide for cyclists. I wanted something based on sound physiology and medical studies/published articles, and to avoid the personal testimonials which were all too frequent among my friends. Then in the early 1990's when the book went out of print, I transitioned the content to a website cptips.com with the intent to maintain the same philosophy of solid recommendations based on data.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the years, as I ran across performance tips on equipment and training programs, I added these to the website. Thus the focus is now on all aspects of performance improvement for cyclists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've regularly toyed with the idea of an ebook summarizing the website content into a short read that would be more useful for the average recreational cyclist. And for those interested in the background studies, the website remains available.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you find this ebook helpful, a few dollars for your "purchase" is always appreciated to help defray my monthly ISP expenses. (I included a PayPal link on the blog. )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The downside of using the blog format is it wants to keep my posts in chronological order while I want the flexibility to address chapters as I have time. For example, Interval Training has been of interest to many readers of my FaceBook Page so I am doing it as the first.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first entry in the blog archives will be a Table of Contents which will then remain at the top. I will then update it as I add chapters. It will become more useful as time passes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope you enjoy the content. Feel free to send me questions and feedback via cptipshome@gmail.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dick Rafoth MD</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Author</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Link to <a href="http://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/06/table-of-contents-cycling-performance.html">return to Table of Contents</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you found this ebook or chapter helpful: <a href="https://www.paypal.com/webapps/shoppingcart?flowlogging_id=93ddb2c2e357d&mfid=1498335664440_93ddb2c2e357d#/checkout/openButton">PayPal link</a></span></div>
Dr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731341950726934711.post-67338381777960755882017-06-20T08:16:00.002-07:002017-11-12T06:32:37.336-08:00Table of Contents -- Cycling Performance Tips Ebook <br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/06/introduction-cycling-performance-tips.html">Introduction</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/11/bicycling-performance-metrics.html">Performance Metrics</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/07/keys-to-improvement.html">Keys to Improvement</a></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/07/keys-to-improvement-resistance-training.html">Resistance Training</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://cptips-ebook.blogspot.com/2017/06/interval-training-cycling-performance.html">Intervals</a></span></li>
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Dr. R. Rafothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13946408953638109411noreply@blogger.com