Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Off season training

With summer on it's way and in my case a second kid on the way I have been doing a bit of research on how to train efficiently for next season. Given that I probably won't be doing any 6 hour base building rides, what should I be doing?

This article on Pez had a few interesting ideas. The myths of offseason training;
  • Myth #1: Riding a fixed gear improves pedaling efficiency and leg speed.
  • Myth #2: Small Ring Only!
  • Myth #3: Long Slow Distance
Full article here »
Quite challenging to my general understanding of training principles, particularly the idea that long slow distance is a waste of time. What do you think?

5 comments:

BOB said...

low long distance is good for the fatties (me)

littlealek said...
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littlealek said...
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Luko said...

I think his point is that if you are riding 12 hours per week you can build a better base doing that in zone 3 than zone 1. If you are doing 40 hours then you need to ride zone 1 to actively recover.

I had been led to believe that the best way to improve lactate threshold is to train at lactate threshold for semi extended intervals - ie 3 x 9mins at LT with 2 min breaks.

littlealek said...

Original post
Actually he is right - too easy = waste of time...however...you do have to do base training to improve (or increase the wattage at which you hit) your lactate threshold (point at which you cannot continue) so..he is right but he puts it badly because you need to train in the right zone (not too easy not too hard) to get the best effect from base training (and that is exactly what the motor pacing in Zone 3 that he talks about is). I have put it pretty badly too (sorry)

Interesting about the fixie too, and small chainring - you probably wouldn't do your base miles in the big chainring otherwise its too hard so if you were doing strength off the bike then I could see why they would have this.

Strength and long distance (or long time) (at a reasonable % of your max heart rate so you are in the aerobic zone) in the winter = powerful with good base :) cant beat that.
Al ...ex



Revised post
(sorry removed original then realised I should have left it for peeps to read -sorry I am a bit new at this...)

I sort of got the impression he was intimating that long slow base miles at anything below zone 3 were a waste of time altogether...

If you are below the aerobic training zone then they probably are but you still get the benefit from base aerobic zone anything between 60-80% of max hr and you get adaptation from all of the zones so...

As long as you are in 60-80% of your max HR zone (and low base at 60-70%) then go on a long ride...

Also, you are right you can only increase threshold by doing threshold work however, long base training will improve your [absolute] lactate threshold ultimately because it improves capillarisation and therefore efficiency (oxygen waste exchange) so..
This kind of training (overtime combined with other/including lactate threshold work means you can improve your absolute threshold higher than without base training.

p.s. (how good is the HTML first time ever used it, I am friggin stoked it even worked, far out!)