irideinside

Meet Team TIBCO... check out their power on the bike!

2010-02-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

When: Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Where: Santa Barbara, CA
Who: Team TIBCO /Director Linda Jackson & Staff, Pam Sayler -Kurt Kinetic, Coach Leah Prudhomme (me) & Photographer Larry Rosa with help Zach Heffner
What: Spring Training Camp - Power Watts Session/Ride & Photoshoot
Purpose: Kurt Kinetic trainers/computers & Coached Training session on training by power watts and use of Kinetic power meter data, comparison ride on road and Pro photoshoot.

The Scoop from my perspective: the power watts coach and athlete...
In terms of the weather, couldn't complain, rather shout with glee! It was a break from the cold winter Minnesota snow and ice for me. The setting was ideal. The sunshine was warm and the sea was glistening so were we after we finished the tough high cadence fast intervals, steady power output strengthening sets, a throwdown TT on the bike and single-legs... 2+hours on the bike, coaching power watts and some warm sun contributed to one of the best kick butt days of the year! Spring Training Camp with Team TIBCO is where it's at!

MEET TEAM TIBCO:
These gals have their website dedicated to their performances and FB page: www.teamtibco.com check it out! Director, Linda Jackson is helped by their team leader Emma Rickter and Team Captain Meredith Miller, National Champion and all the the Team members are outsanding in their professional cycling career and win races over and over!! When Team TIBCO comes to Minnesota in the summer for Nature's Valley Grand Prix or goes to Europe and abroad, watch out because what I saw is that there is outstanding power and ability and they will take the races in style!

WHOSE WHO...
Kurt Kinetic provided the trainers and power meters for Team TIBCO. Pam Sayler, National Sales Manager at Kurt Manufacturing, hosted the morning session presentation and discussion by the sea and gave an outstanding overview of why Kurt Kinetic trainers are worth every bit the investment of time, money and energy to train like a Pro.

Coach Leah Prudhomme (me), engaged the team in a coached power watts training session and first in the morning session prepped the team for what's behind training with power, why and the use for the training data. There was much to accomplish in getting it all set up and ready to ride by the sea for spring training camp day to begin with power watts training on the bike! Thanks to Pro Team TIBCO Mechanic Ryan Bontrager who handled everything with exceptional service and helped us make adjustments mid-training session to correct interference issues and Kinetic power meter troubleshooting (and Pam Sayler for this as well in terms of Kurt Kinetic directive). Emma -Team Leader made sure we stayed on schedule brilliantly and won me over by her Aussie accent. I was wow-ed by Brooke Miller and Meredith Miller and Amanda Miller from their first happy greetings and anyone on the team with the last name "Miller" ...just kidding, and all the Team girls who showed me such warmth, enthusiasm to train hard and expertise on the bike!

TIBCO POWER...
The Team TIBCO gals maxed out their power and laid it down on the bike like none other I've seen before. I was honored to be asked to coach their Spring Training Camp morning session and thought that being by the beach was the best location for our tough trainer workout, why not? Who wouldn't want to train by the beach in sunny southern California - Santa Barbara. You couldn't have picked a more beautiful location and the Santa Barbara Southern Californian sun welcomed us all day as we rode our bikes hard with a strengthening purpose at the beach and then took it to the streets in style... all the while watching our power computers to check for accuracy, compared data, interferences and practice power training techniques.

TEAMWORK...
Team TIBCO handled their bikes and their power with outstanding performance and worked great as a professional cycling team. Their high energy and warm personalities, were what struck me about their talents as individuals and a team, not to mention their power on the bike. You should have seen them! And you will, photographers extraordinaire Larry Rosa and Zack Heffner captured the moments on film like only pro action sports photographers can. (Pictures provided in this blog are from my cell phone).

PRODUCTS, PEOPLE & PERFORMANCE...
Thanks to Pam Sayler from Kurt Kinetic, National Sales Manager of Kurt Manufacturing we had top of the line Kurt Kinetic trainers and power computers. We also were treated to a wonderful presentation, discussion and question and answer time regarding power watts training, and the science behind the product with the Team in the beachfront location Meeting up with Director Linda Jackson and Team TIBCO leader Emma Rickter and Team Captain Meredith Miller was met professional women's cycling Team TIBCO gals and their Director planned on combining the trainer session with an added ride to check Kurt Kinetic power computer data on the road in comparison to that on the trainer. Leah's Power Training session combined anaerobic threshold/lactate threshold power watts in a high intensity workout with a strength workout (see below) that had the added bonus of practicing heat tolerance as it was dry, mid-70's and direct overhead sunshine at the beach... the wind of the beach was our classroom fan!! What a great place to get in a tough workout!

HIGH INTENSITY...
It was warm by the beach and the high intensity interval sets had us grinding it out and shedding layers... but all so much fun especially when it came to the mid-strength session Time Trial (see previous post). I wrote this training session (with the help of her Coach JonnyJ -Jonathan Jensen, TCMC) and '5 Training with Power Protocol' workouts to be featured in a different blog posting. We ended up doing a mix of both this session and the other.

Legs burnt from a few tough minute sets, but you would never know it on the faces of this team...because the Team TIBCO gals hang tough and smile and laugh while their working. They were bold, beautiful, tough as nails on the bike and brilliant! After being around them, I wondered who wouldn't want to ride for such a great team as Team TIBCO and credited Director Linda Jackson for her high calibre team with well-rounded, highly accomplished individuals that would give any cyclist a new meaning of MaxPOWER! Think you can default your power meter? Think again... these girls can!

TEAM TIBCO - TALK OF THE TOWN...
Beautiful women inside and beautiful bikes and setting outside... the scene was striking as 10 Team members, Pam and I rolled onto town cruising the streets... In prepping for this ride there were two purposes, 1. check power accuracy of the Kurt Kinetic Power Computer on the road vs. trainer 2. Get in a pro photo shoot! Added bonus, a few looks... at our LOOK bikes? Just the sight of a paceline formation of a great TEAM doing what they are supposed to be doing...TEAM FORMATION.

Taking it to the road to cruise Santa Barbara streets with photographer extraoridinaire Larry Rosa who just shot Trek/K-Swiss Triathlon Team the week before was a marvelous adventure. I found I highly enjoyed myself and had to hold it back as I wanted to kick it up an notch on my zippy ride - I loved riding with TEAM TIBCO. (I got that opportunity latter that afternoon to break away from the group and go ride Mt. Gibraltar solo in under 2hours to the summit before sunset while the team did some bonding. My Kinetic Power computer read 5408ft. of elevation climbed in aprox. 33mi. and 3800ft to Gibraltar summit.) There was still enough energy for some sprints and paceline formation in perfect uniformity after the coached training session, but I would have not doubted that in the least, these girls can ride hard all day long. Riding with Team TIBCO gets attention. Many cyclists and cafe bystanders gave out some calls, plenty of attention from passerby's whoopin' and hollerin' - GO TEAM TIBCO! I think we "whooped!" right back at'em. We create quite an attraction out on the road, Team TIBCO was a pretty site to see unveiling their classic white and navy blue jersey race kits... just don't forget: these ladies are ready to race and win! No joke!

BEYOND THE RIDE: DATA DATA DATA...
Outdoor Riding with Kurt Kinetic Power meters to compare to the trainer session was a great way to get a read out of data. It was also a good comparison to see about a +- 3% accuracy from trainer to road which is why Kurt Kinetic power trainers and power meters are the cutting edge.

After meeting the amazing pro Team TIBCO gals and their hosting Director & Olympian Linda Jackson who has the honor of coaching and leading such and incredible professional crew, I enjoyed hanging and watching in action team leaders Emma Rickter and Team Captain Meredith Miller and Sprinter Brooke Miller work together. The amazing pro Team TIBCO girls had me speechless when I left and for that matter not wanting to return home at all-but I did so with a huge grin. It was a highly sucessful day in all respects; from Santa Barbara sea to (Gibraltar) summit - Spring Training Camp Power Training Day - proved to be the best thing going on in cycling news. I wish more people trained with power as a whole and Team TIBCO charged up the wattage and the hills to: "train, smarter, not harder."

In sum, there was no question that training with power is the way to improve power on the bike, from hill climbing to sprint intervals, Kurt Kinetic Power Computers is the way forward to get results, check data, plan training session and get more out of your workouts because of the highly personalized data. Coach Leah Prudhomme wants you to have more power on the bike so that 'you train smarter, not harder' and as Pam Sayler would add, "now go ride your bike!"

Train like a PRO! TEAM TIBCO's Power Training Session...

2010-02-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

Power training at the beach! Who doesn't want to train hard like this? Welcome to Spring Training Camp with Pro TEAM TIBCO - professional womens' cycling team!

It's time to prep those winter legs like a pro and take on some heavy hitting power and meter up and check data afterwards!

ABOUT: The day was sunny and mid-70's and after discussion there was the setting up the Kurt Kinetic trainers and power computers provided by Pam Sayler, National Sales Director for Kurt Manufacturing, presentation, and then a coached power training session with Coach Leah Prudhomme by the beach in Santa Barbara--a marvelously scenic event for such a powerful Spring Training Camp. Linda Jackson, Team TIBCO Director was our host and the Team TIBCO gals along with Coach Leah started the morning with a killer workout and thanks to Pro Team Mechanic Ryan Bontrager who installed the Kurt Kinetic Power Computers and helped with mechanical questions and problems the session was a roaring success with waves crashing and plenty of pictures and fun in the sun but a lot of useful data and material to set up goals, training parameters and benchmark numbers in training by power watts.

PRO TEAM TIBCO - WOMEN'S CYCLING
SPRING TRAINING CAMP 2010
MONDAY, FEB 22, 2010

MORNING SESSION:
MEET TEAM AND LINDA JACKSON
INTRO/OVERVIEW OF KURT KINETIC
- PAM SAYLER

BEACHSIDE OUTDOOR POWER WATTS TRAINING
SANTA BARBARA - GROUP RIDE TO FOLLOW
-COACH LEAH PRUDHOMME

POWER WATT STRENGTH TRAINING

Duration: 2:00

Purpose:
We never want junk miles with no purpose, no form of measurement. We need to FOCUS on increasing your strength and power watts.

These are 5 ways to train using your Kurt Kinetic Power Meter (see curriculum.)

--I will assume you have had VO2Max tests and Lactate Threshold Testing done on a wattage trainer.

--We will be doing an individual custom workout for you that focuses on improving power and strength.

--Use these other power protocols to supplement your training and test monthly (when you are well rested) and base your periodization chart and race peak off of these numbers.

Warm Up:
KEY:
we are training with an increased focus on power, so think supply and demand. The more you demand it from your body the more it will supply an adequate increase. Think economic--Law of Diminishing Returns.

120rpm 15s sprint / 15Off FAST PULL!
(5 min)
• -Small Chain ring all the way up in the back up/down 1-2 gears
Repeat (3x about 15min very short high cadence intervals)

• GO ALL OUT MAX POWER 2min. trying to maintain 90 cadence in Big Chain Ring Read your power meter!
1 min (rest)

STRENGTH & POWER BUILDING MAIN SET
WORKING TOWARDS YOUR ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD...
Find 250 watts, Big Chain ring, down 2-6 in the back and hold.

250 WATTS @90rpm for 5 MIN (med-high threshold work intensity effort)
3min OFF
Small Chain Ring Spin EZ!

350WATTS @90rpm for 5MIN
3min OFF
Small Chain Ring – Spin EZ!

300 WATTS @90rpm for 10 MIN
(try to maintain it at 90 cadence or greater!)
3min OFF
Small Chain Ring – Spin EZ!

CLIMBING (25-30MIN)
10 min STEADY STANDING EFFORT!
Stand Big Ring - all the way down (9) in the back
>90 rpm
(HIGHEST CADENCE YOU CAN MAINTAIN!)
3 min Recovery Small Chain Ring – Spin EZ!

3 min STEADY SEATED EFFORT!
Seated Big Ring - all the way down (9) in the back
>90 rpm @HIGHEST CADENCE YOU CAN MAINTAIN!
>Every 2min = 10s HARD SUPER JUMPS! SPRINT HARD/STAND!
3 min Recovery Small Chain Ring – Spin EZ!

10 OR 20 min TT (Time depending)
check power & distance data!
4-5 min Recovery Small Chain Ring – Spin EZ!

My Coach JonnyJ’s SINGLE LEGS
(30MIN)
BIG LOWERS –
Big Chain Ring & all the way down in back
2min (20x) ON EA SIDE & Brake it!
Brake @bottom each rotation! Focus on pulling!
Switch Sides = 2min. S.L. with brake

SL SPIN UPS!
Big Chain Ring & all the way down in the back!
Both feet clipped in Spin up as fast as you can – unclip one leg and plant the other on the trainer.
20 revolutions with that one leg.
Switch, clip in, spin up as fast as you can, unclip other leg.
Do each side twice.

Done! Check data! Prep to go for ride to compare power data on the road!

I SAID it! You DO it!

2010-02-11T08:05:00.001-08:00

written by Leah Prudhomme

The Kurt Kinetic Power Computer is there to help you make the most of your workouts! DATA DATA DATA! Remember to record your work efforts and all the power output that you are gaining in your training. What is happening to your body in the meantime when you train with INTENSITY during class? How is your body changing to put out all that power you want?

Triathletes and Cyclists can gain from interpreting their HR data correctly and understanding what is happening when they train below at or 5 points above their AT (anaerobic threshold) doing threshold intensity work... Go Fast! to be FAST!

The need to have HR tied to the Power Watts Function is apparent as it should be FRONT and CENTER as co-efficient to power watts and eventually on the same page/screen view area. Use of a Polar HR monitor or the integrated WL wireless HR function on the Kurt Kinetic Power Computer also works, but if you have a Polar HR Monitor on use it in addition to your WL Bike Computer to see side-by-side comparison data.

The use of it side by side watching your power, then cadence and HR functions allow you to better track your AT and lactate Threshold and you start memorizing those numbers and how it feels too. In other words, if you have a Polar HR monitor handy they interface and use that along with your Kurt Kinetic bike computer to track results simultaneously even though your Kinetic Strap and Computer is there sometimes the watch function is more easily glanced at when in the hard moments of suffering… thereby you learn your body’s limits and get comfortable with RPE - how it feels being at AT… do your legs burn? Can you get through it with a focused effort? Are your legs having that knawing feeling and your body is looking for a way out? Make the mental preparedness to get through it and ‘bear down’ and apply mental toughness, but while you’re working that out, don’t forget to look over at your HR number and start mapping how long you think you can hold that number and is it static or dynamic? Holding it steady or is going up up up and then down and up up up more?

Just remember, your HR is like the ‘lagging tail of a comet’ and catches up to you about 15seconds after a hard burst of strength or power and if you let it, overtakes you. That’s where your endurance has to come in. So watch your HR rise and hold to a high steady state after your working out your 300 watts or 250 watts and notice that it comes back down a little once you’ve warmed up into that pace.

The SAID Principle working, Specific Adaptation for Increased/imposed Demand…in other words, I said do it and your body does it… that works in the short term, priming the pump with 120 cadence warm ups to get the muscles ready for fast twitch (Type 2A) work and then the Time Trial or high wattage output sets. Watch your HR go above your AT and then settle at or just below it if you keep your focus and breathing steady.

First is the ability of a cyclist/Triathlete to clobber themselves during climbing or the cycling leg is to end up with a power output that is noticeably less than the average for the entire ride. Example, if you hit it hard on your trainer pushing the biggest gear you got and you can only get out 250 watts and you were averaging a steady 220 there is a disparity in the increased demand. “If I’ve done the ride at an average of 270 watts but I’m cresting the summit at 220 watts, that’s an indicator of what kind of power I’ve got (or more precisely the power I haven't got) while entering the run. If I’m finishing up at 260 or 270 watts I know I’m a lot less likely to fold in the run, where big time can be lost.”

The second mishap concerns one’s overall peak power during a ride. This is different from peak power in the pedal rotation or pedal efficiency of power. I find how often I go out to attempt to ride a steady (see challenge post previous to this one) effort—averaging 250 watts for 90 minutes to 2hrs. at a moderate TT pace and never exceeding 300 watts—and find out after I’m done that I’ve put out 500 + watts somewhere during the duration of that specific ride. I am not sure when or where. Whether it was on the indoor trainer session or a power burst up a hill. It’s easy to do this and to not feel the effort coming on, because cycling has a latent rest factor when coasting or descending (cornering and so on also has it) that running and swimming do not contain. Indoor Trainers tend to have 50% more effort and are like the 2 for 1 special of 1 hour on a trainer is like 2 on the road, why? There is not latent rest, even when the small chain ring is engaged, unless you stop pedalling altogether, there is constant effort even at 100+ watt level. Back to 'where did that 500 watts kick in?"

It’s the hill that’s a bit too steep after a bit of a rest that’ll do me in. No, I won’t feel the negative effect of this effort while I’m doing it, but I’m sure to feel it later on in the ride, if not during the ride then during the run split. In this one narrow instance a heart rate monitor isn’t going to pick up this mistake, it is again like the lagging tail of a comet so if or when it does read the data, it’ll only chronicle the mistake you’ve already made and surge just after the effort not during. On a downhill coast this is fine for reasons of Active Recovery, on a trainer, the effort is still there cardiovascularly albeit not muscularly.

This is why power is a useful tool for the Triathlete or cyclist but probably even more so than to the bike racer. A competitive mass-start racer doesn’t have a lot of choice in the matter and when the wave goes, or when the age-group goes, you go to. In that matter, you cannot afford to say, “Let the newbies go.... I’ll be seeing them 'on your left' and wheel past them later in the ride.... by just my better techniques of energy conservation.” Triathletes can view distance for the sake of the run however. Cyclists need to conserve based on their perceived effort during the ride, not just one facet or leg of the race.

In sum, the average power and ballistic power (initial max rep) and peak power are all ways to rev up power systems and determine protocols for testing power through data collection from your Power meter or Kurt kinetic power Computer. This is the best way to calculate your peak power during a ride and demand more from the body. THE SAID principal, or the initial loading up of the body of applied demand allows your body to do it, the "what I say or said" (with the SAID principl) and this instinctive ability for your body to do it allows for muscle memory and increased intensity work. Your body naturally adapts over time and repetition. Keep the power coming!

Written by, Power Coach Leah Prudhomme

DARE!!! Challenge yourself with this workout:

2010-02-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

To the Trailhead Power Watts Class & Kurt Kinetic Community: I DARE!!!!

Hey those of you with Kurt Kinetic Power Computers! TRY THIS WORKOUT!!!

250 watts Steady Power Output for 2hr.
Workout on Kinetic Trainer:
Warm up. Start clock.
Push even 250watts for 30min steady.
rest 2min.
Repeat 3x's
if that's easy for you, then insert 300+ watts).

Train like a Pro!

Track your Data... Did your Avg. Watts read 200+? Or not?
What was your total distance? Speed? HR? MaxWatts? What did it feel like? Record Your thoughts! Did you make it each 30 min interval at a steady 250watts constantly or did you fade or give up?

Are you a hill climber? Power Building to get there...

2010-01-20T17:24:00.000-08:00

I read online that there's a formula to if you are genetically predispositioned to be a good hill climbing cyclists. It is as follows: ratio of 2lbs to 1" of height... Take your height and convert to inches... divide by 2. So, are you gonna be a good hill climber? Body Mass got you down? Need to loose a few pounds? Not possible for your frame size..? Don't quit cycling altogether... just consider perhaps hill climbing has more to IT than just frame size...yes smaller frames, WIN in the hills, but now always...so maybe you can lay it down in a flat... There's room for improvement and strength.. .that's why we are here dedicated to help you at IrideInside and Trailhead. strength output is another way to power into the hills...we've got the Kurt Kinetic Power Computer... so let's use it and train by it!

So, here's a link to a few tips:

Cycling Performance Tips (http://www.cptips.com/climb.htm cut&paste into your browser)

"The rule for climbing prowess: You should weigh (in pounds) no more than twice your height in inches. So at 6 feet (72 inches) you'd need to weigh 144 pounds rather than 190. Pro cycling tends to select lean, light-bodied athletes in the same way that the profile of a mastodon is required for football linemen. Climbing ability is crucial in racing, and it depends on the power-to-weight ratio. A light rider doesn't need to generate as much power as his heavier competitor because he has less weight to propel up hills. In the 2005 Tour de France with 189 starters, here's the profile of the average rider:

* Height -- 1.79 meters (5 feet, 10.4 inches)
* Weight -- 71 kilograms (156.2 pounds)
* Resting heart rate -- 50 bpm
* Lung capacity -- 5.69 liters (1.48 gallons)

Of course, there are exceptions. Five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain is 6-foot-2 and weighed 190 pounds when he began racing. Lots of miles reduced him to 175. At that weight, his huge power output enabled him to ride with the specialist climbers in the mountains even though he outweighed most of them by 30-40 pounds. And of course he was nearly unbeatable in flat time trials where weight doesn't matter much but power output does. Think of Big Mig and don't give up hope for climbing well. Continue riding, train on hills and you'll improve to the limits of your physique.

Now on to the tips.

STAY SEATED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
WHEN YOU STAND, CHECK YOUR TECHNIQUE
BREATHE ....for more cut&paste this link (http://www.cptips.com/climb.htm) "

SO GET YOUR CLIMBING SHOES ON.... for CYCLING THAT IS, NOT CRAMPONS, NOT HIKING BOOTS...NOT ROCK CLIMBING SHOES... AND SEE YOU TOMORROW NIGHT AT 5PM!

Thursday 01/21/10
Session #9 Power Lifting on the bike & HILL CLIMBING!

Duration: 90min planned

PURPOSE: The focus of this workout gives you both speed and endurance and challenges you to maintain higher speeds in your biggest gear because let’s face it, ultimately you want to push the biggest you gear you can the longest. It is going to focus on your weak spots, single leg differentiation and power with in the pedal stroke efficiency differences.

The most important aspect of this workout is that you maintain calmness of mind, coordination and balance the rest is up to you and your fitness level on the bike. Think of this as one way to ‘strength train’ on the bike without lifting weights – an anaerobic capacity workout that gives you capillary density and overall power gains. You'll be drained after so remember to "Optimize in 45" as we say at Lifetime Fitness - Get protein in ya within 45min after the training session ends. Better yet, bring some Muscle Milk or your own Recovery Drink!

What to Bring: besides you and your bike, shoes, apparel, etc. bring extra fluids (2 water bottles – race hydration e.g. Heed, Perpetuum, Cytomax, Recoverite, Infinit etc.) Bring plenty of GU/Cliff Blocks, or gels. You’ll need them.

KEY: We are training with increased focus on power, so think supply and demand. The more you demand it from your body the more it will supply adequate increase. The SAID Principle: Specific Adaptation to Increase/Imposed Demand. Extra caution if you have an injury or are not rested. But, if you demand power from your body, the SAID principle will work. WIth your HR, think economics law of Diminishing returns if you go out too hard in this effort, you'll be fading at the end... Your HR starts to skyrocket as you fatigue (see Jan 14, 2010 post "Training with Power...") so make sure you don't go into it too hard at first but maintain your power or you'll burst. We'll qualify your AT and remember it's a dynamic number that can change based on fatigue, fitness level and Vo2Max (see Nov. Nov. 23 "Coach Talk..." ).

Power Building workout at class!

20 min Throwdown TT at Trailhead Power Watts Class Agenda!

2010-01-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

Class we are over half way through our Power Watts Class!

On Thursday 01/28/10 Next week!

Session #10 Order of that day: Double Peak Burner!
Duration: 1:45 planned time
Come 4:30pm ready to warm up good!

Be prepared for a Throwdown TT of 20min. after we do another AT test re-check and warm up! This is a Lactate Threshold Double Peak Workout, so get sleep, don’t workout that day previous to class, be hydrated, come prepared to work hard if you are eager to give your best. That class may run a little long so plan to come earlier to warm up 4:30pm - 6:40 ETD – class starts with drilling sets at 5pm sharp!

Anaerobic Capacity Time Trail Ability

Higher Z4 Warm up HIIT IT! Intervals on the bike
AT 25 min test with drills and ladder sets

Peak 1 – the 20min TT Endurance Race
Post a ‘good long warm up’ into anaerobic capacity and pre Power training the Lactate Threshold Power. Purpose: You’ve trained hard so lets get psyched to see some midpoint check-in results!

TT for 20 min. - will have prizes to our top 3 Podium Finishers! Short Active Recovery!

Peak 2 - Improving Your Climbing Power
This Post TT Power Training helps improve lactate threshold power (before doing the first workout you need to do a 15 - 20 minute Ton the trainer – which we will do!). Note your average heart rate during the time trial (TTHR – which I will be doing periodically as I walk around to record numbers and encourage your focused effort) and with access to power data, note your average time trial power output (TTP – I will have a little chart and jot it down).

Workout #2 - Lactate Threshold
Lactate Threshold work has to be down after a “warm up of 20min TT pace” on the trainer at an aerobic intensity. Details provided in class.

Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise. ~Author Unknown

TRAINING WITH POWER... power plays & pays!

2010-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

After riding with the Kurt Kinetic Power Computer for awhile one starts to gain a new appreciation for the mistakes that can doom a cyclists century or a triathlete’s race that play out on a trainer. Recipes for disaster would be 120 cadence for a hilly course of 112 miles, no way! But, 100+ cadence and 90+ cadences are always the key to faster hills and overall times. One mistake I've seen is the proneness to grind out the gears in favor of higher gearing and lower rpm but a lower power readout too... bad teaching might be a by product or just not shifting enough back and forth to find the sweet spot on the saddle and in the gearing-ratio...which will overcook the bike effort and leave you burnt for a long course race...neither will it get results without proper HR monitoring.

HEAVY HILLS!
How does that look? Simply put, 60+ cadence in favor of grinding it out for hard "hill" efforts and grinding it out leaves you drained, swaying all over in the bike seated uncomfortably and knees going like V-8 pistons in an engine diagonally falling out of line with staying true over your angle...ankling and pushing down with the legs and maxing your power about 220-250 tops and you can average 200 in the flats. This is more stressing your joints not your muscles and a waste of a lot of good power in the legs. Or, you haven't yet figured out to "tap into that power"... try this:

POWER PLAY: The 104 Cadence Magic Number!
Secret... you will have higher power output overall and in the hills if you simply have a higher cadence, it's science. If you are of the first kind of pedal pushers that push hard but slow way down... Play around with teaching your legs to go at 90-104 cadence ALWAYS flats or hills, start your hill...'spinning into the hills' at 110-104 (my favorite, 104 and holding) range shifting into necessary gear, good clean form forward on the saddle, efficiency of pedal rotation, efficiency of power, keeping the upper body relaxed, using those pulling hip flexor muscles which translates to excellent production of more power for same hill/high gear hard effort with a much higher power output readout like 600-800 (or even 999 default top end when cadence is up to 110 range which is the 30.5mph range on a flat) and your average about 95-100rpm at the end of the set/hill/effort, but the HR is right there holding high AT too! (Or not, if you've got a deep endurance base).

QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK YOURSELF:
Do you go into the "hills" or interval power sets with a relatively low power output in comparison to your average? I.e. 270 hills and 220 average on flats. If you can't push it into High gear and push the power out 600-900+ watts in the hills and 190-200 average on the down times... there might be a reflection of your training log, or HR Training, or metal focus.

What do I mean, well, let me ask you? Do you always ride at AT? Do you have Z2 workouts? Do you skip past them? Make the Hard days HARD and Easy Days = EZ! No middle blah… skipping over Z2 and under-delivering Zone4-5 is middle blah. Many Coaches ascribe to this theory of training by key sessions. Hard = really hard. Easy = EZ/boring and filler inbetween with technique... Training with power watts is learning a new technique and training with power watts and cadence and HR is a multi-tasking adventure!

RESULTS, RESULTS, RESULTS...WHEN?
That is entirely relative and dependent on you. You want it, you get it. What you put into it is what you'll get out of it. "Your entrance determines your exit" approach. If you hold that pace longer and longer eventually you will be able to hold it that desired 40k TT pace/duration or so on with training smarter by training with power. I give it about 2 months if results showing in the 50-100+ watt range if you cycle 3-5 times a week.

I wanted to know at what point does Power Watts start to increase in strength and increase over time? Since time is relative and so is power…we are going 15 weeks with Training with Power to see results right? The hungry get it… I am seeing more results with this rule of thumb: Training frequency is more tied to muscle memory than duration and short High Intensity Interval Training does the trick - shorter 1 hour classes and higher intensity, but not all out save that for once a week. Have 1 key session all out. 1 key session LSD (Long slow distance or like my Coach refers to, LSB Long Slow BORING). Rest is filler. 1 hr 4x’s a week might be better than a one-time 4 hour ride only once a week. Do that on the weekend and keep your spin classes or short trainer sessions to a brief minimum but high frequency rate and the results start showing up. Intensity in those sessions needs to be moderated, 1 time all out with Zone 5 material – “I’m gonna puke phase” to get your power up, and other times, Z3 and Z2 endurance development at race tempo paces. 1 day should be given to a longer endurance rides.

TRAILHEAD's POWER WATTS CLASS!
PURPOSE: YOUR HARD DAY. PAY THE DUES, reap the DIVIDEND. Training with Power will get results if you pay your time and your HARD efforts!
Since we only have 1.5hrs at Trailhead to workout in 1 power watts class/week we relish the Threshold of Pain tolerance @AT or above ...relatively speaking for most and keep the suffering to Zone 4 High Intensity and Muscular Strength workouts, i.e. hills, single-legs, Heavy gear TT’s and some 120 fast twitch rpm spurts – teaching those legs to go faster… GO FAST TO BE FAST. As for me, I’m seeing the results in about 3 months and there’s still room for increased demand as long as I train smart, keeping easy on easy days to build base. The rest of the training is up to you and on your time!

Qualify the AT!
First of all, qualifying the AT (anaerobic threshold) is basic and important, it is a dynamic number that can change based on fitness, age, VO2 Max Capacity, endurance base and yes…Fatigue. A rough guide I was told was take “180 - subtract your age and add 10 if you are fit.” Or get it tested professionally. Mine is 173 and I can stay there for a long time… but should I? There is a reason why Zone 4 and 5 workouts are 1x/week at most twice… After you know your AT. Train by it, above at and below Threshold with periodic Zone 5 “all outs” like Tabata Protocol once a week for 6-weeks and re-test this is for power and strength to be built in the legs which translates to speed.

FEEL DRAINED? WHY? --NOT SUCH A GREAT DAY FOR YOUR LEGS TO HIT IT AGAIN?

Speaking of fatigue, on a off day or after the week’s volume is high for a heavy week training (times 2 or 3) or after one long hard day, you might notice next training session in the first 15 minutes…the signs of fatigue and junk legs or skyrocketed HR. (See post from Nov. 23, 2009) REMEMBER, YOUR AT IS A DYNAMIC NUMBER AND CAN BE BASED ON FATIGUE on a given day too! If you don't got it in the legs in the first 15 minutes it'll show up. There's that drained or better yet, numb feeling that is described as 'flat', 'cardboard', 'lead', and most often the lack of the 'punch it' feeling that reflects all the carbon dioxide built up as lactic acid and soreness in those recovering muscles, either you didn't properly cool down last time, or your volume is too high (sometimes on purpose) and you are in recovery... detox zone, repair zone HR junk zone. (If it's because you can't breathe and are coughing a lot, lungs give before legs approach then go get tested for Asthma or EIA!)

So, re-test your AT periodically every 2 months perhaps if you are training consistently and rest up a day beforehand. Otherwise, watch out for too many Zone 5 High Zone 4–AT buster workouts that can leave your body in constant state of repair not gaining ground but keeping your legs in the mechanic shop so to speak. If they are the kind that leave you drained and depleted and not enough gas in the glycogen tank to keep up the endurance… back it off, way off, then come back next week or in 2 weeks…but still ride if you have to and practice your mental cues on keeping your mind busy if you’re bored like most elite level athletes in Zone 2… don’t just blow past it…it’s a harvest to be reaped of endurance gains, and I’m speaking to myself as much you. So train 20-30 beats below your AT for Zone 2 and RPE is conversational, ‘I could do this all day’ pace.

HARD DAYS.... HARDER?
However, do not pass by the opportunities to make those Hard days HARD because you will not increase your imposed demand on the muscles and thereby never deplete your glycogen storehouse to get more endurance and glycogen… and your desired power watts output average increased; in basic terms…you won’t get any faster by avoiding the long sure way to success, the hard way is the easiest way. HIIT IT HARD with it’s supposed to be HARD at least once a week.

The need to have HR tied to the Power Watts Function is apparent as it should be FRONT and CENTER as co-efficient to power watts and eventually on the same page/screen view area. Use of a Polar HR monitor or the integrated WL wireless HR function on the Kurt Kinetic Power Computer also works, but if you have a Polar HR Monitor on use it in addition to your WL Bike Computer to see side-by-side comparison data. The use of it side by side watching your power, then cadence and HR functions allow you to better track your AT and lactate Threshold and you start memorizing those numbers and how it feels too. In other words, if you have a Polar HR monitor handy they interface and use that along with your Kurt Kinetic bike computer to track results simultaneously even though your Kinetic Strap and Computer is there sometimes the watch function is more easily glanced at when in the hard moments of suffering… thereby you learn your body’s limits and get comfortable with RPE - how it feels being at AT… do your legs burn? Can you get through it with a focused effort? Are your legs having that knawing feeling and your body is looking for a way out? Make the mental preparedness to get through it and ‘bear down’ and apply mental toughness, but while you’re working that out, don’t forget to look over at your HR number and start mapping how long you think you can hold that number and is it static or dynamic? Holding it steady or is going up up up and then down and up up up more?

YOUR HR CATCHING UP TO YOU!
Just remember, your HR is like the ‘lagging tail of a comet’ and catches up to you about 15seconds after a hard burst of strength or power and if you let it, overtakes you. That’s where your endurance has to come in. So watch your HR rise and hold to a high steady state after your working out your 300 watts or 250 watts and notice that it comes back down a little once you’ve warmed up into that pace. The SAID Principle working, Specific Adaptation for Increased/imposed Demand…in other words, I said do it and your body does it… that works in the short term, priming the pump with 120 cadence warm ups to get the muscles ready for fast twitch (Type 2A) work and then the Time Trial or high wattage output sets. Watch your HR go above your AT and then settle at or just below it if you keep your focus and breathing steady.

POWER PAYS...
In sum, ride hard, ride long, ride fast, and do it a lot. But don't sacrifice the rest days either. Then make the Hard days hard and the Easy Days EZ and don't quit. Teach your legs to go faster, go fast to be fast, and just hang on with your HR and achieve those personal mental limits by looking at how you feel, looking down at your HR and power watts computer and when it is that you're fading or holding on and with it what the power output is at the same time...keep those numbers close. Memorize them until they improve. You will get results this way.

Leah Prudhomme

Read and Go DO! Class tonight...

2009-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

I put a few posts and articles pasted in posts below... Class Workout at end. Find them all and read up in your chair at work, take them home to read plan your training... Bottom Line... Just Go and Do it... Train hard... but Train Smarter, Not Harder.

There are articles on:
Gender and Cycling Performance
Vo2 Max
Vo2 Max and What it is, Training how to Test...
Lactate Threshold
Lactate Threshold Training
LT- Double Peak Workout...

Come tonight! Not next week (Christmas!) And we'll resume in 2 weeks before New Years... Here's the deal... Train smarter not harder... Read up and think about what you're going to do about it... that is, your cycling and your power.

Leah

Article by Carmen Bott on Gender and Cycling Performance...

2009-12-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Gender and Cycling Performance

by Carmen Bott
Date Released : 17 Feb 2009

Over the last 30 years, both male and female Ironman triathlon times have improved modestly. Performance differences between competing male and female athletes within the individual events of running and swimming have decreased slightly, narrowing the gap. However, as we draw our attention to the cycling event alone, we are seeing this difference in performance slowly increase (Lepers 2008). Women consistently generate lower power output on the bike (38 percent less) and trailed men by 11 percent in cycling time performance in the 2007 World Ironman (Lepers 2008). Males also have a higher absolute power output than their female counterparts when it comes to sprint cycling (Tanaka et al. 1993), even when the data is normalized to total body muscle mass (Bar-Or 1987; Green 1995). This is also the case during longer road cycling with professional male riders averaging around 466 W or 6.7 W/kg (Lucia et al. 1998) and competitive female cyclists averaging around 259 W or 4.26 W/kg (Martin et al. 2001).

However, when power output during sprint cycling is normalized to lower body muscle mass, females are much closer to males (Tanaka et al. 1993). This suggests that one of the main reasons for the increased gender difference in cycling may be total body muscle mass and to a lesser extent, lower extremity muscle mass where localized muscular fatigue is the main determinant of success. Despite the fact that power output normalized to lower body muscle mass is closing between genders, only the top female riders are approaching average male power output values. Males still seem to have a more homogeneous population of riders (the difference between top 10 male riders is much smaller than top 10 female riders) (Perez-Gomez et al. 2008), suggesting that the majority of females are not reaching their lower body muscle mass and thus, power generation potential.

There are two main factors that determine power output in skeletal muscle:

1. Rate of force development
2. Maximal force per cross-sectional area (Malisoux et al. 2006)

According to Stone’s research, women in general have a smaller cross-sectional area of Type IIa and Type IIx muscle fibres than men, and that this may limit power output (2006). This combined with the notion that females may have more compliant (less stiff) muscles than males means that females may have a harder time creating and maintaining peak tension. Because of this, women may also take longer to reach their peak power output and have a greater decline in power output after peak power is reached (Billat et al. 2003).

So what variables have the most influence on rate of force development and maximum force per cross-sectional muscle area of Type II muscles fibers, and as a result... power output? Well, one is genetics and the other is methodology of training. Since none of us seem to have the power (no pun intended) to change genetics, let’s discuss methodology of training.

The three main factors influencing endurance performance are:

1. Maximal aerobic power (VO2 max)
2. Lactate threshold
3. Exercise economy

At the elite level, margin of difference in VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) and lactate threshold (ability to work at a higher percentage of maximum without exceeding this threshold) between the top cyclists is quite minimal. The bottom line is that female riders are not strong enough. Getting cyclists stronger will ultimately make them more powerful and may even increase their endurance capacity (Anderson 1982). When strength is increased, rate of force development also increases, which improves exercise economy (Osteras et al. 2002). Economy of movement is the amount of muscle activation or energy expenditure at a given load. With strength training, the body reduces the amount of total muscle activation at a given load. This conserves energy, allowing fewer motor units to do the job of driving powerful muscle actions, thus creating more of a reserve for additional work. Economy may make up for a relatively low VO2 max in cyclists and is the variable that is most easily influenced with correct strength training methods (Lucia et al. 2002; Hoff 2002). Paavolainen et al prescribed a wide spectrum of plyometrics and explosive strength training drills and showed enhanced power production as well as improved oxygen consumption in their athletes, albeit they were 5km runners (1999). We see this when comparing amateur and elite cyclists; similar VO2 max levels are seen between the two groups, with cycling economy and gross mechanical efficiency being the difference in performance (Lucia et al. 2002). By increasing lower body strength/power and improving cycling economy via proper biomechanics, technique and posture, we can improve cycling power output and possibly help the girls catch the boys.

But with the same training methods available to both males and females, why are we still faced with this gender difference in cycling performance? It simply boils down to what these athletes are doing in the off season. Female and male athletes respond exactly the same way to strength training protocols and periodization schemes, which means adaptation and responsiveness to a training stimulus is not gender dependent. And with the right choice of exercises, in the correct order, with lengthy rest intervals, strength and power gains are maximized, and hypertrophy is minimized. Female triathletes and cyclists need to get in the weightroom and get stronger and stop fearing that it will add unnecessary bulk to their frames. And the main objective of strength coaches must be to improve the athlete’s rate of force development and maximal force per cross-sectional area.

How do we do this? First we begin with the big picture. During the strength phase of a triathlete or cyclist, the load should be increased in steps of three, not four or five, followed by an unloading step. This loading and unloading should mirror the athlete’s energy system work. There should also be approximately nine to 15 weeks of maximum strength training in the training plan. The duration of this phase is also dependent on whether the athlete has to follow a single or double peak annual periodization plan. Strength training should make up approximately 10 to 15 percent of total training hours. It is recommended that an endurance athlete focus on maximal strength development two times per week to allow for recovery and restoration of muscle glycogen stores.

Next, the athlete enters a power phase where the strength coach can prescribe powerful concentric movements and/or plyometric exercises. It may either precede or coincide with race-pace energy system training. This phase is also relatively short as compared to the maximum strength phase, about four to six weeks in duration. Because the athlete is getting closer to competition, he/she may only train using power methods once per week, depending on the volume and intensity of the energy system work outside of the gym. It should also be noted that the endurance training during this phase may be very intense. If this is the case, special attention must be paid to the microcycle of training so there is adequate time for restoration on energy stores. If the athlete has the physical and adaptive capacity to train twice per week, the joints should be unloaded on the second training session. Power training during this phase should make up approximately five to 10 percent of total training hours.

As mentioned previously, one of the main reasons for the increased gender difference in cycling performance may be lower extremity muscle mass, and thus, the majority of females are not reaching their power generation potential. Consistent and intense strength and power training can be an effective component of the female cyclist’s off season plan when careful consideration is made to timing sessions, loading and unloading weeks as well as optimizing recovery.

References:

1. Bar-Or, O. (1987). The Wingate Anaerobic Test. An Update on Methodology, Reliability and Validity. Sports Medicine, 4(6), 381-394.
2. Billaut. (2003). Maximal intermittent cycling exercise: Effects of Recovery Duration and Gender. Journal of Applied Physiology, 95(4), 1632.
3. Green, S. (1995). Measurement of Anaerobic Work Capacities in Humans. Sports Medicine, 19(1), 32-42.
4. Hoff, J. Helerrud, G.J. (2002). Maximal Strength Training Improves Aerobic Endurance Performance. Scand J of Sports Medicine, 12, 288-295
5. Lepers, R. (2008). Analysis of Hawaii Ironman Performances in Elite Triathletes from 1981 to 2007. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(10), 1828-1834.
6. Lucia, A., Hoyos, J., Perez, M., Santalla, A., & Chicharro, J. L. (2002). Inverse Relationship Between VO2max and Economy/Efficiency in World-Class Cyclists. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 34(12), 2079-2084.
7. Lucia, A., Pardo, J., Durantez, A., Hoyos, J., & Chicharro, J. L. (1998). Physiological Differences Between Professional and Elite Road Cyclists. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 19(5), 342-348.
8. Malisoux, L., Francaux, M., Nielens, H., & Theisen, D. (2006). Stretch-Shortening Cycle Exercises: An Effective Training Paradigm to Enhance Power Output of Human Single Muscle Fibers. Journal of Applied Physiology, 100(3), 771-779.
9. Martin, D. T., McLean, B., Trewin, C., Lee, H., Victor, J., & Hahn, A. G. (2001). Physiological Characteristics of Nationally Competitive Female Road Cyclists and Demands of Competition. Sports Medicine, 31(7), 469-477.
10. Osteras, H., Helgerud, J., & Hoff, J. (2002). Maximal Strength Training Effects on Force-Velocity and Force-Power Relationships Explain Increases in Aerobic Performance in Humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 88(3), 255-263.
11. Perez-Gomez, J., Rodriguez, G. V., Ara, I., Olmedillas, H., Chavarren, J., González-Henriquez, J. J., et al. (2008). Role of Muscle Mass on Sprint Performance: Gender Differences? European Journal of Applied Physiology, 102(6), 685-694.
12. Stone, M. H., Stone, M. E., Sands, W. A., Pierce, K. C., Newton, R. U., Haff, G. G., et al. (2006). Maximum strength and strength training -- A Relationship to Endurance? Strength & Conditioning Journal, 28(3), 44-53.
13. Tanaka, H., Bassett, D. R., Swensen, T. C., & Sampedro, R. M. (1993). Aerobic And Anaerobic Power Characteristics of Competitive Cyclists in the United States Cycling Federation. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 14(6), 334-338.

Article by Gary Lavin VO2 & Endurance Training...

2009-12-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.ptonthenet.com/displayarticle.aspx?ArticleID=3210

VO2 What?

by Gary Lavin
Date Released : 09 May 2009
Click here to comment on this article

In the world of endurance, it seems that you cannot discuss fitness without discussing VO2 max. Ask any endurance athlete about it, and you will hear epic stories with names like Indurain, LeMond and Armstrong. Many of you, however, may find yourselves wondering what exactly VO2 max is and why is it so important. To better understand this concept, let’s take a little trip back to school, specifically back to physiology class. According to the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning textbook, VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen in milliliters one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight (ml/kg/min). In other words, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is the greatest amount of oxygen that can be used at the cellular level for the entire body. VO2 max has been found to correlate well with an individual’s degree of physical conditioning and has been accepted as an index of total body fitness. Numerous studies show that one can increase his/her VO2 max by working out at an intensity that raises the heart rate to between 65 and 85 percent of its maximum, for at least 20 minutes, three to five times per week. The estimated mean value of VO2 max for male athletes is about 3.5 liters/minute and for female athletes is about 2.7 liters/minute.

Now that we know what VO2 is, we can now answer the question, “Why is it so important?” For the endurance athlete, VO2 has long been considered the Holy Grail of fitness. The common rationale is the better one can utilize oxygen, the higher the level one can perform in endurance events. Is this, however, really the case?

Although VO2 max is an important component of any endurance program, I have both good and bad news for those of us who have may not have chosen the right parents! The bad news is that according to Exercise Physiologist Neal Henderson, Coordinator of Sport Science at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Colorado, VO2 is approximately 80 percent genetic. Other estimates put this number anywhere between 30 to 60 percent. Whatever the number is, one thing is certain; there is a genetic ceiling for VO2. The good news is that VO2 is trainable. Unfortunately, if Neal Henderson’s 80 percent estimate is correct, and your VO2 is, for example, at 45ml/kg-/min (average), your best may only be 52 ml/kg-/min after a 20 percent gain (52 ml/kg-/min is considered to be good or just above average).

To put this into perspective, Lance Armstrong checks in at about 84ml/kg-/min, while cross country skier Bjorn Daehlie measured at an astounding 96 ml/kg/min. The highest VO2 max ever recorded in a lab was 300 ml/kg/min! This, of course, did not belong to a human but rather a pronghorn antelope. How they got the antelope to run on the treadmill I’ll never know, but I promise I’m not making this up. Thoroughbred horses have a VO2 max of around 180 ml/kg/min, and Siberian dogs running in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race sled race have VO2 values as high as 240 ml/kg/min. To add even more perspective, Olympic marathon winners and elite runners like Jeff Galloway, Alberto Salazar and Frank Shorter check in among the low to mid 70s.

The good news is, like the previously mentioned runners, although you may be at your genetic potential, there are many factors besides VO2 max that can also influence your success in endurance performance. Improving efficiency and economy of movement as well as raising your anaerobic threshold (AT) can lead to performance enhancements in the absence of increases in VO2. These three components can all be addressed through a functional strength training program. Now let’s take a closer look at each of these components.

Continuing on in our physiology lesson, now would be a good time to talk about lactate threshold (LT) and its relationship to VO2. Dr. Stephen Seiler of Masters Athlete Physiology and Performance says, “For the endurance athlete, a high VO2 max is like having an invitation to the big dance but having an invitation to the dance does not ensure you will dance with the prettiest girl.” If you want to dance with that girl, you are going to have to work on your LT! (And you thought it was big guns and washboard abs that attracted the girls.) LT, as pointed out in one of my previous articles (see Lactic Acid; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), is the point where the body produces more lactic acid than it can clear. Training LT will result in a decrease in lactate production at any given exercise intensity. Untrained individuals usually reach the LT at about 60 percent of VO2 max. This means that even if my VO2 is 70 ml/kg/min, which is an elite level, I can only use 60 percent of it, or 42 ml/kg/min (average), before my LT shuts me down. With training, however, LT can increase from 60 percent to above 70 percent or even higher. Elite endurance athletes typically have an LT at or above 80 percent of VO2 max. Although most endurance athletes usually train LT in the pool, on the bike or during the run, we have several protocols in the gym designed specifically to improve LT. Furthermore, because specificity of movement is very important when training LT, these protocols address both the lower and upper body (see Table 1 below).

Super Legs

Exercise

Repetitions

Notes

Speed Squats

20

20 reps in less than 20 seconds to parallel

Lunges

20 (10 per side)

Alternate legs, knee just off ground

Box shuffle/split jump

20 (10 per side)

Use 9” box

Squat jumps

10

Squat to parallel and no rest between jumps

Complete entire circuit without resting in less than 1:30

Last but not least, we can now tackle efficiency and economy of movement. The difference between efficiency and economy in an exercise setting is that, for a given energy consumption, economy is measured as movement velocity, while efficiency is measured as mechanical power output. What does all that mean? It means that efficiency and economy can be just as important as VO2 or LT. To better understand this concept, just think of the last time you were out for a group ride. Was it easier to pull at the front or sit in? Sit in, of course! Why is that? Because sitting in allows for more efficient movement and less exertion, which in turn will allow you to be more economical. Think of every joint in a given movement as an opportunity to leak power. The more joints involved in a movement, the more opportunity there is to leak power. The more stable the joint, the less power that leaks. The less power that leaks, the more efficiency in a given activity.

So how do these concepts apply to strength training? Frequently, I am asked to watch someone run on the treadmill and look at his gait. Instead, I ask him to perform 10 anterior reaches on a single leg. If this is difficult, that tells me his hips are not as stable as they could be, and his gait could not possibly be as good as it should be. The same goes for the shoulder joint. If you cannot manage a set of t-stabilization push ups with good form, then your swim stroke is not as efficient and economical as it could be.

Now for all of you skeptics out there, all I ask is for you to just try it out. Perhaps before you go to test your VO2 (no fun, by any means), you might first try taking a look at your anterior reaches or t-stab push ups. These alternatives I have presented are not meant to point out your shortcomings or embarrass you but rather to empower you. Rather than whining about genetics (though I still do), try testing your limits in some of the ways mentioned earlier. I assure you that you will find what my most successful clients have found, that through a comprehensive functional strength training program, economy, efficiency and lactate threshold can be improved, making maximal VO2 less important.

Some famous and not so famous athletes and their corresponding VO2 numbers:

Greg LeMond Professional Cyclist 92.5
Matt Carpenter Pikes Peak Marathon Course Record Holder 92.0
Harri Kirvesniem Finnish Cross Country Skier 91.0
Miguel Indurain Professional Cyclist 88.0
Marius Bakken Norwegian 5k Record Holder 87.4
Dave Bedford 10k World Record 85.0
Steve Prefontaine US Runner 84.4
Lance Armstrong Professional Cyclist 84.0
Kip Keino Olympic 1500 Champion 82.0
Craig Virgin two-time World Cross Country Champ 81.1
Jim Ryun US Miler World Record Holder 81.0
Steve Scott US Miler 3:47 80.1
Joan Benoit 1984 Olympic Marathon Champion 78.6
Bill Rodgers 2:09:27 Marathoner 78.5
Don Kardong 2:11:15 Marathoner 77.4
Sebastian Coe WR mile, 1500 77.0
Alberto Salazar 2:08:51 Marathoner 76.0
Johnny Halberstadt 2:11:44 Marathoner 74.4
Bruce Fordyce Ultramarathoner 73.3
Jeff Galloway Running Expert 73.0
Buddy Edelen 2:14:28 World Record Marathoner (1963) 73.0
Peter Snell Olympic Champion 72.3
Frank Shorter US Olympic Marathon Winner 71.3
Ingrid Kristiansen ex-Marathon World Record Holder 71.2
Willie Mtolo 2:08:15 Marathoner 70.3
Rosa Mota Marathoner 67.2

References:

1.

Baechle, Thomas and Earle, Roger. "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning." Human Kinetics Publishers; 2 edition (August 2000)

Vo2 Max!!! Maximize your Power Training!

2009-12-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

Vo2 Max...what?
We've discussed it. Some of you have had it tested and know what it is. Do you know what percent you can function at your Vo2 Max? 75% or 97-99%?? The deep endurance base of an athlete will be able to function or hold their VO2 Max longer depending on their training. Vo2 Max is a genetically inherited predisposition, however with training it can be altered some or moved up... this pertains to AT (Anaerobic Threshold) training and LT (Lactate Threshold Training). V02 Max is a number that corresponds with your athletic cardiovascular sport: cycling, Triathlon, Running, XC Skiing... It's generally assumed that though Lance Armstrong has a super-human VO2 MAX capacity, there are a lot of us out there who don't know our own limits and Vo2 Max capacity and we need to train by it, smarter, not harder to get results.

What is Vo2 Max?? A number... See charts linked below.

What happens in the body?
V02 Capacity and MAX is a point or threshold where it is your body's capacity to process oxygen (o2) in the blood... evenly. So, when you reach your Vo2 Max and about your AT (Anaerobic Threshold) there becomes more carbon dioxide in the blood than oxygen and lactic acid is present (that soreness burn you feel) in the muscles and blood. The body processes in exercize even parts of oxygen and carbon dioxide up until that AT or Threshold... after that the law of diminishing returns comes in to play and the body takes over in producing more C02 than 02, and lactate/lactic acid builds.... In simple terms, training up to your Vo2 Max increases HR capacity, increases, power, and when we train smart and do intervals with power watts and sub threshold training our body pulls up our AT and increases our ability to function at or just below our V02 Max capacity.

Where to Test in TC:
ACCUA (www.accua.net)
Dr. Dan Carey University of St. Thomas Human Labratory
Lifetime Fitness (MAP test and 02 Test, not same quality to get percentile of Vo2Max)

Testing the Competitive Athlete

PERCENTILE VALUES FOR MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION

Source: ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Training and Prescription
Maximum Oxygen Consumption | Home
Try also: Table of Normal Values (Sport)
Age
Percentile 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+
Men
90 51.4 50.4 48.2 45.3 42.5
80 48.2 46.8 44.1 41.0 38.1
70 46.8 44.6 41.8 38.5 35.3
60 44.2 42.4 39.9 36.7 33.6
50 42.5 41.0 38.1 35.2 31.8
40 41.0 38.9 36.7 33.8 30.2
30 39.5 37.4 35.1 32.3 28.7
20 37.1 35.4 33.0 30.2 26.5
10 34.5 32.5 30.9 28.0 23.1
Women
90 44.2 41.0 39.5 35.2 35.2
80 41.0 38.6 36.3 32.3 31.2
70 38.1 36.7 33.8 30.9 29.4
60 36.7 34.6 32.3 29.4 27.2
50 35.2 33.8 30.9 28.2 25.8
40 33.8 32.3 29.5 26.9 24.5
30 32.3 30.5 28.3 25.5 23.8
20 30.6 28.7 26.5 24.3 22.8
10 28.4 26.5 25.1 22.3 20.8
Dr. Dan Carey Phone: (651) 962-5972
Health & Human Performance Fax: (651) 962-5910
University of St. Thomas dgcarey@stthomas.edu
See table and where to test at this link: http://personal1.stthomas.edu/dgcarey/vo2tnv.html

LACTATE THRESHOLD

2009-12-17T08:01:00.001-08:00

Lactate Threshold
http://www.hornetjuice.com/lactate-threshold.html

Everyone wants to ride, run and swim faster. Whilst natural ability still plays a huge role, lactate threshold is highly trainable (as is Vo2Max). By training properly almost every individual can ramp up their lactate threshold.

What is Lactate Threshold (also known as anaerobic threshold)?
Lactate is a by-product of anaerobic metabolism that, despite common misconception, is produced across all exercise intensities. In fact, even when you stand up from sitting in a chair, lactate acid is produced. The key in sport is the balance between the rate of lactate production and lactate absorption.

During light and moderate-intensity exercise, the blood concentration of lactate remains low. The body is able to absorb lactate faster than the muscle cells are producing it. However, as exercise intensity increases, there comes a point at which lactate removal fails to keep up with the rate of lactate production. This point is referred to as the lactate threshold and spells the beginning of the end of high intensity exercise.

Excessive blood lactate and hydrogen ion concentrations combine to interfere with efficient and proper muscle contraction, and as a result, power output drops, suffering increases and you are forced to slow down.

Lactate threshold represents the highest steady-state exercising intensity an athlete can maintain for prolonged periods of time (> 30 minutes).

Most coaches and sport scientists today recognize lactate threshold, or a derivative thereof, as one of the strongest predictors of endurance performance.

Lactate Threshold also serves as a very useful measure for the determination of training zones and the overall effectiveness of training programs.

How is Lactate Threshold Measured?
Lactate threshold tests typically are performed on a treadmill or bicycle ergometer. After an adequate warm-up period, the test starts at an exercise intensity corresponding to 50-60 percent of the test subject's VO2MAX. Each stage lasts 2-6 minutes, allowing sufficient time for the subject to achieve steady-state heart rate, VO2, and lactate production. Blood samples taken towards the end of each stage determine blood lactate concentration (a simple finger prick does the trick). The workload increases in steps and the process is repeated until an obvious spike in lactate concentration occurs. Heart rate, power output or speed, and/or VO2 are recorded at each stage.

We measure blood lactate concentration in millimoles (mM) of lactate per liter of blood (mmol/L). Lactate threshold typically is expressed as a percentage of one's VO2MAX or maximal heart rate. With the advent of power meters, various power outputs identify a riders lactate threshold and training zones. By evaluating a rider's power output at lactate threshold, we can determine the potential for success. To be competitive in a race like the Tour de France, a male professional must be able to maintain 5-6 watts/kg at lactate threshold. This means if the rider weighs 68 kg (150 lbs) he must produce 350-400 watts while riding up even the toughest hills.

If you take two cyclists, one with a high VO2max but a moderate lactate threshold, and the other with a moderate VO2max but a ridiculously high lactate threshold. Being the same size and weight, the cyclist with the highest lactate threshold would likely find himself victorious in a head to head race up a monster hill.

How to determine Lactate Threshold (LT)
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/hunter/thresholdwattage.asp

Lactate Threshold Test for Power for Beginner to Intermediate Athletes

• Get in 25 minutes in your warm up before starting the test. During warm up, get in 1 x 5 min all out Time Trial effort after 15minutes of your warm-up and spin easy until you get in the full 25 minutes. It's important that in each month in which you test, your warm-up is the same. Do this test somewhere that you can come back and re-test each month.

• On a loop, or out and back, on the flats or rolling hills (so you get the wind in all directions), give me your best 20 minute effort. Don't start too hard, build up in the first 1-2 minutes and then get right to your edge and get into the fastest and most powerful rhythm you can maintain, and explode in the last minute, right at the finish. Be sure to get in an easy 20 min cool down to recover.

Lactate Threshold Test for Power for Advanced Athletes

• Get in 40 minutes in your warm up before starting the test. During warm up, get in 1 x 5 min all out Time Trial effort after 20 minutes of your warm-up and spin easy for 5 minutes. Then do (2) x 1 minute as hard as you can go with 2 minutes rest between each. Then just ride at a steady endurance pace until you get in the full 45 minutes. It's important that in each month in which you test, your warm-up is the same. Do this test somewhere that you can come back and re-test each month.

On a loop, or out and back, on the flats or rolling hills (so you get the wind in all directions), give me your best 20 minute effort. Don't start too hard, build up in the first 1-2 minutes and then get right to your edge and get into the fastest and most powerful rhythm you can maintain, and explode in the last minute, right at the finish. Be sure to get in an easy 20 min cool down to recover.

2009-12-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

TRAILHEAD
POWER WATTS 2 CLASS-
COACH LEAH PRUDHOMME
Training Session:

LT- double peak efforts
Read blog and Links to Lactate Threshold

Planned Time: 90min - 2:0

WU: 15 minute warm-up on your bike at 50% effort. 15 min. Move towards 75% of threshold watts / AT (Heart Rate)...

Main Set: 120rpm super spin high cadence blow-out efforts 30s on/15off moving up to threshold watts for 5 minutes to overload the system and prep for steady Muscular Endurance. Then cruise for 5 minutes, level 2 on 1-7 scale, conversational ‘all day’ Endurance pace.

Peak 1:

Directions: Start Small Chain Ring EZ move to Big Ring and drop 1 gear in back starting at top moving down increasing load/watts and power while concentrating on maintaining steady cadence, stay about 1-3 min each gear (see below).

Ladder Sets:
Start out with a 15 minute effort with watts at Vo2 max pace (110%) or level 5 (AT into Zone 4), and hold this for 2 minutes, then with each remaining minute intentionally drop the wattage down 20 watts until you reach (96%) in the 6th minute, then bring watts back up so that the 7th minute is 100%, 8th is 105%, and hold here for the remaining 7 minutes (try to pick it up to 1120% in the last 45-60seconds if you can.

( Additional Time? Then, Repeat this 2-3x and allow for good recovery between each 3-4min Rest. )

KEY: The goal of this exercise is to start out too hard in order to load up the system, and then demand a steady output for a short period of time, then scaling back in order to prevent from exploding, and forcing you to hold just at your threshold power or a touch above. In the end you finally ramp back up in order to push in the very end. CD: 15 minutes easy spinning.

Peak 2:
Steady Burn 350watt Ladder Set!
Start Big Chain / half way down in back move up/down depending stay at or > 90 rpm:
• 10min hold at 250-300 watt range at 80% effort and 95-100 cadence. 1 min off.
• 9min hold / 50 sec off
• 8 min. hold (drop 1 gear) / 40sOff
• 7 min. hold (drop 1 gear easier) / 30s rest
• 6 min hold (drop gear 2 or all the way up in the back) / 20s rest
• 5 min (hold still in big chain ring all the way up in back 200 watts range) 10s off switch into small chain ring.
• 4 min (small chain ring) steady effort Active Recovery HR in Zone 3/ RPE 3-4 (1-7 effort)
• 3 min TT @ 120rpm cadence Super Spin (small chain ring EZ gearing / best effort for pulling)
• 2 min. 100 cadence steady Zone 2
• 1 min cool down @< 90 cadence

Cycling Power Watts Class...

2009-11-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

POWER WATTS CLASS PURPOSE:

Based on percentages of your threshold wattage, this Power Watts Training will coach you to a super performance in a time trial (you can select this plan without knowing your threshold wattage, however you will need to take the field test in order to determine your threshold before you start your plan). You will be able to use your Kurt Kinetic Bike Computer and power watts meter to the fullest extent with these detailed workouts.

Including tips, artiles, and pacing strategies, this is like having a coach personally help you on your way to success.

* Weekly Blog posts with workouts to keep you on track at irideinside.com

* Track your fitness and gain confidence over 15 weeks at Trailhead

* Get support or just follow along on here on the blog.

THANKSGIVING WEEK WORKOUT:

Session #1 Cadence training Super Spin HIGH / LOW Intensity

Planned Time: 1:15

Indoor Kinetic trainer ride-

WU: Good warm-up for 15 minutes 90+cadence and then do these:

Main Set (MS):

1minute- 53:15-@50-60 rpm-PUSH the gear! Big Chain ring...

1minute 39:15--90 rpm (dont drop below 90 cadence)
1minute 53:16--50-60 rpm resistance training on the bike!
1minute 39:16 -90rpm
1minute 53:15- 50-60 rpm- GRIND! (HR approaching AT)
1minute 39:15 100 rpm
1minute 53:14- 50- 60 rpm- PEDAL SMOOTH EZ. Repeat.
1minute 39:14 - 110rpm
1 minute 53:13---50-60 rpm
1minute 39:13 ---110rpm (zone 4HR)
5 minutes- 53:19 --90 rpm (@AT or just below threshold)
6x 30 seconds ---53:13 --50-60rpm- Make these HARD and strong, seated efforts resting for 1minute between each... Don't drop 90RPM…
CD: 5 min. spin easy. HR back to Zone 1-2.

LSD Endurance Ride 1:

Time 1:30

WU: 15 minutes warm-up, just spinning at a nice easy pace- Watts<190.>

Sunday Endurance ride 2:

Time: 2:30

WU: 15 minutes solid and steady. MS: 2hours of good riding today, keeping it steady and smooth. Make sure to keep your watts in the 100-140 range today and just getting in a fun endurance ride today! Please do 10 little 8 second bursts today, throughout your ride. CD: 15minutes spinning down.

COACH TALK: I Hit it hard on the bike...my HR skyrockets! ...What gives?

2009-11-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

Cyclists & Triathletes Rough Guide to Measuring Intensity

(Article written by Leah Prudhomme, all resources used are hyperlinked below)

HIIT IT: High Intensity Interval Training Got You Down & Your Heart Rate (HR) Skyrocketing…?

Ever been in a workout where you had to “HIIT IT!” …Otherwise, known as High Intensity Interval Training!
(see article, "HIIT IT!" http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/december-2008/fit-body/hiit-it.html)

You wanted to maximize your results in minimum time?

However, you ran into your HR skyrocketing half way through a set of 12 intervals… backed it off and what happened? Did you fade? Did you push through? Did you know where you were at in terms of Power Watts, were you at or above/below your AT, Vo2 Max, or Lactate Threshold? (see article on Lactate Threshold at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=633)

NO? …why not? Didn’t keep you coming back for more? Why not? It is a key to getting those mitochondria to fire and revs your metabolism for optimum burn and endurance stamina, if you do…that is, keep coming back to “bring it!’”

So, you have a HR monitor and train by it religiously, or are accustomed to taking your own pulse readings (like a nurse) or are thinking of investing in one, it’s essential! Why?

In effect to: ‘train smarter, not harder’ and for most athletes finding your stride in HR Zone 2 (endurance) presents little challenge… however, sustained intervals into Zone $ on the other hand have you breathless and quitting. This will help you when you are in truth trying to, “Find your Limit” (see article link at http://kelliejones.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/training-intensity/).

“…HR Training is one prism lens in the critical part of measuring your Intensity success on a bike… High or low just isn’t enough!”

The HR Basics: in using HR training, there are preset 5 zones based of your Anaerobic Threshold number (AT)…in Training With 5 Exercise Heart Rate Training Zones just think of a scale 1-5 and RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion to go along with it and start memorizing how your body feels in each HR zone and how you “feel” when you are working. In other words, in Zone 2 for most endurance athletes is something they can hold for a very long time…it is moderate. RPE would put you at a 2 on that 1-5 scale. Zone 3 ‘vigorous’ is related to your aerobic capacity and the ‘burning fat’ mode but it is not usually until Zone 4 (at or above anaerobic threshold AT (think ‘very hard’) and close to your VO2 max and Zone 5 (max HR capacity – ‘all out’ feel like you’re going to the red line or get ‘tunnel-visioned, I’m gonna puke faze’) in intervals that you stop short and end prematurely due to fatigue and frustration because of a ‘glass ceiling’ or the body’s natural inclination to back it off. For endurance cyclists and racing it is essential to HIIT IT hard in training for short interval durations of power that will put your HR Training at Zone 4 and 5 for short but multiple intervals—this is one of the best ways to boost your strength, and a way to increase your stamina, power and with time AT & Lactate threshold (see article " understanding intervals" at http://home.hia.no/~stephens/interval.htm; and "Training with 5 Excersize Heart Rate Zones" http://www.howtobefit.com/five-heart-rate-zones.htm).

So here’s the deal, whether you're a Triathlete or a roadie cyclist, whether you race or ride long in the summertime, the question inevitably surfaces: ‘I'm killing myself to get my HR up to the zones you're telling me to…I can’t, what’s the deal?’ HIIT IT/ High intensity training intervals, Sprint Triathlons, time trials, and a few well-intentioned hammering of the hills are challenging enough, even when executed correctly. When done - generally due to incorrect power watts intensity measurement - the results can be truly aggravating, many times over.

Cyclists, Triathletes anyone who is experienced enough to take it to the next level in their training and into racing with a new to moderate experience level training with HR zones almost always struggle with this.

So, let’s talk in brief and blog your comments to this post about the three ways to determine: "how hard am I pushing on the bike?" and wrap it up with a few tips or suggestions you might have on how to not blow-up before you throw up…or throw your bike at the end of your next interval session or race.

Intensity

There are three efficient ways to gauge your cycling intensity:

1. Perceived exertion – your best ‘guess’ on how your feel 1-5 scale (see the “The validity of regulating exercise intensity by ratings of Perceived Exertion” at http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/1992/01000/The_validity_of_regulating_exercise_intensity_by.16.aspx)
2. Heart rate – requiring a Polar HR or other HR monitor function
3. Power watts - the most accurate but requires a specific power watts tap or meter, such as a Kurt Kinetic Power Watts bike computer (with or without HR function) for your indoor/outdoor ride. (see http://www.kurtkinetic.com/computer_tech.php)

Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion

No computers, no straps, no cost - just you and your own internal pressure gauge just use Borg’s Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE see, http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/mcgill/RPE.html). There is enough evidence to support that just going by a scale of 1-5 (5 being the hardest) or 1-10 (ten being the ultimate ‘hard’) in perceived exertion every athlete should strive to race with in a comfortable number like (zone 2) and be able to train with that or higher much of the time. The best asset to RPE is each athletes ability to ‘know your body’ and ‘know your limits’ it’s in knowing these perceived boundaries that graduating to more experience as a cyclist/endurance athlete/racer will allow you to do a ‘body check’ and start making “on-the-fly adjustments to your speed/pace and intensity based on how your body is responding on a given day’ Let’s face it, this is priceless in a race situation.

The weakness of using RPE – is plain and simple if you do not truly know your limits yet, you will blow past them and bonk or DNF (did not finish) on race day, worse get injured, or under-deliver on race day. This ever happened to you before? It has to even the pros. This is a common problem for novice riders who most often early on in their training don’t know how to ‘gauge it’ yet and aren’t tuned in enough to ‘feel it’ so they under or over estimate a given intensity level. RPE is good when it is used with another method such as the AT Factor (see article link "The AT Factor" http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/may-2005/fit-body/the-a.t.-factor.html).

Heart Rate Training

So have you bought your HR monitor yet? Polar, Garmin, TIMEX, and even Kurt Kinetic to name a few have integrated HR monitors to there watches and computers with a HR strap that you wear during exercise on the bike. Do you track your calories, zones and like data? Perhaps your local gym/fitness facility is pushing HR training and using a big chart in the cycle studio for HR numbered zones by age… this is good! Take control of your fitness and start tracking it yourself, train smarter, not just harder. There is much evidence to support that too much time in zone 4 will only ‘just burn sugar’ and you are left with lots of short bursts of ATP power –drain them but do not have substantially stored glycogen in the muscles which is the ‘bread and butter’ of endurance training and the required ‘maximum capacity for Vo2 Max when you HIIT IT hard…. That glycogen is tied to HR training correctly and with it much of your endurance base. See HR Training Zones and Cycling Performance Tips for ‘Carbo Loading’ and endurance and sports specific nutrition related to glycogen (see HR Training Zones Article at http://www.scribd.com/doc/7237796/HR-Training-and-Zones and Cycling Performance Tips at http://www.cptips.com/cmplxcb.htm and a great "Lactate Threshold for Cyclists" article at http://www.hornetjuice.com/lactate-threshold.html).

Now that we are talking numbers… lets start working with numbers – if you ever have heard an instructor say, ‘now find your pulse and start counting now…. Stop.’ Usually they are taking a 6 second count and then you multiply that number by 10 or add a zero…which is the number of times per minute (60sec) that your heart beats per minute.

The upside of HR training and use during racing is that it provides a realistic and ‘real time’ reading of intensity the doesn't rely on “how you feel” and By establishing your HR training zones and intensity zones based off your AT, through a self-administered time trial or (better) professional functional threshold assessment you wind up with a set of bpm (beats per minute) HR zones which are percentages of above/below zones of your anaerobic threshold (see AT Factor). With these zones in hand, you can set up your HR monitor/computer and train with cycling fitness: warm-up & recovery/cool down, endurance, tempo and/or that steady-state HR, your Threshold (at or above AT, and pushing into your Vo2 max and on occasion up to your MAX hear rate.

The downside to training and racing with heart rate is that the number of times your heart beats per minute is an indirect measurement of intensity, not unlike a speedometer on your car for example, 60 mph with a tailwind produces a much different workload on your car's engine than does going 60 mph up a hill into a headwind – same thing on a bike. While in ideal conditions your heart is a measure of intensity, there are many factors that can render it unreliable: it generally "reads low" for a given output when you're fresh and generally high for a given output when you're psyched (race start) or fatigued from frequent or multiple long endurance sessions. Who hasn’t experienced a race/training session where the stroke volume of your heart decreases due to dehydration and electrolyte depletion causing your heart rate to increase?

Power & Power Watts Output

The best way to accurately see the power of the rider is to measure that intensity by seeing cycling speed in relation to output of power watts. It is to put a value on it in terms of power watts…

“ Your biking speed depends upon your continuous power output to overcome the forces that slow down your bike: friction, air resistance, and (when going up hill), gravity.”

And watts and power are equated to each cyclist using a mathematical equation and measuring cycling intensity with a power meter or power watts bike computer (Kurt Kinetic power watts bike computer, Quarq, PowerTap, SRM, CompuTrainer, etc.) is the most direct way of quantifying your power & intensity efforts, both in training and racing.

“ Watts (like horsepower) are a measure of power. In the formulas below "Wrider" means the number of continuous watts of power put out by the efforts of the cyclist. 1000 watts = 1.34 horsepower. "Power" measures "force" times "distance" per unit of "time" and "...With this method the unit of intensity measurement watts. Whereas heat, wind, motivation, and illness can affect your heart rate, with power you're either applying an absolute number of watts the pedals or you're not; it's what's referred to as "stateless" measurement.” (See article, "Cycling Speed and Math Ruminations" at http://www.mayq.com/Best_european_trips/Cycling_speed_math.htm)

As with heart rate, you establish your training and racing power zones by conducting a self-administered field test or (preferably) a professional functional threshold assessment.

(see Testing the Competitive Athlete for V02 Max Testing with Dr. Dan Carey (at University of St. Thomas Human Performance Laboratory in St. Paul, MN (dgcarey@stthomas.edu; http://personal1.stthomas.edu/dgcarey/) or Advanced Fitness Training at ACCUA (www.accua.net) in Savage, MN, for two places to get these tests done locally.)

Best Part of Training with Power:

Let's face it, "early governor, late motivator" for long-distance Triathlete where going out too hard early on the bike can sink a race... (adapted from Beginner Triathlete).

Zone 4 and 5-interval training: a critical component for all triathletes up through half Ironmans, Time Trialing distances for 40K and Criterium races, more or less all competitive cyclists. Starting these intervals too hard (trying to get your heart rate up too quickly) the most common err for those not training with power; you would see power output (what really matters) exceeds the prescription and by the time your heart rate - the after-market jet engine burn, so to speak - enters zone 4 or 5, by which you're legs are blown. (too much carbon dioxide in the blood - and the diminishing returns rule applies).

Real cycling efficiency - always knowing where you're at, what you're 'putting out' and making the most of your precious training time... MAXIMIZING YOUR RESULTS IN MINIMUM TIME. Then there is also the argument for the rich data for you and your coach to analyze and track in looking for power/rpm cadence combos over various distances allowing you to fine-tune your cycling efficiency and that power on the pedal stroke.

The only real downside to training and racing with power is the cost, and even this is coming down every six months to a year. Buying a Kurt Kinetic Bike computer will allow you to use it indoors on your Kinetic trainer and outdoors (+- 15% error riding outside) for power watts readings.

WISH LIST:

Make the investment in a heart rate monitor (or better yet, a Kurt Kinetic power watts bike computer power meter) allowing you to download data to be tracked by you and/or your coach. We all have busy lives and full schedules and need to be realistic and effective- by logging your power watts/intensity and making adjustments to your training accordingly, you're making the most of your time.

Zone 1/ recovery: can easily carry on a conversation, minimal muscle taxation, warming up or cooling down.

Zone 2/ endurance / Ironman intensity: think you can carry on a conversation easily with an effort intermittent with breathing and keep going for a long time, say 5-10+ hours.

Zone 3/ race pace or at tempo: a conversation could be intermittent at best; breathing is labored but measured by steady heart rate.

Zone 4/ AT threshold/ Sprint & Olympic distance intensity: think full sentence conversation not possible, as in short answers only: ‘Yes, No, Maybe, Okay, Sure. Go! On your left!!!’ these responses should be your best efforts to get them out and stay highly focused. Your body is ‘looking for a way out’ and you have that knawing feeling in your legs… the burn… major muscle taxation and engagement, very labored breathing, gradual stinging in the legs sensation near the top end of this intensity level.

Zone 5 / Max HR: 5 out of 5 or think 9 out of 10 - most folks can spend only a couple minutes at this highly anaerobic intensity level and verbally expressing coherent thoughts is difficult. Significant muscle fatigue and stinging in the legs and major tunnel vision starts to occur and the throw up faze if carried on long enough.

HR TIP FOR CYCLISTS

When completing HIIT IT - high intensity intervals in Zone 4 & 5 with perceived exertion or heart rate as your guide, resist the easy temptation to quickly raise your heart rate from "between interval" bpm or “recovery” to the desired bpm – or zone 4… Make it hard when you’re supposed to and Easy when you’re supposed to or rest when you are supposed to… build up to it. Same with Workout/ Training sessions in a given week, that is,

“Make the key sessions count, don’t blend them all to a middle effort of blah…. Make the hard days hard and the Easy days EZ!” (taken from Going Long by Joe Friel and Gorden Byrn see link at: http://www.velopress.com/triathlon.php?id=269).

MY TABATA WORKOUT

My favorite strength High intensity work out that I teach is as follows 90% tension on a stationary bike or like 500 watts plus for 20sec. 90% sprint effort for 20 sec. followed by a 10 rest. Tension off. REPEAT! Do that for 4 minutes…. these 4 minutes will be the love hate relationship you crave! Results! Results! Results! SO, If you’re up to the challenge of maximizing your results in minimum time see a workout called “Tabata Protocol” developed by Japanese Researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata, for a tune up of your intensity over a duration of a 6 week and equates to a 50% increase in your results of power (intensity) on a stationary bike – consider what your power watts would look like for Tabata! Don’t do interval training and power watts training if you are injured, rule 1, it’s an explosion of the skeletal muscular system… and rule two don’t rapidly increase your HR too fast perhaps you're simply going too hard to begin and will fade before you're done. For example, aim for reaching your Zone 4 HR by minute two to three of a 10-minute interval or of the HIIT IT 20sec. x 12 rep. (think the 4 rep) or Power Watts Intervals the 250-550 watt range after sufficient warm up. (see "Tabata Protocol Tune up" article at: http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/march-2008/fit-body/the-tabata-tune-up.html )

Those training with a power meter will easily be able to determine the correct intensity output from the start and the interval can be completed smoothly and efficiently, often power is equated to smoothness and efficiency of the pedal stroke, so find that ‘sweet spot’ on the pedal stroke that keeps harnesses your legs power to the max. In reviewing your power watts data after your workout on your bike computer you'll see a pattern that takes about X-amount of time for your HR to catch up with your corresponding watts (power) of the same zone.

Word of Advice:

If you don't have a power meter or a heart rate monitor, err on the side of caution early in the bike leg of a triathlon, time trial, century ride, or race - it's much easier to pick it up as you get going than to back way off due to coming out of the gate too hot "guns blazing" and have to recover before resuming race pace because you’re bonking. (I speak from experience, I went into T2 from a bike leg of a half iron 56mi bike portion with an all out 99% effort trying to stay up with the leader board/peleton and fell apart afterwards by mile 4 of the 13.1 half marathon run portion of the race with a seizing left quad in the run to suffer a huge drop in my run split and some walking with pain, thankfully no injury, and a very tough recovery the whole next week.)

In sum, find the method that works for you and stick with it, don’t change anything before a race last minute and keep in mind that things take time to show intensity and on the other hand, fatigue can be a product of intensity and rears it’s ugly head late on the onset of HIIT IT workouts a day latter or a week latter depending on how many you’re tackling…. Gadgets are fickle as they are useful they need twiquing and need to be properly calibrated to see the proper curve of Intensity or power or HR data over time. It can be a variable that is hard to control and measuring your intensity over a 15 week period is a better way to calculate fitness results and performance if you use the same method each time or a combination of them both and keep that a constant. GO scientific on yourself and get the results!

Keep a training log and race journal of you how feel was that a good workout or a tough one or a RPE 4 overall or was it easy…this is essential for you and for a coach if you have one for feedback on your athletic performance. What was the mileage, the avg. watts the max watts, the HR zones you stayed in for what duration… what did you eat before a race? or intensity training session, did it work? Not? Did you recover well? What worked, what didn’t and repeat those results if they did. And if all this fails, just go ride your bike.

What are your thoughts?

CLASS

2009-11-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

COME READY TO WORK! BRING YOUR BIKE!

iTRACK

2009-11-11T06:36:00.001-08:00

________________

iRideTRACK:

1) Take Stock/evaluate your cylcing/riding

2) Set a plan (15 weeks to stronger cycling)

3) Get Tests & Start Tracking Results!

4) Share, Learn, Discuss!

5) DO it! TRAIN SMARTER NOT HARDER!
________________________________________

Riding indoors at Trailhead

2009-11-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our indoor blog for our indoor ride at Trailhead!

On this blog spot we will track our indoor ride results; watts, HR, cadence, distance, speed, etc. please comment on the ride and the coach -