Muscle fiber types, recovery and training adaptations

[Goraldo]

@AJS914

Pick the training stimulus that you are working on and then dole it out between your sports. For example, your heart doesn’t know if you are doing VO2max work on the bike, on the run or in the pool. You don’t need to do it in every sport.

I always thought I need to have at least 1 intensity session for every sport except in the base period. I didn’t think I could dole it out between sports. That’s why I thought I need some kind of intensity on the bike.

Last winter I didn’t do any intensity on the run (mostly running on treadmill), swimming mostly moderately with some intensity but trying to do most of it on the bike.
When the spring came I lost most of my running fitness. I am not sure is it because I didn’t do intervals or something to do with the running on treadmill, but I had a feeling like I needed intensity to get my fitness up again.

I have another race at the end of September and after that I will try more of a low intensity approach with some intensity here and there and give it some time to see what happens. As you said it maybe I just need a wider base to build on it later and better absorb those intensity sessions

Thanks again

[hurdle]

The TR CX plan killed me. I feel like the VO2MAX work is all in my legs and doesn’t get my HR up. The threshold work just wore me out on top of races.
I’m trying to work out what to do now. ATM I’m putting strength training as a priority and just using Train Now to pick rides in between. Mostly endurance. Maybe tempo and/or over/unders?

[splash]

If you can’t get your HR up, that’s usually a sign that you’re tired and need a rest.

[carytb]

@hurdle

I feel like the VO2MAX work is all in my legs and doesn’t get my HR up

I don’t know what cadence you are using but if it’s too low it would feel as if it’s all in the legs.

[Goraldo]

How accurate this test could be:

The Easiest and Fastest Way to Determine an Athlete's Muscle Fiber Type

[d_diston]

Not convinced - so many other individual factors to take into account.

[splash]

Nah, me neither. Would need to see data relating people’s jumping technique to their fibre type.

[Dubadai]

@DaveWh

Long sweet spot intervals at 85% of an appropriately set FTP

Crazy, sounds exactly like we are the same person haha!

Anyhow, when you say long, is that 10-15min or we talking like 3x20, 3x30min etc?

Been riding with a coach successful for two years now but experimenting a bit right now how to increase intensity without being thrown into the fire pits.

Also, when you do your V02 Max sessions every 7-10 days, do you do that V02 Max session instead of your second Sweet Spot for that week?

[DaveWh]

@Dubadai

Anyhow, when you say long, is that 10-15min or we talking like 3x20, 3x30min etc?

When I ride indoors, I have three workouts that I pick between:

• 1x60 at 85%
• 1x60 at 90%
• 1x60 at 85%, with 30 seconds at 120% every 5 minutes.

The latter 2 end up being quite hard - and by the end are closer to threshold than sweet spot.

When the weather is good, I pretty much don’t ride indoors at all. So from roughly May-October, I don’t use my trainer.

My sweet spot rides outside are 45-60mins sustained singletrack climbs on my MTB, followed by long fun descents.

@Dubadai

do you do that V02 Max session instead of your second Sweet Spot for that week?

Generally yes. I’m more disciplined about this in the winter when I ride on the trainer. In the summer when riding outside, I don’t have as much discipline. Sometimes weeks will go by without a specific VO2max “workout” - and I get my VO2max climbing steep technical trails.

[oldandfast]

@DaveWh

When I ride indoors

This is a very good thread. And it’s also notable how indoor training appears to accentuate riders profiles.

I need to give a listen to the podcast episode.

[Bbt67]

@Kipstrong

This is from The Science of Running by Steve Magness. He talks a lot about fibre type and training and there are some big differences.

I have been reading this last week, interesting stuff.