I think the Ramp test puts me above my actual FTP. Lamarck had me between 88 and 92% of max pulse on all but the first intervals. These are pegged at FTP. I struggled with everything over FTP so determined, which makes me wonder if these are all in the total anerobic range.
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That actually isnāt very far off. Donāt forget that workout is 10 minute sets. When doing a full hour at threshold you will probably have a hr peak above 92% of max but will average in the range of 90%. Seiler said for his own experience, he was at 87-88% at around 15 minutes in and that was low enough to allow him to make it through the hour peaking around 95%
Your results may differ but shouldnāt be much lower of a target.
Similar to Phil Maffetone of MAF Method infamy. Stating that so many endurance athletes were/are smashing their hearts way too hard & causing all kinds of damage. He created his training method for both health & restoration and creating a base for performance.
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so @Mikael_Eriksson answered a question the other day on his show I had a little while back about improving the percentage of VO2 max at which LT1 sits. He did say it was very trainable and many people can see some significant gains (I donāt think mineās moved much since my HR for submaximal efforts has stayed relatively constant since Iāve been on TR). I did wonder though, if that sort of improvement came at the cost of ones anaerobic capacity, or is it still possible to have an LT1 that is a relatively high percent of VO2 max, and still have a high VLa max. Iāve been listening to the interview again wtih Sebastian Weber, and it sounds like the answer is no, but Mikael got more experience working with the INSCYD software that maps out contribution of energy from the different metabolic systems at various power levels.
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Steve Neal said something very similar at the end of the FLO cycling podcast. He keeps his athletes to less than 83% of max HR when attempting 2x 40 min tempo (75% of FTP) workouts. If their HR starts to go up, he has them dial the intensity down.
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You donāt get something for nothing. Anaerobic capacity goes up and generally LT1 as a percentage of FTP goes down and vice versa. In my view the essence of training at a high level (not me) is getting the correct balance between the two for what type of rider you want to become.
Some interesting reading on this topic (of ādamageā)
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So who has managed to do an hour as Dr Seiler has talked about? I attempted yesterday but probably started out too hard as my HR was at 90% max way before 15 minutes. I was trying early in the day too which often isnāt great for me.
Did you pace it against what you ad your FTP set to or was it a true āmax for an hourā based on feel? Iād be keen to find out what approach made it a successful hour for you.
My last āhour of powerā was two years ago, and I had built up to it. Pacing was loosely based on a 10 mile time trial a few weeks prior. Pacing is a challenge on long effortsā¦ probably could have gone a little harder as last 10 minutes HR-avg was 91% and HR-max was 94%.
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I made it some weeks ago, I guessed the MMP60 power from my intervals. My strategy was to ride it progressive. First 20 min 5 watt less then the estimated target,. Then 20 min exactly the target and the last 20 min anything that goes.
In practice, the first 20 min i was very disciplined, Second 20 i was little above. From min 40-50 I feel good but i over-paced, As a result i was about to cancel it, but during 5 weak minutes i could recover. The last 5 in was very hard, but reasonably strong
Overall it was manageable but not only fun. However, i think is a good to start with a little bit less then the guessed MMP60. And not make the mistake accelerate to much and to early
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Many times on trainer indoors, outdoors and for 40km. My 40km PR is low 57 min so close enough. When fit, Iād rather do a nice strong hour than 20 min to be honest. Although we do plenty of those during TT season too. My longest real test was two hours. That was tough but interesting ā 220w at 135 pounds. CP20 at the time was 260w
Iām kinda surprised more folks here just donāt spend $250 on a lactate analyzer and do their MLSS and just nail it.
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Indeed, Iām UK based and recently investigated such a device, unfortunately theyāre near $440 over here. Thanks for the advice ref the hour too.
Great thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the detailed post, I will try again soon and be a little more conservative with my pacing.
Iām always keen on a new gagdet. A quick google threw up this:
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Ouch, thatās steep enough to get you thinking about the investment!!
Mine was $280 for the device and the test strips run a bit under $2 per sample. I run tests for myself and a handful of close friends.
Locally if you wanted a bog standard LT test (not MLSS) folks charge anywhere from $75 to $200. I figured it was a reasonable investment for myself plus the crew have had a lot of fun with it and some utility too.
Cheers,
Mark
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Abr state 40k tt on Sunday, abr regional 40k in July, and USA cycling 40k in august if you live in Illinois lots of opportunities for an āeasyā way to get a few in the next 8 weeks.
Do you test/prick yourself? This works at higher intensities? How do you ensure no contamination of the sample?
Unfortunately these devices are so expensive here as well.
Yes for some tests Iāll do it myself. Heart rate drops quickly but the lactate measure is fine for the purpose.
For some tests I will get my wife if she is available, or a pal to take the sample. Itās a lot nicer to just ride and have someone else take the measure. But donāt always have a willing helper.
The device records readings so can hop off, sample, hop back on fairly quickly.
Contamination hasnāt been an obvious issue. You wipe the finger, get a blood drop, wipe that off and take the sample from a second drop. Once things are flowing you get a good rhythm to the sampling either solo or if running a test for someone else.
FWIW, with a good FTP estimate from power testing can get close to MLSS. What Iāve found testing 5-6 experienced riders is their power test FTP is more than good enough for zone setting. What is more interesting is how some guys canāt take the mental pressure of really riding an hour at MLSS. So in 40k TT they are leaving some potential in the tank. That helped a couple fellows to new PRs and better training this season. Kinda fun to see data and geekery actually translate to performance.
Mark
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Hi there. Iām very new to POL training having decided to give it a try after having followed SS plans for a few years. One thing Iām not clear on is how to periodize training through base, build and race phases (more volume, intensity or both?) or whether this even applies and I should simply stick with the same workouts throughout the year and build FTP)? I generally have between 10-12 hours a week to train and was wondering how best to plan out my sessions. Given most of my races are 2-2.5 hours on the road with a good proportion of time spent at tempo (POL Z2), should I be introducing more time in training in this zone as my races get nearer?
Sorry, probably too many questions but really interested in your thoughts!
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