Indoor Cycling Class @ Landry's Bicycles presented by Boston Performance Coaching                                         $90 for 6-weeks. Classes begin NOV 2 & 3.  Discounts available to local triathlon clubs. Register below or for more info, contact Coach Vic at vic@bostonperformancecoaching.com

Understanding Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Training

Vic Brown - Wednesday, February 16, 2011

By Marty Gaal

http://www.usatriathlon.org/resources/multisport-zone/multisport-lab/understanding-lactate-threshold-heart-rate-training 

Instory LabTwo fundamental concepts for improvement in endurance racing and training involve:

  • Increasing your aerobic endurance
  • Improving your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR)

The first is accomplished by completing workouts involving aerobic exercises (swimming, biking, running, rowing, cross-country skiing, and so on) at an easy to moderate effort level. Over time, your ability to continue the exercise will improve through physiological adaptations to the specific exercise.

For example, if you are currently untrained or out of shape, a 30 minute bike ride may be challenging and near the limit of your ability. If you go and ride 20-30 minutes three times per week for a few weeks, your body will adapt by increasing blood flow to the muscles being used, increasing muscle size (hypertrophy) and strength, improving blood flow through a process called capillarization (tiny veins to the muscles), increased mitochondrial density (aerobic enzymes) in the muscles and a few other geeky details.

All these result in the ability to use oxygen as the main exercise energy source more efficiently, meaning you can now ride longer and not be tired at 30 minutes.

The second, improving lactate threshold, is accomplished by completing easier training sessions like the above, plus including more challenging workouts that raise your heart rate.

Lactate threshold is the point in exercise where your body produces more blood lactate than it can reabsorb (and manage other lactate by-products - look up "hydrogen & lactate & exercise" if you want some exciting reading) on a continuous basis. Well-trained athletes can usually continue exercise at just below lactate threshold for about an hour. Go over lactate threshold though, and that time drops to 5-6 minutes.

For most people, the lactate threshold is about 20 heart beats per minute above the steady aerobic threshold. Any aerobic exercise, generally speaking, will help both points go a bit higher. But there is a point of diminishing returns. If you don't also include workouts that challenge your system by going just below to above your current lactate threshold, you will not maximize your ability in short distance to long distance events.

The secret or goal with lactate threshold training is to raise your threshold point to as close as possible to your maximum heart rate, and improve your ability to withstand that discomfort (if it was easy everyone would do it). If you never do harder workouts, then your lactate threshold will always remain below your possible maximum lactate threshold.

Raising your lactate threshold point, for the most part, will bring your steady aerobic threshold point up with it (as the 20 bpm relationship is fairly constant).

So if you're training for an Ironman, from a specificity standpoint you want to train that steady aerobic threshold because that is more or less your race pace. But you should include some LT training as well to raise that point a bit higher.

If you're training for a sprint or Olympic distance race, from a specificity standpoint you want to work more on that 2nd threshold. You should include quite a bit of aerobic steady training as that provides your foundation.

So you’re probably thinking: how do I find my threshold and what are some workouts ideas?

Finding it:
Warm up 15-20 minutes then 30 minutes "race effort" — as hard as you can go for 30 minutes. Take your heart rate average for the last 20 minutes. Bingo, you have your LTHR.

Biking:
2 x 20 minutes just below lactate threshold with 5 minutes easy between
5 x 5 minutes at lactate threshold with 3 minutes easy in between
5 x 3 minutes over lactate threshold with 3-5 minutes easy in between
8 x 1 minute well over lactate threshold with 2-3 minutes easy between

Running:
2 x 10 to 15 minutes (1 to 2 miles) just below threshold with 5 minutes easy between
4 or 5 x 4 minutes (800-1200m) at threshold with 2-3 minutes easy between
5 to 6 x 3 minutes (600-800m) over threshold with 3 minutes easy between
8 x 1 minute over threshold with 1 minute easy between

Generally speaking, running causes more breakdown so total "hard" training volume should not be more than 10-15 percent of weekly mileage.

Swimming:
4 x 400s just below threshold with 1-2 minute between each
12 to 16 x 100s at threshold with 10-15 seconds rest between each
8 x 50 over threshold with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between each

There are plenty of other workouts, but the theme here is:

  • sub-threshold workouts take 10-25 percent interval rest
  • at-threshold workouts take 50-75 percent interval rest
  • over-threshold workouts take 100-200 percent interval rest

In general, advanced athletes can do more repetitions and/or take less rest; beginner athletes should do less repetitions and take more rest.

Marty Gaal, NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist, is a USA Triathlon and USA Track and Field certified coach. He and his wife Brianne work with amateur athletes spanning the range of athletic experience and age through their company One Step Beyond in Cary, N.C. You can read about all their services and upcoming clinics at www.osbmultisport.com.

The views expressed in this article are the opinion of the author and not necessarily the practices of USA Triathlon. Before starting any new diet or exercise program, you should check with your physician and/or coach.

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1st Annual Fall Foliage Ride Set for this SUNDAY

Vic Brown - Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Boston Performance Coaching 1st Annual Fall Cycling Classic will take place this SUNDAY October 17.  This will be a Metric Century ride to enjoy the foliage of autumn.  With almost 30 people registered, this is sure to be a fun and scenic ride.  The course will follow a challenging road route around the Quabbin Reservoir, a pristine jewel in the heart of Massachusetts.  Ride will depart from the Summit Tower at Quabbin Reservoir at 9 AM.

All cyclists should have a repair kit with them; including pump &/or CO2, spare tube, & tire iron.  Riders should be prepared with an adequate amount of food and begin the ride with at least 2 bottles.

When:

SUN October 17, 2010 at 9 AM

Directions:

Summit Tower at Quabbin Reservoir, Ware, MA. Parking is at the tower.

Ride Route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3958731

For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Vic at vic@bostonperformancecoaching.com. 

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How to Improve Bike Hill Climbing (with contributions from Coach Vic Brown)

Vic Brown - Thursday, September 23, 2010

How to Improve Bike Hill Climbing

by Jeff Harder

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/triathlons/training/improve-bike-hill-climbing.htm

If you're one of the elites, it could happen at Stage 16 of the Tour de France or Big Bear in the Tour of California. If you're a new jack, it could happen at that gentle quarter-mile incline on the other side of town. But that burning sensation in your quadriceps and the inkling that you're a little higher up than you were a moment ago is familiar to almost everyone who has ridden a bike: You're climbing up a hill.

Hill climbing is just one skill of many -- sprinting, bridging gaps and drafting, among countless others -- that a cyclist must master to become well rounded. Actually, a list of the best hill climbing cyclists looks a lot like a list of the best overall cyclists. So what makes a great hill climber? Is it simply being stronger and faster? Most world-class climbers carry just 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of body weight for every inch of height, meaning a 5-foot-10-inch (1.78-meter) cyclist would weigh approximately 140 pounds (64 kilograms) [source: Cycling Performance Tips]. Elite cyclists also have very low body-fat levels: 6 to 9 percent in males and 11 to 14 percent in females [source: Hewitt].

While densely muscled cyclists can use their heavier frames to produce great power and surge across the flats, the lean elite in the peloton -- the main group of riders in a bicycle road race -- are adept at something vastly more important to hill climbing: producing the highest ratio of power to body weight over long distances. According to The New York Times, Lance Armstrong has produced 6.8 watts per kilogram of body weight, compared to a good recreational cyclist, who can generate 4 watts per kilogram [source: Kolata].

We're not all genetically predisposed for greatness on hill climbs, but they're a fact of life for cyclists everywhere. You might as well do them better.

Bike Hill Climbing Technique

No two hills are the same -- some are steep, some are gentle, some are long and some are short. Whatever the profile, a cyclist has two basic strategies at the outset: Hammer up the hill fast and hard with raw power, or drop a few gears and use smooth cadence and technique.

Low-cadence, high-gear climbing can be great for conquering short hills or for a sprint to the finish. But hard pedaling is taxing and, if done too early, can leave you huffing, puffing and drifting toward the back of the pack. It's a somewhat reckless strategy, especially for triathletes who still have miles of pavement to run even after unclipping from the bike.

For lengthy hills, drop a few gears at the start of the ascent and establish a rhythm. Spinning at a cadence of roughly 90 to 100 revolutions per minute (rpm) is best. If you start to tire and your cadence drops, shift to a lower gear. If you're spinning too quickly and not generating adequate power, upshift.

You'll want to practice optimal climbing form, which entails lightly grasping the handlebars across the top, sitting upright, bending at the elbows and pulling the shoulders back to open your chest and make breathing easier [source: Hewitt]. Tighten your core muscles and keep your upper body relaxed [source: Brown]. And pedaling technique is paramount: Drive down with one foot to generate power with your quadriceps, and pull slightly up and back with the opposite foot to engage your hamstrings.

In general, stay in the saddle -- standing and pedaling raises your heart rate and lowers your cadence. However, climbing out of the saddle engages upper body muscles and can generate the burst of power necessary for a quick surge ahead. It's also a good way to stretch and get your blood moving in the middle of the ride, according to Shawn Hanka, a 25-year cycling veteran who placed within the top 10 of his age group over four days of the 2008 Tour of the Gila race, which featured more than 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) of climbing. But racers beware: The initial deceleration that accompanies climbing out of the saddle can cause a trailing rider to rear-end you [source: Hewitt].

Performance coach Vic Brown says that if you're flat-out stronger and textbook technique isn't cutting it, you should use your god-given power to climb the hill [source: Brown]. Good form is less important than what works.

From split squats to hill repeats, the training secrets to maximize hill-crushing potential await.

Bike Hill Climbing Training

Training plans to improve hill climbing ability vary from cyclist to cyclist -- professional, sponsored cyclists train differently than weekend warriors with desk jobs. In general, start by establishing a good fitness base: Ride long, hilly routes for two to three hours twice a week, then bump it up to two- to five-hour rides [source: Brown]. Next, incorporate bike hill repeats -- basically, climb a hill as quickly as possible, glide back down to the base and repeat several times [source: Carmichael].

One of the best ways cyclists can improve performance is by boosting their lactate threshold. As exercise intensity increases, your body releases lactic acid into your bloodstream, and your heart beats faster to remove this waste. When lactic acid builds up faster than your body can process it, your lactate threshold is reached, and fatigue is close behind. "If you hit that point in the middle of a climb, you could be toying with disaster," performance coach Brown says.

To raise lactate threshold, train at a heart rate a few beats below it. For example, if your lactate threshold is 155 beats per minute, you could train at 152 beats for intervals of six to eight minutes, then ride for two minutes at 122 beats to recover [source: Hanka]. You should alternate interval training days and recovery-riding days. As the weeks progress, the heart rate that corresponds with your lactate threshold will increase.

Training for hill climbing need not be bound by the hills themselves. A fixed stationary trainer or bicycle rollers can stand in when bad weather makes outdoor cycling impossible. Besides a heart-rate monitor and a bike computer that measures cadence and speed, devoted cyclists with fat bank accounts might consider a PowerTap from CycleOps, a device that measures real-time power output in watts, a more reliable indicator of effort than heart rate.

In the weight room, cyclists should focus on their core and muscles below the waist: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and hips. Single-leg exercises like lunges, single-leg squats and split-squats are best [source: Brown].

Losing weight can improve performance -- but only if the weight loss helps produce a better ratio of power to body weight and keeps you healthy. It's not uncommon for super-lean cyclists to find that having a few extra helpings at dinner and being a few pounds heavier is better for performance [source: Brown].

Determining Your Lactate Threshold

Lactate threshold can be determined through a blood test. If you don't have access or inclination to visit a sports doctor, try this: Warm up for 10-15 minutes on a stationary bike. Strap on a heart rate monitor and pedal across flat terrain at the fastest pace you can sustain for 20 to 30 minutes. Your average heart rate over the time period is roughly your lactate threshold [source: Davis].

Your Place in the Pack

If you're in the middle of a race and hill climbing is your weakness, advance a few positions ahead before you reach the base of the hill. If you lose speed during the climb, this helps ensure you don't lose your standing in the pack [source: Hewitt].

Sources

  • Brown, Vic. Assistant Coach, Boston Performance Coaching. Personal interview. Aug. 6, 2010.
  • Carmichael, Chris. "Express Train: Powered Ascent." Outside Magazine. July 2006. (Aug. 10, 2010)
    http://outsideonline.com/outside/bodywork/200607/fitness-advice.html
  • CycleOps. "Power Meters." (Aug. 17, 2010)
    http://www.cycleops.com/products/power-meters.html
  • Cycling Performance Tips. "Hills/Climbing Tips." (Aug. 11, 2010)
    http://www.cptips.com/climb.htm
  • Davis, Grant. "The Greatest Fitness Tips. Ever." Outside Magazine. October 2007. (Aug. 10, 2010)
    http://outsideonline.com/outside/bodywork/200710/fitness-tips-1.html?rf_region_dd=6&rf_state_dd=&price=4
  • Hanka, Shawn. Personal interview. Aug. 11, 2010.
  • Hewitt, Ben (editor). "Bicycling Magazine's 1,000 All-Time Best Tips." Rodale, Inc. 2005.
  • Kolata, Gina. "Super, Sure, but Not More Than Human." The New York Times. (Aug. 17, 2010)
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/weekinreview/24kola.html
  • Overend, Ned. "Mountain Bike Like a Champion." Rodale, Inc. 1999.
  • St. John, Allen. "Bicycling for Dummies." IDG Books Worldwide. 1999.




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Ready, Set, Ride!

Ali Winslow - Wednesday, March 10, 2010
So it's pretty clear everyone was out on their bike this past weekend.  50-60 degree temperatures in New England don't happen all that often in early March and from reading athlete logs, great quality miles were put in all over Boston.  I spent the weekend moving, so I can't make the same claims on the long rides, tempo efforts or transition practice that I saw on my athletes logs, but I can say that the athletes who took our winter build cycling classes were in fantastic shape to conquer the roads.  Things heard from class participants: "I rode over 60+ miles this weekend!  First time out on the road and I felt great!"

I am happy to report that after 9 years of teaching these indoor cycling classes at Landrys in Boston, our results consistently produce well conditioned cyclists who are more educated about their form, technique, cadence, heart rate and power.  As we close this years winter cycling classes, I look forward to seeing our athletes out on the roads working hard.  Now I just have to fear that we have done our job so well that they beat us in races!

see ya on the roads...

ali
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Training Camp

Vic Brown - Monday, March 08, 2010

I really look forward to this time of year: the weather is warming up and the Multisport World Conference and Expo at MIT is two weeks away which Ali and I are presenting the Strength Training for the Multisport Athlete - it all means the race season is right around the corner. Lastly, it's spring break time at the university. For me, this means some time to catch up on sleep and take advantage of some extra time to train. This week is my training camp and here is how it has started.

FRI: Workout#1 - Swim 5.1K Aerobic intervals. Workout#2 - Brick, Bike 2.5 hrs with a 50' interval at 88-95%, Run 30' transition run
SAT: Workout#1 - Bike 4 hrs with 2 hrs of race pace simulation
SUN: Workout#1 - Brick, Bike 6 hrs including pace line skills practice with Threshold Cycling Team, Run 30' transition run. Workout#2 - Strength Training, Power emphasis followed by a 30' high cadence spin for recovery.
MON: Workout#1 - Swim 4K with a 1650 time trial. Workout#2 - Bike 4 hrs endurance (not including a 30' stop in Concord Center for a muffin and  to talk cycling and training of sorts with Skip Foley?)

It has taken years to learn what my body responds to. And it is volume. Then I will slowly add in small amounts of intensity to give my body another boost in fitness. This week provides a perfect time for me to do it. The key will be to find the right amount of cycling training to mix in with triathlon training as I am spending the first part of the season bike racing and will then transition to triathlon. The second key element will be my recovery methods - really dialing in on recovery nutrition as well as sleep, making sure I get 8-9 hours per night and a 30 min nap if possible at least 2-3 times during the week (can't remember the last time I took one of those). Bottom line, I really enjoy this type of training - the long workouts and challenging your body to see what it can achieve; what can you adapt to, and what can you overcome.

First bike race of the year is slated for March 28 in Marblehead, MA at the Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race . The triathlon season opens at the Hopkinton Season Opener on May 9.

Get out and train!!!

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Hill Training on the Bike and Run

Ali Winslow - Thursday, March 04, 2010
Bike Class #9 on Thursday night was a Lake Placid "review"

Tough workout, we did some tempo work, which I think is tough on the indoor trainer, maintaining a solid tempo effort at zone 3 is harder than it would seem.  We tend to ride at either zone 2 or zone 4 with a zone 1 recovery.  But 3-4 minutes at tempo builds solid high aerobic efforts, especially taxing on the endurance and thus builds overall muscular endurance.  

I find that athletes in class comment that their legs give out before their heart rate - meaning that they can work at a higher HR, but their legs start failing first.  These hard intervals at a solid zone 3 on the bike work on that failure.

Try it on your own, after a solid warmup, do 3-4 min intervals at zone 3 (using enough resistance, at 90+ rpm)  on 20-30 sec recovery.  It will help you build your overall muscular endurance!

Ali
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Following Recovery Weeks with Intensity

Ali Winslow - Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Well if you were at the Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K this past weekend you saw several thousand runners hitting the pavement.  I started in the front of the pack, as I always do for these races to get out of the clutter and get my own pacing started so that I don't need to dodge around people, hop on curbs or risk falling over chatting runners.

But I have to saw, racing back to back weekends is pretty tough.  We had the indoor time trial last weekend and there was quite a bit of intensity work leading up to that event.  Even though the TT itself was only a 10K on the bike, it still requires a ton of concentration and super high HR's.  It's pretty tough in a practice setting to work as hard as you do in a race, and so the indoor TT and this past weekend's 10K and Half Marathon were great opportunities to test your limits.  I don't know about you, but I saw a pretty high HR at the indoor TT, and even though I recovered, it was still lingering in my legs over the following week as I "tapered" my runs and intensity leading up to the half.  And then again, during the half, I saw a fairly higher HR than expected during my run, and I know that at the end I was pretty cooked.

Now this week we are jumping back into intensity.  I watched the faces on our athletes last night as we did 4x 2+min efforts at 103% of vVO2.  That was a tough workout and many of those athletes who raced over the weekend most likely were not hitting their target HR's.  Or, they may have hit their target HR's early on, and then were unable to sustain their power or speed.  However, even though the intensity is tough right now, these athletes are teaching their bodies to deal with the stress and then with adequate recovery periods, come back from the stress and improve their speeds/power.

It's hard to get back on the horse after a race- but when you do and follow your program the rewards are great.  We have one more week left in our build program and then it will be time for our athletes to hit the roads and begin preseason.  

Racing begins in only a few weeks, can't wait to see our results.

Train Hard, Train Smart- 

Ali
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Why should athletes do LT and VO2 work in the build phase of training/

Ali Winslow - Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I spent this past weekend in Boulder Colorado with several other cycling and triathlon coaches.  If you don't know this already, Boulder considers itself the triathlon and endurance training mecca of the world.  At any one group workout you will see top level pro athletes, aspiring age groupers and prior Hawaii IM winners.

What I learned out there was this- athletes need to do their VO2 work and LT work pretty much year round (that is, if they have a solid base of training).  Why not?  

It seems to us New Englanders that in the base period and build phase period (Fall and Winter), we don't need to do these hard efforts.  I have heard time and time again- it's the "off" season, I just need to do base work (low aerobic training).  However, if you don't consistently challenge your energy systems, how will you improve?  How will your VO2 improve if you don't do any VO2 work?  How will your LT improve?

Yes, VO2 efforts and LT efforts are hard.  However, only 20% of your overall run volume and 30% of your overall bike volume (based on weekly workouts) should be at these hard efforts.  When I explained this to our cycling classes, I got alot of surprised looks.  In general most athletes either don't go hard enough or go too hard too often, resulting in mediocre workouts most of the time, they don't improve, they don't see results and get either overtrained or are sick all of the time.  If you look at your weekly volume in minutes or hours, take 20% of that overall time (for running) and 30% of the overall time (for cycling) and that's the amount of time you can spend in VO2/LT effort.  For swimming it's about 50%.  The rest of the workouts should be dedicated to technique work, etc.  If you are finding that you are doing too much or not enough, change your workouts to follow the above protocols.  You will find that you are getting more out of your workouts, you will be able to go hard when the workout dictates and you will enjoy your recovery and technique work.

Ali 
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Why are VO2 intervals important and how to make them part of your program

Ali Winslow - Wednesday, January 20, 2010
What is your motivation to get yourself going in the off season?  Why do you get on the trainer to ride, or run outside in the zero degree temps, get in a pool at 6am, or do your hard strength workouts in a busy gym?

It's motivation.  It's the knowledge that your competition is out there, probably doing the same or more than you right at that very moment.  And it's this same kind of motivation that pushes us to do the hard work, the VO2 intervals that burn out our legs and lungs.  A coach can write the best program for his or her athletes, but if they lack the motivation, then the cornerstone of the program is lost on the athlete.

Has this inspired you to keep on reading?  Do you know what these VO2 intervals are?  Well, the definition of VO2 is the maximal oxygen consumption that you have.  We test it on the New Leaf Machine, we test it out of the lab in a "field" setting and we test it weekly with our workouts.  

This week our cycling workouts focused on a :40/:20 on/off maximal power/velocity efforts for our main set.  This means we worked our athletes on the short but very high intensity interval at 103% of their vVO2.  I coached the athletes to focus on the amount of power they could generate from each pedal stroke, rather than worry about how fast their legs were pedaling.  And this workout hurts.  A lot.  If you are doing these correctly, your leg muscles burn, your lungs will burn and you certainly don't get enough recovery time to even relax and shake it out.   However, due to the short duration of the interval, the body will not feel nearly as taxed as you would if we were doing 20minute efforts.

However, after a few weeks of these types of intervals (we manipulate time and recovery time each week) athletes will see fantastic results.  Not only will they increase their maximal power, but their overall fitness improves as well as their mental strength.  

Now get yourself out there and stay motivated.

Ali
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Build Period in Full Swing

Ali Winslow - Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Well last night everyone's new years resolutions were firing on all pistons!  30+ people in our first winter cycling class.  They were packed in tight, trainer to trainer, heart rate monitors on, cycling computers working, heads in the game.  The BPC cycling class last night-and this morning were filled with determined athletes and great energy.
It's always fun to see old faces and new faces in these classes and from my perspective, the best part of last night was the new workout formats.  I love to change things up on clients and athletes-keep them on their toes and keep them focused on learning new things.  I will tell you, we did get some resistance at first, but I truly believe with this new program athletes will learn to be more proactive in their own cycling workouts which will eventually translate to better overall fitness and most importantly, awareness of what they can do.

Last nights and todays workouts were a test of endurance, determination and current fitness with the vVO2 test.  This test comes from the work of Billat and helps the athletes to learn their velocity at VO2 max or their wattage at VO2 max.  Now with this data, the athlete can do specific intervals at a percentage of their vVO2, giving them clear feedback on performance.  

I am looking forward to the next 10 weeks to see the progress and development of these cyclists and triathletes.  This is going to be a tough 10 weeks of training, but it will all pay off in March.

See ya there.

Ali
P.S. If you really want a treat, check out our pictures on the next newsletter of Vic aka "Johnny G Spin Man"
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