Now that we’re about to start base training it’s vitally
important that we train with the right intensity to ensure that we get the best
adaptation effect from our training and that we don’t train too hard or too
easy. Most riders have heart monitors so here is a guide on how to work out
your training zones for the winter and how we can use that data to improve our
training.
The baseline for the calculations is your Lactate Threshold
Heart Rate (LTHR). This equates to the maximum effort that you can put out for
one hour. Once we know this figure we can calculate our zones for base training
and intervals for time trialling as a percentage of this figure.
How to calculate your LTHR
Warning, this is not easy or pleasant! No matter how fit you
are this will always be a maximal effort and will hurt. This exercise is best
completed on an indoor bike or turbo trainer to minimise external effects /
traffic and for safety reasons.
Make sure you’ve had a 24 hour rest period before the test.
Ensure that you’ve been well hydrated during the day.
Ensure that you’re thoroughly warmed up. There is a good
warm up routine on the British Cycling website that I’ve re-produced below:
Use a relatively high gear, but one that allows use
of the same gear throughout.
Example: Large chainring, halfway up the rear
cassette. (RPM) Instruction/Focus
dence (RPM)
Instruction/Focus
Time
|
Cadence
(RPM)
|
Instruction/Focus
|
5 minutes
|
90
|
Smooth pedalling
|
2 minutes
|
95
|
Smooth pedalling
|
2 minutes
|
100
|
Smooth pedalling
|
2 minutes
|
105
|
Smooth pedalling
|
1 minute
|
110
|
110 Smooth pedalling
|
30 seconds
|
120-130
|
Maintain form
|
2 minutes
|
90
|
Relax and recover
|
6 seconds
|
150+
|
Max rev out
|
1 minute
|
90
|
Smooth pedalling
|
6 seconds
|
150+
|
Max rev out
|
1 minute
|
90
|
Smooth pedalling
|
6 seconds
|
150+
|
Max rev out
|
2 minutes 42 seconds
|
90
|
Relax and recover
|
Once the warm up is completed you need to go straight into a
30 minute maximal effort. If you’ve got a programmable heart rate monitor set
intervals for the first 10 minutes and the last 20 minutes. Our LTHR is the
average heart rate for the last 20 minutes of the session. If you’ve not got a
downloadable HRM use a friend to record your heart rate every minute during the
last 20 minutes and work out the average manually. Don’t be tempted to look at
the HRM yourself as this will encourage you to work to your pre-existing feelings
of heart rate. All you must do is focus on producing that maximal effort for 30
minutes.
Don’t forget at least 10 minutes of cool down after this to
normalise heart rate and breathing.
Training Zones
Now that we know our LTHR we can start to target our
training appropriately.
Zone
|
Feeling
|
Heart
Rate
|
1
|
Active Recovery
|
Very easy.
|
LTHR -40 or more
|
2
|
Base
|
Too easy for your fitness. But this is where we
perform the volume of base training.
|
20-40 beats below LTHR
|
3
|
Tempo
|
Comfortably hard. This is an area where most people
spend too much training and can have the least benefit.
|
10 to 20 beats below LTHR
|
4
|
Sub-threshold
|
Hard but sustainable for long intervals. Training here
improves the body’s ability to use and clear lactate.
|
O – 10 beats below LTHR
|
5
|
Super-threshold
|
Hard. Only sustainable for short intervals. Build up
of lactic acid.
|
0-10 beats above LTHR
|
6
|
VO2max
|
Extremely hard. Can only maintain for very short
intervals.
|
10 beats or more above LTHR
|
The majority of our winter training should be in zone 2 to
build up that aerobic base that we need for all disciplines. Efforts should
mainly be in zone 4 to improve our efficiency to deal with lactate. Being more
efficient here will train our body to be able to sustain higher pace and power.
I’ll cover this in more detail at the clubs base training
evening in November. But in the meantime if you can spend some time and effort
to calculate your LTHR that will be of benefit when we start base training.
Yours in training
Barry Wootten
Joe Friel’s Training Blogs
British Cycling Training Guide
