Author Topic: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising  (Read 10206 times)

I recently had a step test to measure my fat burning ability (using fat as fuel) followed by a ramp test to help with the design of a fitness program.

I am very much a steady plodding type (as I guess many of the audaxers here are!) so you can imagine my surprise to find I am actually pretty poor at using fat for fuel and was 100% dependant on carbs at just 123 bpm (90 watts!).  Wow, what a shock! 

The ramp test was really just to mark out the HR zones for training but I was also surprised that I have a relatively high VO2 max.  My mental tolerance of lactate was pretty terrible though (as I don't really ever do that kind of threshold and over training) and I wimped out pretty quick after it started hurting haha. 

It's great to have the zones though, and I have now got a training plan for the next few weeks mapped out to follow which I am most excited about.

I don't know why I am posting this really, other than to say it was definitely worth the investment in the test as it seems I have a lot of room for improvement in the fat burning side of things which will no doubt help me even more over the longer distance stuff...and that I may not be the only one to which this applies.   :)
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mattc

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #1 on: 24 January, 2014, 09:51:12 am »
Crikey - this is taking things pretty seriously. Good thing you use an alias, your AUK membership could be at risk ... ;)

Ramp tests and VO2max tests I'm familiar with; type of fuel used is another level of sophistication. How did they test for this?
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

hulver

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #2 on: 24 January, 2014, 09:55:56 am »
Where did you have that done and how much was it?

I always feel like I'm just sort of flailling around, and not making the best of what little time I have to train, it would be nice to get somebody to say "Do this and you'll get the best results"

zigzag

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #3 on: 24 January, 2014, 10:08:24 am »
what was the step test like? (i've had a ramp test before, good fun but hated the blood being drawn from my fingers every couple of minutes >:()

Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #4 on: 24 January, 2014, 10:15:52 am »
Crikey - this is taking things pretty seriously. Good thing you use an alias, your AUK membership could be at risk ... ;)

Ramp tests and VO2max tests I'm familiar with; type of fuel used is another level of sophistication. How did they test for this?

Haha yeah, indeed.  TBH there are a few reasons for it - I'm getting old (36) and have never made the most of what I have got so why not try and get the best out of the time I have left, several years ago I overtrained (different sport, not cycling) and now I am so aware of the risk of doing that again I think I have gone too far the other way and am actually too easy on myself, plus, I like being told what to do  :P

They wired me up with a mask on that measures the gas emissions (O2 and CO2) so the RER could be calculated

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_exchange_ratio

Oh and I had to fast before hand.  3 WHOLE HOURS of no eating.  It was HELL.  Wasted away I did.  But the step test itself was fine.  Gentle, increase in watts every three minutes until it was clear I was on carbs.  Good warm up for the ramp test which was horrific!


Where did you have that done and how much was it?

I always feel like I'm just sort of flailling around, and not making the best of what little time I have to train, it would be nice to get somebody to say "Do this and you'll get the best results"

I've been using Tom Kirk for the coaching http://www.customcyclecoaching.co.uk/ - he has been brilliant.  He was recommended by a friend of mine so there was some bias in my choice (although I didn't know him personally), however, I am most impressed with the feedback he has given and contact.  The training plan is really excellent and has really taken into account my other commitments and the MTB side of my riding too. 

The test was done with Tom at http://www.racefitconsulting.co.uk/ based at Oxford Brookes.  University set up, so all the right kit available.  I was a little nervous as didn't know what to expect.  I'm tempted to retake the test at the end of the summer to see if I have made any improvements as this is really the first year I will be properly training for cycling fitness rather than just muddling along trying to get MTB miles in on social rides. 
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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #5 on: 24 January, 2014, 10:38:54 am »
"I'm getting old (36)".  If you really think 36 is old, you're having the wrong bits tested.

Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #6 on: 24 January, 2014, 10:46:06 am »
"I'm getting old (36)".  If you really think 36 is old, you're having the wrong bits tested.

Well, ok, I'm nearly 36 (March, so I have two months til I get there)

But when you are involved in a club which develops youth riders to race XC, trust me, 36 is OLD.  I am definitely at the 'if only I had known, if ONLY I had the opportunities these kids do now' stage.  Post 30 everything slows down.  It was such a definite turning point.  Recovery takes longer already, but at least there is still room for improvement if I work hard now. 

Once you get to a certain age then it's all about maintenance and then after that it's all about minimising losses. 

I may as well make as many gains now as possible whilst I still have a little tiny bit of youth left, so I have more to loose when it properly goes downhill. 

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #7 on: 24 January, 2014, 10:54:06 am »
"I'm getting old (36)".  If you really think 36 is old, you're having the wrong bits tested.

Well, ok, I'm nearly 36 (March, so I have two months til I get there)

Reverse these numbers and you are still not old :smug:

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #8 on: 24 January, 2014, 11:03:46 am »
If I understand this correctly, you have an audaxer's brain in a racer's body. Sounds like a good combo.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Dibdib

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #9 on: 24 January, 2014, 11:36:41 am »
Post 30 everything slows down.

Oh dear.

Chris (aged 29 and three quarters)

mcshroom

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #10 on: 24 January, 2014, 11:40:41 am »
Post 30 everything slows down.

Oh dear.

Chris (aged 29 and three quarters)

I was thiking the same - Marcus (aged 30 annahalf)
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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #11 on: 24 January, 2014, 11:42:19 am »
Prepare yourself 30 yr olds, prepare  :demon:

If I understand this correctly, you have an audaxer's brain in a racer's body. Sounds like a good combo.

Haha, I love this, this shall be my Facebook status for the day  :thumbsup:

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mattc

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #12 on: 24 January, 2014, 11:47:35 am »
Vuelta a Espana: Chris Horner, 41, is oldest Grand Tour winner - BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24101494

And a 48year-old:

Andy Wilkinson smashes 12-hour time trial record | Latest News ...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/534256/wilkinson-smashes-12-hour-time-trial-record.html
(who also holds the 24h record)
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #13 on: 24 January, 2014, 11:51:01 am »
Vuelta a Espana: Chris Horner, 41, is oldest Grand Tour winner - BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24101494

And a 48year-old:

Andy Wilkinson smashes 12-hour time trial record | Latest News ...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/534256/wilkinson-smashes-12-hour-time-trial-record.html
(who also holds the 24h record)

Ah yes, but those guys have been riding since childhood, right?  That's different.  The rest of us who got in this game way too late are already playing never-gonna-catch-up with an ever increasing gap ;)
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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #14 on: 24 January, 2014, 12:05:55 pm »
Hmm, I was thinking more along the lines of 'after 50 everything slows down' - I'm 51 this year - but that may be more to do with knackered bits of body and not enough riding...

Presumably the Racefit bunch use their own gear ? - ie stationary upright bike for power measurements ? I'd be kinda interested but more in the context of using a (my) recumbent, cos the biomechanics are somewhat different between the two.

Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #15 on: 24 January, 2014, 12:15:44 pm »
Presumably the Racefit bunch use their own gear ? - ie stationary upright bike for power measurements ? I'd be kinda interested but more in the context of using a (my) recumbent, cos the biomechanics are somewhat different between the two.

Yes, it's a watt bike - very  clever bits of kit they are, not had the luxury of experiencing one before.  I'm guessing you know how they work, but if not......The watts are set (for example starting at 50 watts and going up by 20 watts every three minutes) so the gears change to compensate.  If I pedalled faster, then it got easier, if I slowed cadence then the gear would increase to ensure the output is exactly the required wattage. 
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mattc

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #16 on: 24 January, 2014, 12:27:53 pm »
That sounds perfect for the job, but truly bizarre to use! I bet it's weird getting onto a real bike afterwards.
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

vorsprung

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #17 on: 24 January, 2014, 04:57:26 pm »
Vuelta a Espana: Chris Horner, 41, is oldest Grand Tour winner - BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24101494

And a 48year-old:

Andy Wilkinson smashes 12-hour time trial record | Latest News ...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/534256/wilkinson-smashes-12-hour-time-trial-record.html
(who also holds the 24h record)

Ah yes, but those guys have been riding since childhood, right?  That's different.  The rest of us who got in this game way too late are already playing never-gonna-catch-up with an ever increasing gap ;)

If you are just planning to do audax, I didn't start riding more than 2 miles to the station until I was 38.  And I've done 2 PBP since then

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #18 on: 25 January, 2014, 05:52:11 pm »
Vuelta a Espana: Chris Horner, 41, is oldest Grand Tour winner - BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24101494

And a 48year-old:

Andy Wilkinson smashes 12-hour time trial record | Latest News ...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/534256/wilkinson-smashes-12-hour-time-trial-record.html
(who also holds the 24h record)

Ah yes, but those guys have been riding since childhood, right?  That's different.  The rest of us who got in this game way too late are already playing never-gonna-catch-up with an ever increasing gap ;)

If you are just planning to do audax, I didn't start riding more than 2 miles to the station until I was 38.  And I've done 2 PBP since then

I watched Wilko break the 24hr record.  Well, the five times he passed me on various circuits.  I did my PB then, somewhat less than his, but he is six months older than I am.

When I started Audax, advice I was given was that riders reached their peak at long distance cycling in their mid-40s.
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

pdm

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #19 on: 25 January, 2014, 06:22:14 pm »
Post 30 everything slows down.

Oh dear.

Chris (aged 29 and three quarters)

Don't worry!
Once you get to your late 50's the rate of slowing slows slowly so that you are just slow anyway.....


Average speed (year round cycling in the Peak District):

Kim

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #20 on: 25 January, 2014, 11:37:51 pm »
If your yearly average is 22kph, I wouldn't say you were slow!

(Unless you never ride with inexperienced cyclists, or ride off-road, or do any utility cycling with silly loads or in dense traffic or anything.  That stuff all drags my long-term average right down.)


Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #22 on: 27 January, 2014, 07:36:05 pm »
I did the British Cycling threshold test yesterday.  Quite surprisingly findings, in that, at 36, my max heart rate is 208 BPM, rather than 184 from the predicted 220-age value.  This means that the top of the zones are now 13 BPMs higher than before, meaning I was "under training" a lot!

mattc

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Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #23 on: 27 January, 2014, 07:43:35 pm »
I did the British Cycling threshold test yesterday.  Quite surprisingly findings, in that, at 36, my max heart rate is 208 BPM, rather than 184 from the predicted 220-age value.  This means that the top of the zones are now 13 BPMs higher than before, meaning I was "under training" a lot!
The bad news is that your sessions are suddenly going to feel a lot harder  ;D
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: So I had a fitness test....and the results were pretty surprising
« Reply #24 on: 28 January, 2014, 02:04:32 pm »
I did the British Cycling threshold test yesterday.  Quite surprisingly findings, in that, at 36, my max heart rate is 208 BPM, rather than 184 from the predicted 220-age value.  This means that the top of the zones are now 13 BPMs higher than before, meaning I was "under training" a lot!
The bad news is that your sessions are suddenly going to feel a lot harder  ;D

Aint that the truth!

Rather you than me bikenrrd   :P
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