Intervals advice please

[simonp]

...
Mind you I've not done one in about 18 months and I am pretty sure I am much stronger now.

I really should rock up to the time trials this year, to see if I really have improved,

Well I have to say, you do a heck of a lot of scientific training and analysis for someone that never rides competitive events ...


p.s. "rock up" - what does that look like? Will you have a light show? Backing singers?

It's so I can get a reasonable amount of sleep during events like PBP.  If I managed say a 25 minute '10' then so much the better.

[mattc]

It's so I can get a reasonable amount of sleep during events like PBP.  If I managed say a 25 minute '10' then so much the better.

Oh I agree - I was just joshing. It's the same approach I've been using.

(except I throw in a few TTs to remind me of my place in the world).

[nic]

No idea what my LT is. I suppose I could get it measured at the local sports biomedicine unit..

Have a look at Joe Friel's Blog: A Quick Guide to Setting Zones

I followed what Joe Friel recommends:
"To find your LTHR do a 30-minute time trial all by yourself (no training partners and not in a race). Again, it should be done as if it was a race for the entire 30 minutes. But at 10 minutes into the test click the lap button on your heart rate monitor. When done look to see what your average heart rate was for the last 20 minutes. That number is an approximation of your LTHR."

It goes without saying it was hard work.

I then used Andy Coggan's formula to calculate my heart rate zones.

For my 167bpm LTHR that gives:
Zone 1: Active Recovery: up to 114
Zone 2: Aerobic Capacity: 115-139
Zone 3: Tempo Rides: 140-157
Zone 4: Threshold: 158-176
Zone 5: VO2 Max: Above 176

I am told by my mate Quentin (Level 3 ABCC Coach,
            
               
                  VeloTraining -
                  
                  Home
               
            
         ) that the zones as set with Coggan's formula should in theory match the different power zones.
Helpful if later I wish to train with Power at some point.

[border-rider]

Zone 1: Active Recovery: up to 114
Zone 2: Aerobic Capacity: 115-139
Zone 3: Tempo Rides: 140-157
Zone 4: Threshold: 158-176
Zone 5: VO2 Max: Above 176

Those figures correspond pretty closely to my best-guess estimates of my own zones, based on the HRs I can achieve running and cylcing.  I know that when fit I can run at 170 for 45 minutes or so; 160 I can do for well over an hour and 150 for hours, with food.  130-140 I can do for 7-8 hours with no food.  176-179 kills me, and 180 I can touch for a second or two only. 

[hulver]

I tried a 5x5 interval session tonight.

What I was aiming to do was

15 minute warm up, then 5 minutes at 90%, then 5 minutes at 60%.

Repeat 5 times, then warm down for 20 minutes.

What I actually did was

15 minutes warm up.
5 minutes aiming for 90%. This took about a minute to rise to 93% and stay there until I eased off again.

Then it dropped down to about 65%.

Did 5 of these, then during the last minute of my final interval went for a sprint. Flat out as hard as I could.

I watched my heart rate on the HRM, it went up, 95%, 97%, 100%, 103% finally 105% 

So it looks like the last test I did wasn't good enough, and instead of 193 my max hr tonight was actually 202.

Not bad for a 37 year old. 

I don't think I was pushing hard enough, because I didn't feel like death after the final interval.

I feel great now, it's addictive this exercise stuff.

[Swarm_Catcher]

So I really am skeptical that there is any point in exercising for fat loss in the "fat burning" zone.  If you exercise at a higher intensity, you'll burn more calories, and won't burn less fat.  I think it's only when you go hard (above LT2, or 80% MHR in my case) that you are switching off fat burning.

I agree Bridget.  In the fat burning zone, your body might burn a higher percentage of fat, but still less total amount than if you were training at higher intensity.   

[mattc]

So I really am skeptical that there is any point in exercising for fat loss in the "fat burning" zone.  If you exercise at a higher intensity, you'll burn more calories, and won't burn less fat.  I think it's only when you go hard (above LT2, or 80% MHR in my case) that you are switching off fat burning.

I agree Bridget.  In the fat burning zone, your body might burn a higher percentage of fat, but still less total amount than if you were training at higher intensity.   

Yes that's true, but not the whole story. See MV's comments:
Intervals advice please

[simonp]

So I really am skeptical that there is any point in exercising for fat loss in the "fat burning" zone.  If you exercise at a higher intensity, you'll burn more calories, and won't burn less fat.  I think it's only when you go hard (above LT2, or 80% MHR in my case) that you are switching off fat burning.

I agree Bridget.  In the fat burning zone, your body might burn a higher percentage of fat, but still less total amount than if you were training at higher intensity.   

Yes that's true, but not the whole story. See MV's comments:
Intervals advice please

glycogen depletion => increased post-exercise energy consumption (fuelled by fat)

[Palinurus]

Make a playlist of equal parts Philip Glass and assorted hardcore punk played by earnest-looking shorthaired American types.

iPod to shuffle, long straight road.

[border-rider]

glycogen depletion => increased post-exercise energy consumption (fuelled by fat)

glycogen depletion => increased hunger (and, specifically, the requirement to replace the glycogen stores if you're riding for longer than an hour or two)

Your body is pretty good at trying to maintain statis; rip through the glycogen and it'll make you choff more food or bonk.  If you sneak up on it with slightly lower-level exercise you can get away with much lower energy intake and much less post-rode refuelling.

[Rich753]

But the post-rode refuelling is the best bit 

[simonp]

But the post-rode refuelling is the best bit 

I glug down a recovery drink, which is 3:1 carb:protein, with virtually no fat.  This is supposed to be pretty much the ideal for restoring glycogen.  Meanwhile (says the theory) because carbs are being co-opted for glycogen replenishment, other bodily functions are fuelled by fat, which leads to additional fat burning over and above the fat burning during exercise. (See my earlier post on EPOC in this thread).

If you eat cake after high intensity exercise, you'll defeat this mechanism, because cake is loaded with fat.

[Rich753]

True.  Unfortunately.