Faster This Week

Tempo Tips, Developing Feel & Microcycle Planning

This week:

1. Changing Zones As Fitness Improves

2. Explaining Favorite Tempo Workouts

3. Developing Feel

4. Microcycle Planning

5. Lactate Testing Resources

Changing Zones As Fitness Improves

Ever heard a coach advise, “more Zone 1 as your fitness improves?”

You might ask, “Why am I going easier when more fit?”

Because your Zone 1 is increasing.

• Red Line: Zone 1 ends at 150w, 107 bpm

• Thin Black Line: Zone 1 ends at 200w, 116 bpm

From August to January, a 50w increase in the top of my Zone 1, close to 10 bpm.

A 50w increased in AeT from August (150w) to January (200w)

I suspect the quick movements are done for me. The gains will come slower.

The more fitness you build, the faster your easy pace becomes.

I’ll share an elite athlete’s running case study on Monday.

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Explaining Favorite Tempo Workouts

3 Main Types

1. Cruise Intervals

2. Strength Work

3. Capped Heart Rate TTs

Cruise Intervals

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

Cruise Intervals are explained inside my piece on Joe Blocks of Zone 3 work inside an Endurance Workout • Resist the urge to creep upwards • Learn to recover with Steady effort • Effective, Intensive Endurance https://t.co/yJpIBShsS8

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

Joe Friel, Coach of Coaches @jfriel • Meeting My 1st Master Coach • The Nutrition Principles That Changed My Life • The Power of Belief • Advice that took me 20 years to figure out 1st in my Mantras From Mentors Series 👇 https://t.co/vlgwS5exUy https://t.co/F2xxzKFcXT

Strength Work

Wrote you an article

Training Endurance and Strength on the Bike

Key thing from this tweet - you can use these “tempo” techniques across all modes of exercise and at different intensities.

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

Strength Sets are explained in my piece on Bike Workouts You can use the principles in every sport • Paddles • Uphill Grinding • Rucking For The Work Rate: • Cadence is lower • Heart rate is lower • Fatigue is lower Stay out of HR Zone 4 👇 feelthebyrn.substack.com/p/how-i-ride

Capped Heart Rate TTs

Covered in Thursday’s article

4 Ways To See If Your Plan Is Working

You can do these Tempo workouts as Endurance sets.

• Work Segment is Zone 2

• Recovery Segment is Zone 1

Resist the urge to “work” in upper Zone 2 and lower Zone 3. This a metabolic grey zone.

Finally, you can give yourself an extra stimulus by using altitude. Maintain your heart rate caps when working at altitude.

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

Bonus Points When Fitness Up • Do the set at 6000-9000 feet • Give yourself a training, and an altitude, stimulus • Keep SAME heart rate caps Pics are Fri/Sat/Sun • Duration 90/60/90 • Skimo 8300-11400 ft • Strong at the end

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Developing Feel

I made you a video on Breath Markers. In it, I walk you through Zones 0 to 5.

Here’s a quick link to my video on Aerobic Threshold - finding feel starts with the sensation of your breath deepening.

Thread on Zones You Can Feel, walks you through Zones 1 to 5

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

Resources for Zones You Can Feel Zone 1 - Easy Zone 2 - Steady Zone 3 - Moderately-Hard / Tempo Zone 4 - Hard / Threshold Zone 5 - Very Hard / VO2 Doc Hellemans also uses: Zone 6 - Fast / Strides Zone 7 - Very Fast / Sprints Start Here: youtu.be/PzulXo-fL4M Easy Pace 👇 https://t.co/jHe5aexcDP

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

Everything You Need On Easy Pace What exactly do I mean by Easy Pace? Let's break it down step-by-step I've included a wide range of resources to help you understand this important concept Read on... 👇 https://t.co/pBUqUFPmke

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Microcycle Planning

Yesterday I shared a thread on better week planning.

• Three goals for each microcycle

• Focus on consistent work over time

• Judge “this week” by how well “next week” goes

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

How To Build A Microcycle Your trying to do too much • Pick Three Key Things • Do The Most Important On Day 1 • Optimize For 1000-Day Volume • Don't Compromise Tomorrow Article Explains • Common Loading Terms • My Summer Loading Hierarchy 👇 feelthebyrn.substack.com/p/how-to-build…

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Lactate Testing Resources

A thread, two videos and an article. Linked in this tweet.

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

@RuiBrito2204 Lactate Testing Resources: Quote Thread, below - lots in there Video #1: youtu.be/MYA8gzF9Zd8 Video #2: youtu.be/FEATKzTAuSY Article On Application: feelthebyrn.substack.com/p/your-first-l… Tough to get consensus on protocol - I've used 5 & 10 min steps

Gordo Byrn @feelthebyrn1

The Lactate Thread Seeing as I'm constantly QTing... I thought I'd pull everything into one place Let's start with @doctorinigo What is Lactate & Lactate Threshold https://t.co/F5ftPCq6L3