Before applying this article, I recommend you read:
Stop Wasting Mojo in Your Grey Zones - What To Avoid
Training Endurance & Strength on the Bike - Core Workouts Explained
Your heart rate & lactate response changes based on:
Fitness & Fatigue
Fueling
Core & Ambient Temperature
Bike Geometry & Body Position
Arousal
Humidity
Hydration
Time of Day
Altitude
The biggest change riders will notice is the differences between:
Indoor vs Outdoor Riding
Hot vs Cold Temperatures
Road vs TT vs Mtn
Lactate spot checks can help you build a personal profile based on conditions.
Let feel guide your decision making in the moment
Let post-workout fatigue guide your dosing
Use heart rate caps to limit stress and reduce errors
When you make a mistake, learn from it
Be willing to adjust zones down when indicated
You can feel everything that follows. My video on breath markers will help you.
You don’t need a recent maximal lactate test to apply what follows, but it sure makes targeting easier.
Recovery Ride
I’ve been using the same protocol for 25 years.
Keep your heart rate under 100 bpm.
Keep the duration under 60 minutes.
Indoors, this effort is enough to crack a sweat, when riding without a fan.
The feeling is “taking your bike for a walk.”
Easy Endurance
A ride where your effective range is under Aerobic Threshold.
Effective Range: we ride a range, not an average
Under Aerobic Threshold: we stay in Zone 1 the entire ride
Easy Endurance is where you push duration, initially.
My video on decoupling explains how you assess your performance over time.
Using my recent lactate test (Figure 1.0), I would:
Ride 150-200w, placing the effective range below AeT
Expect an average ride power ~25w below AeT
Keep HR under 121 bpm (AeT+5bpm)
Multisport Athlete? When you are focusing on running, swimming or strength; you will find Zone 1 cycling makes up most of your bike training.
Marathoner? This is where you begin to train your race duration.
Single Sport Cyclist? Metabolic training and easy days are done here.
Everyone: Don’t be fooled by the first 90 minutes, these rides will feel different after a couple hours.
I made a video about how your zones change as fitness improves.
Your Easy Endurance provides the foundation upon which you build your Steady Endurance.
Steady Endurance
My video on Why You Are Training More Intensely Than You Realize explains why many athletes have their “Zone 2” set too high.
If you are averaging the middle of your Zone 2 power then you are likely training too intensely.
Just like Easy Endurance, we ride a range, not an average.
As we shift the effort from Easy to Steady:
Slide the effective range to the right.
Stay out of the Heavy Domain / Zone Three.
Gradually build to Aerobic Threshold heart rate and stay there.
Gradually, means at least 20 minutes.
Relax, the warm-up is part of your work set.
Case Study using Figure 1.0.
In my recent bike test, my AeT HR was 116 bpm at my 200w step.
Following my warm-up, sitting 116-121 bpm is going to have me in the right spot.
Capping HR at 126 bpm will keep me away from the Heavy Domain.
My ride average will be less than AeT watts. Typically, 5-10w under.
Your breathing, the workout feel and lactate spot checks can help you dial in your targets.
Some tips:
You do not get more endurance benefit from riding more intensely. Stay on target.
You do get more benefit from riding longer.
Decoupling is not the goal. Staying coupled is the goal.
Aim to be approximately correct and protect your ability to train tomorrow.
This is the core work of your endurance program.
Important Reminders:
Be willing to adjust targets up & down as fitness changes.
Page 7 of this document gives you a field test you can use to determine if Aerobic Threshold (LT1) is set correctly. The workouts can be done alternating between Easy and Steady.
My favorite test set is “sit on a target and see what happens.” You can learn valuable data from long sets at Aerobic Threshold. It’s also excellent training.
Think your fitness has improved? Retest your lab values then verify in the field.
Give yourself at least one month between maximal tests.
Submax testing (for AeT) and spot checks can be done any time.
Simple Sessions Yield Useful Insights
Multisport Athlete? Take the intensity mix of your entire program into consideration.
If you are a new, or returning, runner/swimmer then you will may get quite tired from your Steady bike work.
This is because your run/swim training is metabolically stressful.
You’ll need to mix Easy Endurance with your Steady work.
Strength Rides
Target, and dose, these rides based on how your Steady Endurance training is going.
What Do I Mean? If you are decoupling on your Easy/Steady training then there’s no need to add intensity to your program.
It is essential to establish your foundational fitness before adding further stress.
How To Start? The strength rides in my article can be done at a Steady Effort. You don’t need to bust a move to benefit.
How To Target
Aim your power for the mid-point of of LT1/LT2 (Top of Zone 3). This will have your effective range sitting Zone 3 to 4 and keep you away from the Severe Domain.
Relax, don’t force heart rate up.
Build heart rate gradually towards the top of Zone 3. When you’re using a lower cadence, heart rate response will be slower, and lower, than usual.
As heart rate comes up, so will breathing. You’ll be able to hear your breath and sentences will be short.
If you find yourself panting, or sitting at a “one word answer” effort… then back off.
If your heart rate shoots up quickly then you have your power target set too high. Even at the end of a strength set, your heart rate should remain at least 10 bpm below Functional Threshold (LT2) heart rate.
Do not sprint into the Red Zone (Zone 5) at the end of the set. Learn to keep a cool head when heart rate is elevated.
Dosage
Resist the urge to up the wattage target. Better to do longer, or multiple work sets.
Once or twice a week is enough. Better to do more volume, on a loading day, than go beyond twice a week.
Consider dose relative to total weekly load (all sports). I wrote this article to guide you.
Judge the quality of your set by what happens later. These sessions are meant to complement your endurance training.
This is a higher work-rate session, fuel appropriately.
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