My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

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snortingdonkey

2011-04-25 9:49 AM

Member

Saint Petersburg

Subject: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

Hello everyone!

Hope I am posting in the right forum...

I recently got tested for my VO2max and LT threshold. My results are as below. FYI - I am a 44 year old male, about 157 lbs, 5'8", with a history of chemo, radiation on my chest and cut left lung lobe in 1994. My PFT indicates I am at 85% of normal...whatever that means. The doc said that's pretty good given that it decreases with age.

(The test was done in an exercise lab using my own bike...apparently, their testing equipment is world class and the prof has trained olympians.)

Max HR = 181

HR at LT = 164

Optimal HR for flushing lactate = 131

VO2max = 41.0 ml/kg/min

Absolute VO2max = 2.91 L/min

Power at LT = 180 Watts

My LT is already slightly above 90% of my VO2max...How do I produce more power/get faster/more endurance? - Interval training? It's possible that I could have gone on for slightly longer during the test...maybe 30 secs or so...but they were not taking chances with my history.

Typically, the following is my schedule:

Monday - Strength training

Tuesday - 45 min tempo ride

Wednesday - Strength training

Thursday - 45 min tempo ride

Friday - Stength training

Saturday - Long(er) ride - 60 miles

Sunday - Rest

Mostly a veggie but eat some fish and chicken...recently started supplementing with BCAAs, Creatine, protein and glutamine.

Note: I have been cycling since 2004 but have never really done aerobic base training.

Edited by snortingdonkey 2011-04-25 10:03 AM

windandsurf

2011-04-25 12:04 PM

in reply to: #3464260

Extreme Veteran

590

Northern Virginia

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

snortingdonkey - 2011-04-25 10:49 AM

Hello everyone!

Hope I am posting in the right forum...

(The test was done in an exercise lab using my own bike...apparently, their testing equipment is world class and the prof has trained olympians.)

Max HR = 181

HR at LT = 164

Optimal HR for flushing lactate = 131

VO2max = 41.0 ml/kg/min

Absolute VO2max = 2.91 L/min

Power at LT = 180 Watts

Typically, the following is my schedule:

Monday - Strength training

Tuesday - 45 min tempo ride

Wednesday - Strength training

Thursday - 45 min tempo ride

Friday - Stength training

Saturday - Long(er) ride - 60 miles

Sunday - Rest

Mostly a veggie but eat some fish and chicken...recently started supplementing with BCAAs, Creatine, protein and glutamine.

Note: I have been cycling since 2004 but have never really done aerobic base training.

I think there's your answer: you never really have done aerobic base training.

To better understand how the numbers fit together, I highly recommend Dr. Phil Skiba's book, "The Triathlete's Guide to Training With Power". He describes improvements in power based on VO2 Max and Critical Power (CP): your CP is limited by your VO2 Max. He illustrates using a house analogy, the roof is your VO2 Max, and the ceiling underneath the roof is the Critical Power. Once your CP reaches the roof (near VO2 Max), you cannot increase CP unless you increase VO2 Max.

http://physfarm.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=20&zenid=9b958085dc7046eb2884e76e8bc85635

(BTW, get his book Scientific Training for Athletes, it's just as awesome).

Now, if you REALLY want to increase VO2 max, I recommend Jorge's Winter Cycling Program:

http://coachjorgem.blogspot.com/p/cycling-plan.html

The BT thread is here.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=230692&start=1

Be forwarned, the 6x4' sets are known as the 6x4's from hell!

Good luck.

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menglo

2011-04-25 1:25 PM

in reply to: #3464563

Expert

1087

Portland

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

windandsurf - 2011-04-25 12:04 PM

snortingdonkey - 2011-04-25 10:49 AM

Hello everyone!

Hope I am posting in the right forum...

(The test was done in an exercise lab using my own bike...apparently, their testing equipment is world class and the prof has trained olympians.)

Max HR = 181

HR at LT = 164

Optimal HR for flushing lactate = 131

VO2max = 41.0 ml/kg/min

Absolute VO2max = 2.91 L/min

Power at LT = 180 Watts

Typically, the following is my schedule:

Monday - Strength training

Tuesday - 45 min tempo ride

Wednesday - Strength training

Thursday - 45 min tempo ride

Friday - Stength training

Saturday - Long(er) ride - 60 miles

Sunday - Rest

Mostly a veggie but eat some fish and chicken...recently started supplementing with BCAAs, Creatine, protein and glutamine.

Note: I have been cycling since 2004 but have never really done aerobic base training.

I think there's your answer: you never really have done aerobic base training.

http://physfarm.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=20&zenid=9b958085dc7046eb2884e76e8bc85635

(BTW, get his book Scientific Training for Athletes, it's just as awesome).

Now, if you REALLY want to increase VO2 max, I recommend Jorge's Winter Cycling Program:

http://coachjorgem.blogspot.com/p/cycling-plan.html

The BT thread is here.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=230692&start=1

Be forwarned, the 6x4' sets are known as the 6x4's from hell!

Good luck.

Amen to that... I'm on my second cycle and did those this morning. I don't have much more to add then T.I.T.S. Just ride, ride hard, ride with a group that is slightly faster than you, ride any hill you can find, just ride all different kinds of terrain and you will get better/faster/stronger

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TriToy

2011-04-25 1:28 PM

in reply to: #3464260

Champion

6046

New York, NY

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

without seeing the whole breakdown yeah, seems you need to build zone 2....boring yes, but it works. Base building really is crucial.

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snortingdonkey

2011-04-25 1:37 PM

in reply to: #3464260

Member

Saint Petersburg

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

Thank you everyone for all the thoughts...as I read your posts and tried to understand what the numbers from the VO2max test are showing me, I discovered that they are something very revealing! Check out Freil's blog post here to understand more about about burning carbs vs fats --> http://www.joefrielsblog.com/...d-sugar-burners.html. I wasn't really sure about RER and RQ that he refers to and followed the links in the post to get a better understanding.

Anyway, I also looked at my RER numbers...and amazingly I start out with an RER value of 0.94 at resting! This lends credence to the idea that I should definitely consider improving my aerobic base - at least as a start. When RER = 1.0 or >, I am not using any fat at all. Having kept tabs on my HR for years, I am never in the fat burning zone and run out of carbs resulting in poor performance.

Follow the link below to see my LT results and let me know what you think...I think that you are all right..but first need to improve my aerobic base and then graduate to interval training.

http://twitpic.com/4pgo2b#

snortingdonkey

2011-04-25 1:47 PM

in reply to: #3464785

Member

Saint Petersburg

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

menglo - 2011-04-25 2:25 PM

menglo: What is T.I.T.S.? I do ride with people that are better than me on every occasion (i.e. three times a week) - obviously, I get dropped all the time eventually. Most of the individuals seem to be sponsored athletes, possibly a few Olympians and racers.

Skippy74

2011-04-25 2:05 PM

in reply to: #3464260

Expert

1706

NoVA

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

Time In The Saddle.....

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NiceTriCoaching

2011-04-25 3:48 PM

in reply to: #3464260

New user

Canandaigua

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

I would recommend googling "FTP sweet spot" training. Your body's physiology isn't like an on/off light switch where one minute you're entirely aerobic and 10 watts higher makes you anaerobic.

Your physiology is akin to a rheostat switch. In other words, when we increase exercise intensity, we go from recruiting some slow twitch fibers (walk) to a mix of fast and slow fibers (run) to all of our fast and all of our slow twitch fibers (sprint).

Higher intensities near the "sweet spot" or 80-90% FTP give us the best "bang" for our training time investment in terms of aerobic base and increasing FTP.

I would suggest that the majority of your training concentrate on Zones 2 and 3, which would be approximately 70-90% of FTP. This is what most people call "base building", but don't think that at 90% FTP we're not building our base-we sure are! The downside (especially as we age) might be the increased recovery time required for a sustained Zone 3 effort.

gsmacleod

2011-04-26 6:37 PM

in reply to: #3464260

Champion

9407

Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia

Subject: RE: My VO2max and LT results are in...LT @ 90%+ of VO2max...how do I get stronger? :-(

snortingdonkey - 2011-04-25 11:49 AM

Note: I have been cycling since 2004 but have never really done aerobic base training.

Assuming that you haven't been training as a track sprinter, you have been building your "aerobic base" everytime you've been riding your bike. Aerobic adaptations happen over a wide variety of intensities and when you are riding for longer than two minutes, you are building aerobic fitness.

As to your training plan, are you training for cycling events or triathlons (or both)? Either way, I would drop the strength training (assuming cycling fitness is your primary goal) and add in some more riding. I would make a threshold ride a weekly staple (2x20 or similar) and also likely a VO2 focused workout (something like 3-5 minutes hard with about equal recovery for 15-20 minutes of total work). The rest of the rides would be zone 2/3 efforts and just aim to get lots of time in the saddle.

For the test, I wouldn't try to extract too much information from a test that was stopped early; while there may good information in the test, one would need to inspect all the data to determine this; IIWY I would go back to the lab where the test was done and ask the questions that you have.

Finally, I wouldn't put too much stock in Friel's blog and just focus on getting more time riding than worrying about whether you are a "fat burner" or a "sugar burner."

Shane

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