View Single Post
Old 10-13-22, 09:02 AM
  #30  
Hermes
Version 7.0
 
Hermes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,100

Bikes: Too Many

Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1327 Post(s)
Liked 2,439 Times in 1,426 Posts
I suggest reading Faster https://www.amazon.com/Faster-Michae...s%2C161&sr=8-1

Hutchinson discusses his life as an amateur and pro cyclist and his obsession with getting faster. He states he was a monster in the laboratory at taking lactate and VO2 tests. Even though he could not necessarily capitalize on those results in the field. He wanted to make the track pursuit Olympic team but his times fell short of the goal. His power, VO2 and Lactate threshold indicated he should have been able to ride faster.

My personal experience with HR and power zones is that field testing and using data from races works really well for me. When I lived in NorCal, I had the opportunity to go to the Stanford University performance lab and have my LT and VO2 done. And through our racing club, it was a very good deal. Plus, the doctor who ran the lab was on the team and would me us on the road and run the LT test on a hill for a higher fee.

My coach at the time thought field power testing was more than adequate. He felt that lab VO2 testing was important if one wanted to get a pro contract. Of course, one needed a high VO2 but a lab verified VO2 offered something interesting to add to race Palmeres.

Today, I set my workout power zones for structured training by guessing my FTP and then as the workout unfolds adjust up or down as necessary. And I do the same workouts on the same courses over and over again and the same is true in the gym - over and over again.

I see three groups of riders. Those that are trying to get fit. Those who are fit and want to improve or stay the same. And those who want to get to the next level. So each group will have specific needs based upon goals and genetics / talent.
Hermes is offline  
Likes For Hermes: