by Toks » Mon Jan 15, 2007 7:29 pm
[quote]Are your 5 * 5 sessions not taking things a bit too hard. I thought you were only meant to go to about 87% - 89% in these, sounds like you are really training hard dude.
Cheers
Marek....
As you know I don't really do that many hours and my ability to ride really hard for a few minutes is one of my weaknesses. So generally I don't have that extra gear/power to join a breakaway at the crucial moment of the race or indeed try a last lap flyer.
Therefore like the rest of the bunch I'm 'pegged' as the fast guys go up the road. I only intend doing them for a few weeks and then easing off just to mix things up a bit. The most important goal as Paul. H will tell you is trying to increase the size of your engine through group rides/tempo
rides/sweet spot/2 x20's/zone 3 and of course racing etc
[quote]so what's exactly a 5x5min VO2 max session then?
1. VO2 max describes the maximum
of oxgen uptake in the body. 2. It defines your aerobic ceiling. If you try to ride any faster after 5-8mins you'll be riding anaerobically (without oxygen) and be forced to slow down cause of the indirect consequences of increased blood lactate.
Interestingly, despite the fact that on four hour rides your consuming a hell of a lot of oxygen, for experienced riders unless you're spending some of that time in the 85%+ area you're not gonna be training your VO2max. And for must club riders you don't need to. But if your racing its important. Its about how
Having a high VO2max will help you in hard 5/6mins efforts (establishing a breakaway,riding off the front with 1 or 2 laps in a crit, drilling those last few minutes in a TT; being the first up box hill, or riding track pursuit). But if in the first place your threshold power is poor you won't be sustaining race pace anyway.
So in short, threshold is still the key to all endurance cycling events but having a high VO2max allows you to be 'real big player'. Don't forget however that no matter how high your threshold is it can't get as high as your VO2max power. So if you VO2max is ridiculously low you're really stuffed
[quote]I expected more training stuff instead I read about tempo rides and sitting on the couch watching big brother!