Archaea's question on developing power

[bluegoose]

I just thought I would start a new thread on Archaea's queries regarding developing strength and power.

Perhaps someone who actually has some strength and power would be more qualified to address this topic. But since it's just us hacks here, someone's got to do it. :wink:

Last week, a guy named Max Testa came to our local community college to lecture and, for a small fee of $250, preform fitness testing. He's a very qualified guy, having been team physician for 17-18 Tour de Frances. Now he runs a testing facility at UC Davis. Once again unable to attend, I got the recap 2nd hand from others in attendance.

Following your individual testing, they sit you down and review the data showing your strength and weakness. They then map out a short and long term training routing for you.

Several guys that I know had decent aerobic capacities, but were lacking on power output at certain max HR%. He recommend to them to intiate a strength training program, especially here in the "off season".

This didn't necessarily mean hitting the weights in the gym, although he did outline a gym program as well. He mainly recommended doing more high resistance, low frequency workouts once or twice per week. Grinders. Cadance should drop as low as 40-50 rpm. For most people this would require either a spinner/resistance trainer or a long hill that you can grind up.

Once a decent strength base is developed, then the focus should turn to transitioning to a higher cadence, ala Lance A. Once the "racing" or riding season is full swing, high intensity intervals and sprints need to be incorporated to train the system to clear lactate more efficiently.

Take home message - most of us that want to learn to ride faster do not train hard enough on our hard days or easy enough on our easy days to get the right amounts of strengthening or rest to make us better.

If you find yourself in Sac or Davis again this year, its probably worth the time checking out this guys facility.

[MikeWaters]

I used to just ride laps, ride hard....

Then at someone's suggestion I started during intervals. That made a huge difference. On the group rides when we hit the hills or hit a faster pace, I could keep up with the accelerations.

I endorse bluegoose's post.

[Archaea]

Well I haven't been making the progress I desire.

I'm still just a triathlon riding a bike. Eventually, I'd like to become a true cyclist with power, ability to go with the jumps and the ability tap into my 2b and 2a energy sources.

I have a three mile hill which I should use to accelerate. Unfortunately I have another "race" next week where I will be killed again in Phoenix.

Maybe by Sea Otter I will have made progress.

[bluegoose]

Do ironmen triathletes ever go aerobic/lactic in competition?

The nature of the ironman cycling event is much different than a pure road race event. As such, the training for the 2 events would differ quite a bit.

As I see it, due to it being draft-illegal, there is not as much emphasis placed on attacks and counter-attacks. It is more of a sustained effort over a long period of time. A prolonged time trial.

Intervals and sprints are helpful, and even necessary for road races and group rides, but would seem less helpful when you have a marathon awaiting you at the end of your ride.

I'm not sure what my original intent was when I started this post. I've forgotten already, but I'm sure that I missed it.

[Archaea]

Do triathletes go aerobic/lactate in competitions?

Answer: it depends on the length of the race and the level of competitor that you are.

In tris, there are about five different distances. Sprint, International, Olympic, Half and Full.

The goal for all but the best is to achieve a high aerobic level in the longer tris. You need to keep your aerobics below lactate, except perhaps toward the end of the run.

Olympic competition tris allow drafting. I hate that. It's defeats the purpose of the tri.

However, if one can raise one's lactate threshhold, one can sustain, theoretically a high level of effort.

Pro athletes may go temporarily into lactate threshholds, but even they can't keep it there for long.

In Kona, where World Championships are held, last year the winner rode 112 miles, or 180 K in 4 hours 21 minutes. A great speed for a long time trial. That was after a 50 minute 3.9 K swim and before a marathon.

Training as much as we do is boring at times, so the race intervals helps mix it up. Before I started this less than two years ago, I was an old out of shape swimmer and a somtimes short distance runner. I'm regularly in the top ten percent of swimmers, top fifteen for tri cyclers and about the same for runners.

However, tri cyclists and true cyclists are very different in abilities, from steering and handling to effort. Plus we need to run afterwards.

[bluegoose]

Good summary Archaea.

Just for clarification, I meant to say anaerobic in the opening of my last post, instead of aerobic, as I'm sure you meant the same thing.

A normal person probably would have left that alone and assumed most people knew what he was talking about. But who needs normal right?

What did you mean by you hate the draft-legal nature of the olympic distance? Does that take away the individual nature of the sport for you?

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

What did you mean by you hate the draft-legal nature of the olympic distance? Does that take away the individual nature of the sport for you?

As one who has cheated by drafting off of you for 50 miles on a Saturday I can testify that the draft legal rule is lame.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Good summary Archaea.

Just for clarification, I meant to say anaerobic in the opening of my last post, instead of aerobic, as I'm sure you meant the same thing.

A normal person probably would have left that alone and assumed most people knew what he was talking about. But who needs normal right?

What did you mean by you hate the draft-legal nature of the olympic distance? Does that take away the individual nature of the sport for you?

In Olympic competitions, drafting is LEGAL. It totally undoes the sport, for two reasons.

First, it means most cyclists will simply keep in the peloton disadvantaging anybody who has improved their cycling ability. It's no longer a time trial.

Second, it creates a bigger advantage for the runners. If they want a 10K running race, just say so.

Completely lame.

[bluegoose]

I can see where you are coming from as a competitor. You don't want the hack cyclist/solid runner breezing through the road course while you're working your arse off in the front of the pack.

As an observer of professional sports, imho a professional cycling race is much more watchable than an ironman. Much of the excitement of the tour de france comes with the long breakaways and the subsequent chase by the peleton. That is something that is much more difficult to appreciate in the ironman. You may have an incredible cyclist (or runner for that matter)who is destroying the field, but you really can't appreciate it until the splits come in and at the transitions.

Watching the ironman hawaii on tv is all about the stories and finishes for me. Of course, I've always been a sucker for the inspirational sports stories (Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!).

[Archaea]

Watching Ironman may be lame; I don't know.

I remember watching cycling long before I entered the sport. I watched it never believing I would do one.

BTW, one of my biking buddies does Race Across America. Are you familiar with that? He loves ultra-distance cycling.