CHANGE OF PLANS: You may have been looking forward to having an aerobic threshold “talk test” be part of our Spinning/cycling classes together this week. Well, maybe not. But, if so, I apologize because we will have to postpone the test because of “unplanned circumstances”.
On Sunday night I was admitted to the ER for an appendectomy. As the anesthesiologist wryly commented, “an adolescent disease”. I am taking that as proof that maybe I am still young. The surgery was successful and I am home recovering.
The main question on my mind is: how soon can I get back to you in classes and personal training. Frankly, this imposed rest reminds me all over again how much I get from our work together. I miss you and I miss the work.
The doctor says I can do nothing strenuous, and no lifting over 15 pounds, for six weeks. I think that means that I will be able to teach classes and conduct personal training pretty soon, as long as I modify my behavior temporarily. For now, I have cancelled all my appointments this week and I will keep you posted.
While I am home, on with the newsletter. More on heart rate training will follow as the main focus of this issue but I also want to comment on some research I saw about the mind-body connection.
WHY WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MATTERS: You are, no doubt, aware that I spend a fair amount of time in class talking about the need to be consciously present while riding in order to get the best performance i.e. “If your mind wanders your performance does too”.
This is a lesson I learned in a practical way from my friend, the late Dr. Bob Breedlove. You probably know that Bob was a world-record setting long distance bike racer. I recall he had a striking ability to stay single-mindedly focused on what he was doing, doing it well, and then moving on to the next thing. In my opinion, that was part his nature and part his training as a surgeon. But I learned from it, and I try to make my actions as purposeful as possible. On, and off, the bike.
Some research I recently saw backs up this intuitive understanding. (It’s always nice to see some research that supports your own beliefs, right?) “It’s not just physical intensity that counts, it’s mental intensity,” says Joe Baker , a researcher at York University in Toronto. (This is, by the way, also why we limit conversation during parts of the class.)
“Over the past few years, psychologists have reached the remarkable conclusion that your level of achievement in fields ranging from sports to music to science depends less on natural talent than on the number of hours you spend doing ‘deliberate practice’, “ says Dr. Alex Hutchinson, Ph.D. Deliberate practice, in cycling, means not just riding a lot but doing so with attention to specific seemingly small details along the way.
When I was spending long hours racing, I recall going back and forth between “associated thinking” and “disassociated thinking”. I found there seemed to be a time for each. There was a time when just going on “cruise control” was the right thing, and there was a time - as I say in class - “to run your checklist” i.e. posture, breathing, mental status, pedaling form.
The researchers , it turns out, divide thinking the same way. Their research says that runners with more associative thoughts are faster than runners with more dis-associative thoughts. And they found that training sessions with more associative thoughts were also the most enjoyable. Wow.
As with all advice, this can be overdone. Some skills can be over-thought, tying ones shoes for instance. Not all thinking while riding or training should be associative. Depending on your reason for cycling, your specific goals and your own unique personality, you may want to do more or less associative riding. But I think one of my jobs as your cycling coach, is to teach you how to better associate your mind with your body during exercise. And that’s why I promote this idea of associative mind-work heavily in our classes together.
Like so many things in cycling class, the value of the lesson can carry over to the rest of our lives.
HEART RATE BASED TRAINING CONTINUATION: Last time, I gave you some advice on how to begin to estimate your own personal training zones. I asked you to do a few simple calculations and bring them to class to “test” them against your own experience. While this in-class test will have to be postponed pending my recovery, here are a few more thoughts in preparation. (You can review part one, the basic math, in newsletter #61 at http://billroachblog.blogspot.com).
In the classes when we conduct the test, we will compare your own physiological reactions (breathing, ability to talk, perceived exertion) against your theoretical heart rate numbers to make your zones more precise to you.
Generally you can think of your perceived effort as following an increasing line. The line is relatively flat except for two prominent “bumps” along the way. These bumps are the physiological markers for either side of your “aerobic range”. They are referred to as “T1" and “T2". With my coaching during class, you will be able to find the point on your heart rate monitor where you cross over these two markers. While there are more intrusive and expensive measures available, this method will give you a better and more tested knowledge of your heart rate than the old formula taking arbitrary percentages of an age-based estimated maximal heart rate.
You will leave class with two threshold numbers from your heart rate monitor. These two thresholds divide your heart rate range into three ranges: sub-aerobic, aerobic, and anaerobic. I am going to suggest you also take the middle of those three - your aerobic range - and divide it into two halves. (For instance, my aerobic range is from 115 to 145. Divide the 30 bpm range in half to form two zones that can be used differently for training. )
Now you have four zones:
Z1 - Recovery: everything below T1
Z2 - Easy Aerobic: the lower half of your aerobic range
Z3 - Tempo or Threshold Aerobic: the upper half of your aerobic range
Z4 - Anaerobic: everything above T2.
Many systems employ a larger number of zones but for our purpose these are enough.
If you happen to know your maximum heart rate, or the highest number you have ever observed on your monitor during an excruciating effort, you can also add that to the list as your estimated maximum heart rate. An important safety note: you do not need to know your maximum heart rate. In many ways it is not that relevant a number when compared to knowledge of your thresholds. The benefits of training diminish in those last few percent around your max, and the risks increase. The amount of blood you can pump to your muscles probably has more to do with stroke volume than maximal heart rate anyway. For many persons, it is not recommended to even look for your max, based mostly on age or a history of heart conditions. Max heart rate is a check with your doctor deal, if you’re not certain.
The last number I want you to acquire is your resting heart rate. When you wake in the morning, and before you stir too much, I want you to take your own pulse laying in bed totally relaxed. You can have your watch by your bed, or gently slip on your heart rate monitor belt if you wish. Take this number over the course of a week or so when you feel well-rested. Average them and you have at least a starting point for learning your resting heart rate.
Now, you should have a bunch of numbers - unique to you - that should look like this. (Here are mine, although mine have been refined further by some further testing we have yet to discuss.)
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) 46 (rested) - 60 (unrested)
Zone 1 (Z1) Recovery 60-115
Threshold 1 (T1) Entering Aerobic training. 115
(Note: 115 is 72% of my max - not 65% as the generic formula would suggest.)
Zone 2 (Z2) Easy Aerobic 115-130
Zone 3 (Z3) Tempo Aerobic or Threshold Aerobic 130-145
Threshold 2 (T2) Leaving aerobic and shifting fuel systems 145
(Note: 145 is 91% of my max - not 85% as the generic formula would suggest.)
Zone 4 (Z4) Anaerobic 145-160
Maximum Heart Rate 160
Next time we will discuss how to use these numbers in training.... and in resting from training.
QUOTE: "We suffer one of two things. Either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. You’ve got to choose discipline, versus regret, because discipline weighs ounces and regret weighs tons." - Jim Rohn
RESOURCES: Recent past issues of this newsletter are available at http://billroachblog.blogspot.com
Thank you. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Bill Roach, NASM-CPT, CEx
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
bill.roach@mchsi.com
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