HEART RATE ZONE TESTING AVAILABLE MONTHLY: A lactate
threshold field test (LTFT) is a means to better estimate your own
unique heart rate training zones. Better knowledge of your real
training zones will help you reach your goals, whether they be race
performance or weight loss.
The test is now available on the first Saturday of each month at
10:30AM at the YMCA Healthy Living Center. The test is open to members
of any Des Moines metro YMCA branch for a $10 registration. Non-members
are also welcome for a $25 registration. Register in advance at the
welcome desk. Ask for “cycle zone testing”.
The students who have taken the test have found it interesting and
helpful. Many say they plan to repeat the test in a few months to
measure their progress.
The test itself is a rigorous twenty-minute coached effort. If you
plan to take the test, come well rested and hydrated. Your zones will
be measured in terms of both watts and heart rate. If you wish to learn
your heart rate measurement, you must bring a Polar heart rate monitor
strap. And be sure to bring a water bottle.
HOW FAST DO YOU PEDAL? AND, HOW FAST SHOULD YOU PEDAL? As with so many things in exercise science, the answer is “it depends.”
The general rule is this, pedaling faster than about 105RPM is about
all most recreational athletes can handle. Above that your legs are
being carried around by the momentum of the flywheel. Your muscles are
not really working. And, you are also not training your nervous system
at that RPM since your muscles are not really firing.
This kind of fast pedaling with little resistance is considered a
unproductive and potentially unsafe practice by cycling experts.
You can tell if you are pedaling faster than you should when you feel
your hips bouncing on the saddle. This doesn’t have to be big bounces
up and down, but rather when you lose the feeling of “connection” to the
saddle. Sometimes this is hard to feel so it can be good to have
someone watch for you. You can ask your instructor to check you out.
Too much RPM and too little resistance is a classic error in indoor
cycling. Watts is a function of resistance times speed. But too much
speed at low resistance doesn’t get you far.
Try this test.
∙Ride in a low gear at or below your flat road gear. In that gear
continually increase your RPM and watch the watts indicator on your
bike. The increase in watts will be modest.
∙Now repeat the test but keep your pedaling constant at around
90-100RPM. Gradually increase the gear and keep the RPM constant. See
the Watts increase dramatically.
Conclusion: RPM by itself isn’t much. Think of a squirrel running in a
cage. There is a lot of movement but little real exercise.
But then, to an extent, “it depends”. We are all wired differently.
Many students “cadence threshold” is around 90-95rpm. A few might be
able to pedal smoothly up to as much as 110.
This difference is mostly not a matter of “talent”. It is more
determined by your genetic muscle type. Think of muscle type as a
continuum with two ends: fast twitch and slow twitch.
∙Slow twitch muscle fibers are best fueled through the aerobic system.
They are the fibers most often used for lower resistance, higher
cadence riding. These riders prefer endurance events as opposed to the
absolute higher intensities.
∙Those with a higher concentration of fast twitch muscle fibers will be
more comfortable using higher gears and slower cadences. They can put
out a lot of power but for shorter periods of time which makes them more
likely to be sprinters than endurance riders.
As I said this is a continuum. There is also everything in between.
There is a genetic predisposition but technique is also important.
Despite our muscle fiber type, technique can be learned to make you go
faster. So training makes a difference. But there is no training
effect in spinning your legs around out of control at such a fast speed
that your muscles aren’t even engaging. Neurological and muscle
training must be done against resistance.
Pedaling smoothly is kind of the opposite of how we walk. We walk in
an up-down motion. We pedal in circles. We’ve had a lot of practice
walking in our lives and so we need to learn to engage the right muscles
at the right time to pedal smoothly. This, when done against
resistance, can help you learn to smooth your pedaling style and make it
more efficient - not necessarily just faster.
This is why I say - over and over again - that you need to pedal in
smooth, round circles. And this is why we do pedal stroke drills.
Our genetic predisposition largely determines the best pedaling rate
and gear for us to get maximum power. For most riders that most natural
pedaling rate is in the high-eighties or low-nineties.
But, even given our genetic predisposition, we can train to be smooth,
rhythmical riders. The French have a name for this. They call it
“supplesse”. It’s a big compliment.
RIDING ADVICE / HOW TO BUY A BIKE: It’s Spring, I
think. During the last week or so I’ve had several cycle students ask
me questions about buying an outdoor bike. Here are the questions I’ve
heard and my best answers.
1. Where do I go to buy? Easy. Buy a brand name bike from a local
bike shop. There is no where else I can think of where you get more
value from having access to helpful, convenient professionals who can
answer questions, make adjustments and fix problems. And a local shop
will offer you brand names bikes that will have the best resale value
when you trade up in a couple of years.
It is very important to establish a friendly and honest relationship
with your shop and salesperson. He/she can really help you both during
the process and after. I have a thirty-plus-year relationship with my
friends at Bike World and that friendship has benefitted me more times
than I can count.
Your salesperson can help you determine your real needs so be candid
and realistic with them. They can help you find the best bike for your
needs. A good salesperson should be interested in creating a long-term
relationship with you, not just selling you a particular bike.
2. What kind of bike should I buy? Obviously it depends on the kind of
riding you wish to do. There are three broad types of bikes (and many
sub-categories for each). Road bikes are best for any kind of fast or
longer ride. Mountain bikes are best for off-road riding. Hy-brids are
best for trail riding. Whatever your need there is now a bike designed
for you - the secret is figuring out what your real needs are going to
be.
My caution: riding a bike must be fun above all else. Riding a bike
that is lighter and easier handling is generally more fun to ride. So
ride some bikes and find out which feels like the most fun.
In a subset of this question, I sometimes get asked about my bike. I’ve
cut down my fleet to only two bikes. My road bike is a beautiful
Cervelo R3. It rides like a dream. My utility bike is a Giant
cyclo-cross. (A cyclo-cross bike is one of those sub-categories. It
offers the lighter frames and the dropped riding position of a road
bikes but with wider tires and lower gearing making it another choice
for errands, trails, and gravel.) In the past I’ve had mountain bikes,
fixed-gear bikes, touring bikes, steel bikes, aluminum bikes, carbon
fiber bikes. You name it.
3. What about those dropped handlebars? Aren’t they uncomfortable?
Actually, no. Think of it this way. Consider that you are driving your
car for several hours and there is only one place you can place your
hands. Isn’t that uncomfortable? That’s what you get with upright
handlebars. They are okay for specific conditions or short durations but
they are not inherently more comfortable. The “dropped” handlebars
actually give you at least four different places where you can place
your hands and adjust your body. As in so many things, it depends. How
do you plan to use the bike? In general a flat bar bike is okay for the
fitness rider up to a 2 hour work out and a road bike is needed for
longer rides. So, what are your goals?
4. How much do I need to spend? Bikes can cost up to $10K, but there is
a greatly diminished value per dollar spent at the upper end of the
spectrum. There are several “sweet spots” where value is greatest. A
sweet spot for a hybrid bicycle is about $500-700, for road bikes with
aluminum frames $1200-1400, for road bikes with carbon frames around
$2000, and road bikes with high-performance, lighter weight carbon
frames about $3000. An entry level road bike is about $700. You can
also consider buying a used bike that someone has traded in as they
progressed in their skill.
Finally remember, your own interest will probably increase as you gain
more skill and proficiency. It is less expensive in the long run to buy
a good bike that you can grow into, than a cheap bike that you will
grow out of.
5. Carbon fiber or aluminum? Both have their advantages. Most top end
bikes these days are carbon fiber but great things are also being done
with aluminum. There is a range of quality within each category of
material. For instance, some aluminum bikes may ride better than some
carbon fiber bikes. The best answer is to feel the ride of each during
your test ride. Try to consider how each will feel over your longest
rides.
6. How can I be sure? Test ride. If you are a brand new rider you may
be mostly concerned with figuring out how to operate the bike. But, as
you get comfortable with its operation and fit, a bike should make you
smile. If a bike doesn’t make you smile, it’s the wrong bike.
Communicate with your salesperson during your test ride process so you
can be helped into the best fit on the best bike for you. The one that
makes you smile when you get comfortable and it fits right.
7. Looks matter. Don’t be embarrassed about letting your taste enter
into the equation. It’s important that you love getting on your bike.
Looking at it should make you happy. On the other hand don’t buy the
wrong bike just because it is pretty. You do have to ride it as well as
look at it.
8. Accessories. Here is what you will probably need:
∙A helmet. Wear it every time. (Wearing a helmet saved my life.)
∙A water bottle. Dehydration comes on without a lot of warning. Drink water.
∙Equipment to repair a flat tire. And the simple knowledge of how to do so.
∙A computer. It will give you valuable information so you can monitor the improvement in your skill.
∙Bike shorts. Comfort matters.
I’m happy to talk with any of you about questions you may have. Have fun out there!
(Thanks to my long-time friend, Forrest Ridgway, owner of Bike World
for his help with some of the information in this article.)
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