LTHR question

[Tom]

Do any of you people use this value, and typically where is it as a percentage of your HR max? I did a self test the other day, the last twenty minutes of a thirty minute "time trial" on the trainer produced numbers a lot higher than I would have thought. I was pretty rested before I tried it.

I want to train with some structure and go for the right intensities this winter, but if the data is screwed up it won't help much. Thanks...

[Too Tall]

Your "test" is probably a good one for finding your LTHR.

It's more important that the test is repeatable through standardized protocol eg. using the same: warmup, load, temp, fan, etc. etc. At different times you may want to test your: 3,5 and 10 min. TT times as these tap into different energy systems and are useful to tune your training.

Below are some samples of training levels based on HR and power.
=====================

1) Carmichael (CTS)/US Cycling, and some other sources: 205 - (Age/2)
for an athlete in training
2) Sally Edwards: 210 - 1/2 your age - 1% of your body weight + (4 for
males + 0 for females)
3) 208 - 0.7*Age
4) the old 220 - age
5) Running, you should be able to reach
near Max HR with one 2:00 all-out effort. Do 2 sets of 10x(:10 @ 5k effort
with :20 easy jogging) and jog 3 minutes between
sets. But, on the final rep of the 2nd set, I ran all
out for 2 minutes. The short sprints brought my HR up
without fatigueing me too much and primed the pump for
that last sustained effort.

I still added 5 beats to whatever value I saw because
we can never truly reach our max HR. And, in a race
situation, you will reach higher HRs that you ever
will in training.
Josh's Max HR drill.
(warm up for 15 - 20 mins)
a. 1 min. hard effort.
b. 3 mins. easy spin
c. 1 min. hard effort.
d. 3 mins. easy spin.
e. 2 min. all out and measure highest HR and add 5 bpm.
============
Cycling Training Levels ala Andy Coggins:


Level 1 (recovery): average power <55% of threshold power, intensity
factor <0.75 (or even 0.70)

Level 2 (endurance): average power 56-75% of threshold power, intensity
factor 0.75-0.85

Level 3 (tempo): average power 76-90% of threshold power, intensity
factor 0.85-0.95

Level 4 (threshold): average power 91-105% of threshold power, intensity
factor 0.95-1.05

Level 5 (VO2max): average power 106-120% of threshold power, intensity
factor 1.05-1.15

Level 6 (anaerobic capacity): average power >121% of threshold power,
intensity factor >1.15 (although for such short efforts using the
normalized power/intensity factor algorithm may not be appropriate)

Level 7 (neuromuscular power): not really appropriate to reference to
threshold power, but to differentiate from level 6 it would roughly be
150% of threshold power (no intensity factor equivalent).

A few reminders:

1) definitions are based on averages across the workout *or work
period*, e.g., a ride consisting of 30 min of warm-up at level 1, 1 h at
an average power of 80% of threshold power (tempo), and 30 min of
cool-down at level 1 would still be classified as a level 3 training
session, even though the workout as a whole might fall into level 2.

2) again, definitions are based on averages, i.e., your power may (and
in fact IMO *should*, at least at times), be above or below the limits
of given range.

3) it is axiomatic that shorter workouts or work periods will tend to
fall towards the upper end of a given range, whereas longer ones will
tend to fall towards the lower end of a given range.

4) just because the ranges are contiguous doesn't necessarily mean that
you should cover the whole span of each. For example, I would rarely
prescribe intervals at the upper end of level 4/lower end of level 5, as
these are either too hard or too easy, depending on what the goal really
is. Similarly, when I do a recovery ride I will be well below the
cut-off between level 1 and level 2, i.e., when I do easy, I go *REALLY*
easy.