Unhealthy???

[kgrooney]

Why do I want to ride way past my aerobic threshold for a prolonged and sustained period of time? It is plain unhealthy to do so at my age. If I can ride, enjoy, and greatly benefit healthwise with a long ride (4 hours?) within my aerobic threshold, why should I want to duck it out with these guys and do my body harm?


I'm curious to know what age that is? and, why unhealty?


Thanks

Originally Posted by kgrooney

Why do I want to ride way past my aerobic threshold for a prolonged and sustained period of time? It is plain unhealthy to do so at my age. If I can ride, enjoy, and greatly benefit healthwise with a long ride (4 hours?) within my aerobic threshold, why should I want to duck it out with these guys and do my body harm?


I'm curious to know what age that is? and, why unhealty?


Thanks

Let me explain the best way I can. I am a scientific dunce but I'll do the best I can.

Oxygen feeds the muscles and removes excess lactic acid. Excessive production of lactic acid will increase the concentration of lactate in the blood which in turn interferes with muscular contraction. With oxygen, the body is better suited to turn carbohydrate and fat into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which generates energy. The body can also generate energy while anaerobic but the result will be fatigue. The lactate threshold, however, is different for every person but it diminishes with age. And with proper training you can improve your lactate threshold.

In other words, being 56 and of a certain level of fitness, if I ride one or two or more hours at a heart beat rate of 165, I'm poisoning my blood with lactate. At that rate, I'm straining my muscles to function without enough oxygen to nourish them and to remove the surplus lactate. Moreover, at that level of stress, an inordinate amount of free radicals are created (you can easily read all about free radicals on the Internet). The net result is that you are only contributing to your body's ageing process. Of course, if you are Lance Armstrong, you can probably spend the whole day riding at who knows what steep heart rate. Or else, you will knowingly pay the physiological dues for the sake of athletic achievement. But like the man said, to sing the blues you gotta pay the dues.

I hope this helps. Furthermore, I hope someone would correct my laic interpretation of science and explain the process properly. Thank you.

[kestrel]

Originally Posted by catulle

Let me explain the best way I can. I am a scientific dunce but I'll do the best I can.

Oxygen feeds the muscles and removes excess lactic acid. Excessive production of lactic acid will increase the concentration of lactate in the blood which in turn interferes with muscular contraction. With oxygen, the body is better suited to turn carbohydrate and fat into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which generates energy. The body can also generate energy while anaerobic but the result will be fatigue. The lactate threshold, however, is different for every person but it diminishes with age. And with proper training you can improve your lactate threshold.

In other words, being 56 and of a certain level of fitness, if I ride one or two or more hours at a heart beat rate of 165, I'm poisoning my blood with lactate. At that rate, I'm straining my muscles to function without enough oxygen to nourish them and to remove the surplus lactate. Moreover, at that level of stress, an inordinate amount of free radicals are created (you can easily read all about free radicals on the Internet). The net result is that in tie you are only contributing to your body's ageing process. Of course, if you are Lance Armstrong, you can probably spend the whole day riding at who knows what steep heart rate. Or else, you will knowingly pay the physiological dues for the sake of athletic achievement. But like the man said, to sing the blues you gotta pay the dues.

I hope this helps. Furthermore, I hope someone would correct my laic interpretation of science and explain the process properly. Thank you.

You know all this and still ride without a helmet?

ya big weenie

go ahead and ride hard

take your supplements after training to help reduce the free radical damage

Plus the free-radical damage is stuf the body knows how to repair. It is not like sucking down Mercury vials for 2 hours while working in a machine shop breathing in brake dust as drums are being cut, all the while some moron is tuning the 1970 F-600 dump truck in the far bay without hooking up the exhaust hose properly.... for example.

Getting rid of free radicals is an odd position for an old Weather Underground SDS dude, atmo.

[Fixed]

bro to each his own davis phinney " to ride fast you have to know how to ride slow " they are two sides of the same coin . riding slow is better than riding fast all the time. and if you are not racing who cares enjoy the ride . what's the hurry ? i.m.h.o. cheers