Tag Archives: lactate threshold test

This Week’s Training

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Last week was a great training week overall.  I felt great for all it, including a nice 20k bike ride outside on Saturday, even if I did freeze (literally) my 2nd toe on my left foot.  The only thing I did not do last week was swim…not even once.  I was suppose to on Wed evening, but I had my MRI Wed afternoon that included injecting contrast dye, and it was pretty sore afterwards.  So this coming week, I WILL do my swimming 3 times for sure.  I did my upper body strenght training & 20 mins on the elliptical this morning, and this evening will be a 35 min run, and of course, swimming.

Last week was a great training week overall.  I felt great for all it, including a nice 20k bike ride outside on Saturday, even if I did freeze (literally) my 2nd toe on my left foot.  The only thing I did not do last week was swim…not even once.  I was suppose to on Wed evening, but I had my MRI Wed afternoon that included injecting contrast dye, and it was pretty sore afterwards.  So this coming week, I WILL do my swimming 3 times for sure. I did my upper body strenght training & 20 mins on the elliptical this morning, and this evening will be a 35 min run, and of course, swimming.

Also on the agenda this week, both my bike training sessions will be in the lab.  Yes, I did say LAB.  I’m scheduled for a Lactate Threshold test on Wednesday @ 3 PM, but since Raffy (of Brock University) is doing the test his way, I have to go again on Friday afternoon to do it the conventional way.  Apparently he’s come up with a new way to do this test, and needs to correlate with the conventional way for his research.  So I’m a guinea pig, which is fine, because the price is right…$0. :mrgreen:   Both test should take approx. 45 mins each so those will be this weeks bike training.


New bike routine

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I found what looks to be a great training routine for the bike.  It’s posted by Jorge of Personal Best Multisport Coaching and is considered a “winter training” routine, which is good for me since it’s winter. :)

Although he has up to 4 sessions a week, 3 which seem to be interval based, and 1 long ride, I plan on sticking with my twice a week routine, using his Q1 session on Tuesday, and my usual slow endurance ride on Saturdays.

So last night I did Week 1 – Q1 routine and what a quad killer.  The routine is summarized like this:

Warmup: 5-10 mins @ 115-130 HR
Main Set: 10 x 30 secs @ 160-170 HR (Zone 5), with 30 secs rest between reps, then 15 mins @ 125-135 HR (Zone 2-3)
Cooldown: 5 mins 105-125 HR

Saturday I’ll be doing my 45 min endurance ride (Zone 2-3 HR).

Next Tuesday I’ll attempt to do a Lactate Threshold test on the bike.  This Lactate Threshold (LT) is basically the point where your cardio vascular system can no longer keep up/eliminate the production of lactic acid (by-product of sugar/glycogen breakdown in the muscle for fuel….that burn you feel in your muscle after intense exercise) in your muscles.   The test from what I’ve read, sounds brutal & painful.  Here’s how it’s explained by Jorge:

The 30 minute Bike Time Trail Test:
Remember that the goal of the test is for you to ride as fast as possible but at a pace which allows you to complete the entire 30 min test. Start the test and start recording your heart rate for the entire test. The average test is what you’ll use to calculate your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate. It is very important that you should finish knowing you gave it everything you had. Make sure your trainer is properly set up; you have a fan or something to cool you down, enough fluids and a towel.

There you have it.  Right now I’m assuming it to be around 162 BPM.  We’ll see what the results are.