Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Oh yeah sorry, I only 'know' my mHR based on that forumla, so it was 97% of that.

I suppose I'm quering whether you can get to 97% in the real world without falling off you bike afterwards. 100% is lying on the floor right?

It's also basically meaningless.

Fair

Years ago, I was in a road race, my first with a HRM, and looked down to see my HR was 10 beats higher than my MHR based on 220-age.

I once got 193 BMP going up a hill and I am definitely not 27 years old. Felt a bit sick for the rest of the ride.

If 100% was laying on the floor, then the finish line at bike races would be (more) carnage.

The highest values I ever saw (I wasn't watching I just looked afterwards) were just after the line in crit sprints or some running races (shit, I used to run?)

I stopped wearing HRMs when I got hold of power meters. I've gone back to wearing them on the turbo but I don't get much from it. It would be more useful if I wore it on rides that I do on bikes that don't have power meters to better estimate TSS in Trainerroad or whatever but I don't really bother.

Something like a MaxHR = 220-age is only if you don't have any other points of reference.

If you've got another point of reference, such as having an HRM and seeing your HR at a higher number than that, then that's your new MHR.

220 - age is the best fit for a population wide model. Individuals will vary.

The point of it is that any other number than 220 results in a worse fit if you take everyone into account.

There are better models that offer a better population wide fit with higher order polynomials but most people lack the brains to be able to calculate them.

But everyone is an individual.

FWIW I can get my HR up to >200bpm and I'm not far off 50. I can only get it over 200 playing 5-a-side for some reason, just that combination of walk/sprint/run/stop/sprint/walk/etc. Steady state running I top out at 190bpm and cycling maxes at about 185bpm (but I tend not to do sprinty stuff when cycling).

I hit 10bpm above the 220-age thing at the end of a crit ‘sprint’ last night. Could hit 200bpm in 2021 but it seems to have dropped off by a bit now

Okay so my takeaway is I need to try harder.

Yeah mine is 11bpm over the 220-thing. I always assumed it was rubbish unless you were either pretty young or weren't exercising much.

Ramp tests - How much of a warm up is necessary / too much?

I'm thinking 5 minutes soft peddling, ramping up for 5, then a few 30 second efforts, and 5 minutes soft peddling, before starting the ramp. GoldenCheetah has me fully recovered by the time I start, but who knows if that's applicable (I just don't have the ride data to back it up).

Also, where does everyone get / make their ERG files - Im' just using a spreadsheet at the moment.

I used to do maybe 40 min easy pedaling. It depends really.

Pretty personal and worth separating between warming for a physiology test vs an actual race/event.

I'd rather have my HR pretty elevated and legs fully primed than try and skimp on effort. You aren't going to create enough fatigue to materially change the test I don't think. If doing a 20,30,45 minute CP I would typically warm up for 20-30 mins including easy before the test. But something as short as a ramp that looks fine as the ramp itself eases you into the effort.

TrainingPeaks

Thanks both.

I'm still at the start point of getting back into any sort of fitness - My main concern is that even a warm-up might impact my ability to target a proper max effort.

Saying that - Just doing the ramp test is an end in itself, and I should probably stop overthinking it.

Next up - making a soundtrack that ramps up with effort...

I used to do 30min easy and some efforts until I felt ok, but now I like using Trainerroad's protocol, just because it's consistent and does it for me essentially.

So, bit of a gory one, I've cut the end of my thumb off...I had a summer of rides and races planned. I want to keep some level of sanity/fitness, but I also want to keep my chances of healing high, so will be wearing a sling/keeping dry.

I'm going to get a bike set up on a turbo, what sort of thing should I be doing with the 1hr window I'll likely be getting, is it just a case of Z1/Z2, I'll be in a sling so don't imagine intervals will be doable.

What experience do people have of this?

Only collarbone breaks and riding the turbo in a sling. It's pretty sucky but good to move a bit of blood around. No intervals, I was just spinning the legs over.

I guess better to do that than to do sweet FA. Ta

Most doctors, when you push them, will acknowledge that a small subset of humans are quite motivated to continue to exercise and will suggest what's reasonable vs. unreasonable and if/when to knock it on the head depending on your injury and what recovery is needed. It's not like cutting off body parts is an overuse injury so you're more likely to be given the ok to "do stuff" than not I reckon.

GWS!

Shit man, that’s a real bummer. Unfortunately kinda par for the course for us 🫠

I came out a collar bone break* super fit, just did turbos the whole time. Once your thumb isn’t leaking bodyjam anymore you’ll be fine. Increasing blood flow can’t be bad!

*the very same collar bone break when you came to the rescue and helped set up the workshop and Lanark!

Increasing blood flow can’t be bad!

So long as it's not outside the body 8-)

Thinking out loud here, but maybe try raising your bars a little to ease the pressure on your hands when on the turbo?

I knew I had the right doctor for my broken leg when he suggested I get a rowing machine (a week after break) and crack on.

The classic if flipping road drops up.