Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A - March 8, 2012

The front of the peloton is a little dis-organised as they near the final lap. (Image credit: Shane Goss)

Topics: Leg and knee pain deriving from ITB/Sciata issues, Max HR and age, Benefits of Spin Classes, Pushing yourself “over the top” – pros and cons?, Knee Pain and Q-Factor, Scott Saifer versus Chris Carmichael, Differences in thigh sizes, Asthma affecting HR zones?, Disappointment with results

I'm a 44 year old male who last raced/rode 15 years ago. At that time my maximum heart rate was 197 (I watched it go from 202 down to 197 over a 5 year period). From what I understand, MHR decreases by about 1 per year starting at about the age of 10. I was hit by a car last year and suffered some spinal compression fractures and started riding again this winter as part of my recovery (not really relevant). I'm not riding hard now and have been riding mostly below 145 bpm for the last 6 months. Based on the above formula, my maximum would be around 185 now.

A few weeks ago I ran into a group ride and rode with them for a few miles before I turned off. At one point someone went a little hard and I felt I may be going anaerobic so I glanced down thinking I'd see my HR in the low to mid 170s. I was surprised to see 180 as I was just starting to get that little burn (plus we were talking). I'm experienced in wearing the HRM and have a very good understanding of how my body feels based on RH. To get to my question, is there any way that my MHR is much above the estimated 185? If so, how is this possible? I'm almost willing to accept that adrenaline may have made it seem easy.

The loss of one beat per year off maximum heart rate is a population average for fit people, sedentary people, sick people... everyone. Within that population there are people who lose more and people who lose fewer beats over the years. In particular, if you separate out people who train from everyone else, the loss is closer to 1/2 beat per year than a whole one. That means your maximum heart rate could now be around 188 and you'd still be "normal", and again, there are plenty of people whose maximum heart rates don't drop as quickly.

I've recently joined a spinning class and am wondering if anything I do in the class will make me a better recreational road cyclist. What I believe is somewhat unique about this class is that the entire 60 minute session is spent in the standing position - with a focus on the "pulling up" of the pedal and not the pedal stroke down. Most of the time the stationary bike has very little resistance and we spin at a high rate. It's also fairly straightfoward and not filled with dance moves or push-ups on the bike. It is a rather fast paced class and I find my HR to average in high Z4 territory (with 20-30 minutes in Z5) and I have reached a higher max HR than I ever have on a road bike. However, that specific burning sensation that comes with sprinting up a hill is nowhere to be found - which makes me wonder what exactly am I getting out of this? Is this intense activity a good use of my energy?

Whether this class is beneficial depends on how developed you are as a cyclist and how much you are doing it. If you have done very little riding, anything you do on a bike will make you stronger. If you have a lot of miles in your legs, training needs to be more specific to be beneficial. If that's your category, such a class might be beneficial once a week or so, but not all the time. The deal is that while the muscles that pull up on the pedals are important, and you can't help pushing down with the front leg if you are standing, the movement you are doing is not that similar to how you ride most of the time.

My question is in regard to those training rides where I find myself with a group of fitter racers and may end up in serious physical distress (pain and inability to turn legs any faster at best, vomiting or brief loss of vision at worst) while trying to hang in with the group on rides between 2 and 4 hours. I think most riders have been in this situation; over their heads on a hard ride and repeatetly going over the top of their fitness limit. I'm not talking here about dehydration or bonking - just over exertion. This type of situation happens to me about once a month. I do not sustain any injuries (i.e. joint of soft tissue problems) from this, but I will feel terrible after the ride and basically be unable to do anything productive until I eat and rest.

Go til you blow! That's the ticket to short term fatigue and longer term growth. Going as hard as you can until you can't any more is a good way to improve your endurance for super hard efforts, and, since it challenges recovery, your recovery. It won't make you faster, but it will make you able to hold you 2-3 minute speed for a few more minutes. In that sense it is good. Now, if the guys you are riding with are not killing themselves the way you are, you will NEVER catch up with them physically if you are doing this sort of riding. If you are gasping while others are chatting, being able to gasp longer is not going to let you keep up with them. If you are in that position, you need more aerobic power first, and it is difficult though not impossible to improve aerobic power while draining yourself with anaerobic efforts. Doing the race-like group ride once per month actually sounds perfect if that is your situation.

Speedplays have lateral adjustment potential across the shoe sole of approximately 7mm. If there is potential to move the cleats further inboard (to move the feet further out) on the shoe sole by 4mm per side, then do so and that should solve the problem. If your existing cleat lateral adjustment position doesn't allow you to do that, get hold of some Speedplay plus 1/8" or plus 1/4" pedal axles and fit those to the double chain ring bike and then adjust your cleats accordingly to give you the wider foot separation distance that you seem to need.

In the introduction to his book, The Ultimate Ride, Chris Carmichael ably explains his transition from a push-hard all the time coaching approach to a more moderated approach that looks to get maximum gain without risking burning out the athletes. He talks about how the programs he administered for the Olympic track team burned out lots of talented, committed riders and how he now focuses more on aerobic development, at least when working with road racers. My philosophy is not too far off from the one Chris expresses in those pages.

Following six months of structured training to prepare for a 250km single day road ride in the high country, I’ve noticed that visually my right thigh is significantly bigger than my left. A tape measure confirmed what my eyes were telling me and the circumference difference just below my glutes is 3cm. Is this unusual and should I be worried? Should I actively try to work the left leg more to compensate for the size (and presumably strength) difference?

A difference in leg size by itself is not something to worry about, but the ITB flares are since they have the potential to get worse and keep you off your bike. Any chance you are sitting off-center or twisted on the saddle? That could cause both issues over time. If you'll say which way you twist, Steve will probably be able to tell you your whole life story and what to do to get everything balanced out.

I'm a 180 pound (and gradually shrinking - down from 220 a couple of years ago) 5'10", 31 year old male and have been training for the past couple of years for triathlons, road races, MTB races, and a few cyclocross races. I'm currently training for my first full IM distance triathlon (After having completed a half IM last October) so I thought I'd get a little more serious about training by heart rate. In the past, I have used a heart rate monitor but have still done most of my running and cycling at 'conversational pace' and relied on perceived exertion to set my effort. I recently used Joe Friel's method to find my Lactate Threshold HR (30 minute all out, average HR over last 20 minutes was 172 bpm on the run and 160 bpm on the bike) and was satisfied about my effort. I am an allergy induced asthmatic (I have poor peak flow and FEV1, on average, but only need a rescue inhaler 1-2x per year), and I have never experienced exercise induced asthma.

No one should use an all-out test to determine LT heart rate. Here's why. Riders who routinely train hard can develop the ability to ride heart rates well above LT for extended times. I had a client at one point who could ride a 45 minute race 40 beats above the LT heart rate we measured with a lactate monitor. His performance was poor of course, but his heart rate was up there. It is quite possible that your issue here has nothing to do with your asthma and everything to do with taking too high an estimate of lactate threshold heart rate. In any case, zone 2, conversational aerobic endurance etc rides should most certainly be conversational in pace for asthmatics as for anyone else. If your zone 2 has you out of breath, your zone is set too high.

I don’t have a power meter or heartrate monitor on my race bike. My computrainer power threshold for a 10 mile TT is between 280-310 watts. During the race I started conservatively for the first 1.5 miles, then slowly ramped up the speed. Based on my threshold, I thought I should have had a much better result. I was wondering if you could help me figure out my average power output for the TT so that I could make adjustments. I think I started out much too slow.

No, we can't work backwards from the data you've provided to the power you produced, at least not with enough precision to be meaningful. One of the variables to be plugged into the equations would be your coefficient of drag, and there's no way to calculate that without having both speed and power to plug in. If you can get a few data points for speed and power in a no-wind, level ground situation with the same bike, position and kit, we can calculate a coefficient of drag and work back from time in the TT to average power.

Scott Saifer (www.wenzelcoaching.com) is head coach, CEO of Wenzel Coaching.com and has been coaching cyclists professionally for 18 years. He combines a master's degree in Exercise Physiology with experience in 20 years of touring and racing and over 300 road, track and MTB races to deliver training plans and advice that are both rigorously scientific and compatible with the real world of bike racing.

Steve Hogg has owned and operated Pedal Pushers since 1986, a cycle shop specialising in rider positioning and custom bicycles. In that time he has positioned riders from all cycling disciplines and of all levels of ability with every concievable cycling problem. Clients range from recreational riders and riders with disabilities to World and National champions. He can be reached at: www.stevehoggbikefitting.com

Carrie Cheadle, MA (www.carriecheadle.com) is a Sports Psychology consultant who has dedicated her career to helping athletes of all ages and abilities perform to their potential. Carrie specialises in working with cyclists, in disciplines ranging from track racing to mountain biking. She holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University as well as a masters degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.