Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A - November 9, 2011

Kevin Evans and David George chase Christoph Sauser and Max Knox up a stony ascent. (Image credit: Zoon Cronje)

Topics: Max Heart rate, Blending Track and Road, Neck Pain, Flexibility and Wattage

My question relates to my maximum heart rate. I'm a 28 year old road cyclist. I've tested my max and min heart rates and have always come to having a max in around 194bpm. My question is this; when I race and it comes down to a sprint and I'm really pushing I always exceed my max HR usually about 204 but the highest was 210 recently. I'm just wondering is this common? Is it safe to push this hard? I've no history of heart problems myself.

It will depend upon the duration of your track season (and to some extent the local weather) but there are two fundamental approaches to structuring your training so that you start the road season in March with a higher degree of road-specific fitness. The first is to, as you suggest, simply use the track racing as training. This would mean undertaking training that is similar to what you used to do in terms of road season preparation but with the addition of some weekly track racing. Of course this approach is not going to develop you as quickly as a track racer, and your track results are going to be less than optimal, but your track racing would serve to introduce some weekly high cadence pedaling work and intensity, while the other days of training would take the typical progression of increasing intensity and duration in a periodized fashion as the road season approaches.

The issue of winter intensity is interesting. In the last ten to fifteen years there has been a marked shift away from the traditional long slow distance orthodoxy towards the belief that that one should generally undertake some intensity in the off-season. I too remember hearing training approaches in the early 1990s that suggested that one should never ride over say 60% of one’s max heart rate so as to avoid “damage to the capillaries,” or some other type of unsubstantiated harm. No matter what the specific harm was attributed to, underpinning the orthodox long slow distance position is the unfounded belief that any intensity in the off season would result in compromising the development to one’s aerobic foundations.

However, like many things, there is just enough truth in the idea of avoiding winter intensity that that is not a totally bankrupt concept. Indeed, it is the case that one’s body does need a period of rest from intensity, and one’s aerobic system does need to be developed through training at appropriately low heart rates. What you don’t need to worry about is that a small percentage of winter intensity will make it impossible to develop your aerobic system at the same time.

In terms of how to best implement the my second approach - namely, a block of training between your road and your track season. This will depend upon what your physiological limiters are. However, in general you will need to focus on endurance (rides of two to three hours depending upon the duration of your longest events), sub-threshold development (think tempo intervals), as well as doing some climbing which demands both lower cadences and slightly different muscles than are employed on the track.

When a muscle is extended rapidly it can work like a spring, storing a bit of energy for a moment and increasing the force of its next contraction. This is the theory behind plyometrics, and at certain points of the pedal stroke, that energy can also be released back into the pedals, if the spring has a bit of springiness to it. Stretch so much that the normal movements of riding don't take you anywhere near the limit of flexibility of the pedaling muscles and you eliminate that mechanism, potentially decreasing efficiency (Disclaimer: There been a lot of research on this topic in runners. There's no question that increasing hamstring flexibility correlates with reduced running economy in runners. I don't know that the research on cyclists is conclusive as yet.)

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

James Hibbard progressed from the junior to the professional ranks as a rider and has over 15 years of competitive cycling experience. He is a former Collegiate All-American track cyclist, trained as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center, earned international medals as part of the U.S. National Team, and was a member of the powerhouse Shaklee and HealthNet Professional road cycling teams.

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.