Ride Goal: Anaerobic Threshold Intervals
There are 2- 19 minute sets: Increasing percent of FTP every few minutes with a little time over threshold the last two minutes of the set.
Remember to hit your interval button at the start of each interval
7 minute recovery set between efforts
Things to think about:
What fuel are you using? Metabolic testing tells us what we use and when: Carbohydrate (aka...sugar, carbs, glycogen, etc) or Fat? Protein is not an energy source. It repairs muscles.
Main fuel source at Anaerobic threshold is sugar. Glycogen is the primary fuel source during this workout.
Blood lactate is the byproduct of burning sugar. If we know how hard we are going we know how many kilojoules we are burning and therefore we know how much energy an effort takes and we know that energy comes from fat or carbs; therefore, we can measure blood lactate to tell us how much sugar we are burning and then we know that the balance comes from fat. This lets us know the caloric need at each level of watt usage.
Going too easy isn’t a problem when it comes to losing fat-Going hard can take you out of that fat burning window.
Body Position Helps Relieve Fatigue:
Feeling tired? Experiment with body position. Try sliding back in your seat. This lengthens your pedal stroke slightly (drop your heel for even more affect) and allows you to recruit quads and more hamstring extension. Move your hands to the tops of the bars
Sliding forward on your seat opens your hips, increases weight on your hands, recruits your quads. Pointing your toes down a little creates a greater bend in the knees. This moves the pressure point on your seat. This helps you to increase your cadence.
Getting out of your seat gives your bottom a rest. Recruits your upper body differently.
If your FTP level feels too high, several days in a row, take a rest. When you ride again--if it still feels too high, lower it.
Tips on Climbing:
Top Eight Mistakes Made During a Climb
Starting too hard-sometimes you have to do this but remember there is a cost.
Panicking when you realize you have gone too hard. Instead, calm down, increase RPM, reduce power output, bring your heart rate down and get your breathing in control instead of stopping.
Pushing too big of a gear- Higher cadence is a better option due to less muscular damage, less glycogen burn, and recruitment of different muscles fibers
Starting the day with the wrong gearing on your bike. If you know that you are going to be climbing, research and plan your bike set up with the correct gearing. Robbie can help you figure it out before a big event.
Staying in the same position for the entire climb. Switching position helps spread out the muscle fatigue.
Spending too much time out of the seat-This increases your heart rate and therefore your fatigue rate.
Taking the shortest distance in switchbacks instead of the lowest grade. Going up a steeper gradient causes a significant burn of fuel.
Forgetting to use the draft when they have access to one. Yes, aerodynamics play a lesser role in climbing; however, there is still a benefit to drafting. SO, use every advantage you have available to you.