Develop the Zone that Wins

Rick Crawford
01/17/2002

http://www.bike.com/features/template.asp?date=1%2F17%2F2002&page=2&lsectionnumber=5&lsectionname=Smart+Training&lsectiondirectory=training

Overwhelmingly, the most damaging error committed by developing cyclists is spending too much time training aspects that do not efficiently contribute to the athlete’s potential. This is a double whammy for the aspiring cyclist, because it takes energy from the systems that need the most work, and compounds the problem because energy is being wasted towards systems that aren’t effectively maximizing the rider’s output.

The most common example I run across in my business is road riders and mountain bikers who cripple themselves with an overdose of lactic acid accumulating work (zone 5/VO2). The majority of the events in these disceplines are an hour or more in duration. Criteriums and short-track events are the shortest and most intense. The systems involved in most races are primarily aerobic, and the focus of the training for these events should also be aerobic. If an athlete is forced to go anaerobic in order to make a selection, then the racers in the selection that are able to maintain aerobic levels are clearly in an advantageous position. Going to VO2 (lactic accumulation) against riders who are at or below LT (lactate threshold), is a losing proposition every time.

Yet, consistently, the misguided athlete will spend a disproportionate amount of time at intensities over LT, thinking that there is gold waiting in the ensuing lactate induced burn. No pain, no gain, right? This is certainly true, but in the endurance game it is the longer-term pain of a patiently planned training strategy and metered abstinence of natural human behavior that wins.

Think of it this way. In an event an hour or more long, how long can an athlete accumulate lactate before he/she blows? In an aerobic state, an athlete can pretty much go until the fuel is gone. Doesn’t it make sense to develop power in the aerobic zone where the majority of the race will be spent? Think of making the opposition go into a state of excruciating lactic burn while you cruise along comfortably at threshold. That is the essential element of training. Focus on the things that will win the race.

The time is coming for the higher intensity work to begin. This is a good time to establish baseline levels of where your LT is and get a feel for what the critical zones feel like when you're training. Home in on your present LT by ramping gently into intensity and taking note of where you noticeably load lactate. You can tickle VO2 in each of your intensity workouts, but do not hang out there. This is where you get into trouble. For every minute you spend at VO2, you cost yourself 10 minutes or more of LT training. Tickling VO2 will allow you to note when you have increases in levels, which you can expect if you are training right. When you tickle VO2 to observe aerobic status, you will simultaneously stimulate VO2 related systems, in the proper proportions they deserve in your endurance world. Racing will provide many opportunities to develop lactate tolerance, so rest easy that you will get your lactic acid fix. But don’t volunteer your body for zone 5 punishment when your needs are best served by zone 4 discipline. It is critical to understand the damage that lactate accumulation does and the recovery it requires from the body. It hurts because your body knows that it’s bad for you. It takes time to heal from the chemical wasteland that lactic acid creates at those incendiary levels. That is time when you could be increasing your power at threshold.

Spend your time now to acquaint yourself with the lactate control process. The next article will go into more detail about exactly how to meter the intensity for a controlled ascent to form. For now, console yourself with images of open territory ahead of you, with smoking victims withering in pain behind you.