Hi all, long time lurker and fan of the forum and podcast here but first time posting!
I’ve been previously working with a coach for 3 years until earlier this year when I got hit by a car, which after multiple illnesses, was the final nail in the coffin for my season! I had some time off and then got back into riding during the summer.
This season I want to try and coach myself, so I just wanted to ask @steveneal for some wisdom!
I think my coach employed a fairly similar approach to you Steve… ie lots of endurance and tempo and then intensity before the season.
I wanted to just confirm the heart step test protocol that I’ve seen people do on this thread and would love to see my results graphed to try and get a better understanding of/ confirm my current zones for endurance and tempo training.
For the step test am I right in thinking start at %50 max HR (my max is roughly 200, have seen 197 on the turbo and 203 at the end of a road race)
So start at 100bpm and then progress 10bpm each step, with 5 minute steps? Or should I go 5bpm per step?
I only have power and heartrate at the moment unfortunately, I know lab testing would provide better accuracy, but I feel I’ve got a fairly good perception for rpe and I’m really keen to see what can be learnt from just power, heartrate and rpe.
Don’t push too heart to start each new step, as long as you push a little harder, and heart rate is at the new goal by 90s into the 5 minute long steps that is fine.
I was going to do this test after being well rested, after my recent A-event, but have decided to enter our Provincial Champs (in 60 days time), so I resuming Build to speak training on Monday after a short transition period.
Given that this is a ramp/step test up to 95% of maxHR, or failure, would this be adviseable to hold off until the end of the season ( end March), or simply treat as a hard session?
@geraldm24 I think it is fine to still do this and it is always good to have data in season when you feel you on good form.
Just go to 95%.
I feel this is a great warmup for a hard session. Having not done it yourself, you may want to decrease a portion of the hard session that day, or you may feel quite ready to keep your hard session exactly as planned.
Hi @steveneal
I did the test yesterday, but I feel I need to repeat it for the following reasons:
I went chasing the step increase in HR, instead of letting it “come to me”. As a result, my power was too high and I paid for it towards the last few steps.
I started the test at 12:12 (lunch time) with an ambient temperature of 31°C. My fan simply isn’t adequate enough to keep me cool. Unfortunately that was the only time I had available. I would have to find tie test earlier in the morning, when it’s a little cooler, as I don’t respond well to excessive heat.
As my power was too high, and the temperature was too high, I was unable to finish the last step at 95%. I know what I can hold for 5 minutes, and I know my 5m max effort. Halfway through the 90% step (2nd last) I was already hitting the numbers I know I can hold for 5-6 minutes, so 30 seconds into the last step I called time of the test and finished the hour at 65-70% of maxHR (recovery felt okay).
It wasn’t a failure, but rather a good opportunity to know how to pace it better. I’ll try again next Sunday. My concern though would be to know how to get a better/smoother increase in HR response from the 80% step and higher.
Let me know if you wish to see this file, otherwise I’ll send you both files after I have done the test again.
It looks spot on with my endurance zone. I currently cap my endurance rides at 133-136 bpm and 200W (actually 199W). My LTHR is set at 171bpm; been there since my last VO2max test (2016), and then many 20-30 minute field tests (aveHR after last 20 minutes of a 30 minute all out effort).
Not sure what other data you would need.
Here is my current hero bar on WKO5
Not a perfect system, pretty interesting for me to track over time. I also find that athletes get a better feel for producing power and being smooth with this.
@steveneal I was listening to your podcast interviews with Flo Cycling (2019), having seen the links on your website. A very interesting discussion and very relevant to my current scope as coach; the cyclists doing 4-8 hours per week, as well as 6-10 hours.
They might be suited to another discipline, based on their testing/data, but if they’ve chosen Road, and enjoy it, then they need to be guided as best as can be.
I have one athlete that insists on doing TrainerRoad-based training, but wants the guidance from a coach as a value add-on. It’s been an interesting block trying to find the equivalent workouts in TR and getting him to follow a custom plan. He’s enjoying it, and the improvements are showing.
Hi @steveneal , I am back after a few months ;-). Is it ok that I do a new HR step test and you can analyze it for me? Can I send you the fit file? I can also include HRV and RR values from my Garmin.
Felt some fatigue. Because in the last two weeks did some endurance rides at 128bpm and that was mostly between 195-199W. No I was already at 129bpm for 182W.
But ok…It is what it is
In the december test it remains linear until the 223 watts, 1.6 pwhr step. With only one step after that it is hard to say any more into the tempo range, but I would put your LT1 very close to 220 watts.
As long as you weren’t experiencing too much heart rate depression during this test, I would accept the data and be satisfied with the improvement.
All the best again with your training, next time do the test to 90-95% of max heart rate.
@steveneal Hi Steve, don’t know if this thread is still open. Have been following your training methods and thought about giving them a try. Is it still possible for you to analyse a hr step test that I will do to give an approximation of my zones? Like you’ve done to others above? If you can’t no worries just thought i’d ask in case.
My max hr is 205 (highest ive seen on a club ride). Only been riding a year so could be higher if I raced maybe. Would counting the breathing also help the with the data?
