Project Creatine

2LAP

Thats a significant improvement in a short time! Have you had better results?

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Lab_Rat

2Lap, <br /><br />Remember that I trained right through winter so I got plenty of base miles in the bank this year. I have done approximately 4000kms of training so far this year.

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2LAP

I was refering to the improvement from your first posts to your last post (June to September). I supose thats not such a short time.<br /><br />I'm still interested in finding out if your training equated to improved performances.

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Lab_Rat

I certainly think so 2LAP. Just to recap on what I've done since June.<br /><br />From June to August, I did low intensity riding. Usually about 40kms in the mornings, 3 days a week and 80 - 100km on a Saturday. I rested on most Sundays. Usually ave 26- 27km/h.<br /><br />From August - September, in anticipation of the &amp;quot;tour&amp;quot;I was going to do, I rode quite hard, but with very little thought. I would go out and ride as hard as I could. Again 40km's in the mornings, and about 40km in the afternoons. Ave spd usually 30km/h+<br /><br />We then did the &amp;quot;tour&amp;quot; which was essentially a training camp in the 2nd last week of Sept. 960km in 7 days at an overall average of about 32-33km/h. This was hard, but seeing as I could learn from a local pro team, I changed many of my outlooks in training.<br /><br />Last week of Sept and first week of October, easy riding with emphasis on proper recovery. Ave speed improved dramatically here as I now ave 30+ with relative ease.<br /><br />Last week was strength work riding BIG gears. make that big gear. I left it in the 52x11. My best effort in strength training was 40kms at an ave of 33.8km/h. This week I have been working on leg speed, so I've been spinning easier gears.<br /><br />Weekend mileage has gone up from 80 - 100km on a Saturday to 120 - 150km on each day. This is at base pace.<br /><br />So the turning point was certainly the &amp;quot;tour&amp;quot; for me.

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ltsop

I've used creatine before, largely when doing gym work. I found (like Lab Rat) that my recovery time shortened quite dramatically. Don't know the effect it had on HR and the like though.

2LAP

Was the 'tour' a turning point because of the things you learned or because of the 'big workout' over the week?<br /><br />I remember when I was at school and had a week off, a week of big miles (400 insetead of the normal 200 to 250) would shock the body into adapting further.

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Lab_Rat

Absolutely. . .<br /><br />We did 960kms in a week and I certainly feel the benefits of the continuous training. The most noticable improvement was my outlook on training though.<br /><br />The improvement was a bit of both really, but no matter how much knowledge you gain, you have to do the miles.<br /><br />I now try and do at least 400kms of training per week with at least one ride being 100kms or more. Preferably a 100km ride and a 150km ride on a Saturday and Sunday respectively.<br /><br />Races are also the best training and if possible, ride a race instead of a training ride.

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2LAP

What about rest? Any advice from your experiances?

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Lab_Rat

Is that when we drink?

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Rhodent

Umm, I can definitely report on the drinking for recovery thing. Its nice and relaxing and you sleep well (sometimes at unexpected times). I haven't noticed it improving my times on the bike that much though. I have even noticed that these 'recovery' periods are often followed by a loss in performance......

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What do you mean there's no granny gear? How do you go up hills? Ahh, I see, you don't have hills.

2LAP

REST - When you recover and get better following the training... a visit to a local public house may also be included during this period!

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Lab_Rat

Oh, THAT rest. . . ;D<br /><br />During the &amp;quot;tour&amp;quot; we obviously did not get a chance to rest and by the end of it most of us were seriously overtrained. (Except the pro's of course who do this everyday anyway)<br /><br />The week after we got back, I rested, (except for the 2nd day which was a 100km group ride = Bank Holiday) I did not feel the effects of the &amp;quot;tour training&amp;quot; for the next two weeks.<br /><br />After taking it easy for a week though, when I returned to training, I felt flat and weaker than I was before, but as I got back into it, I got significantly stronger in a much shorter period of time.<br /><br />So, for me, when I take an extended rest (e.g. a week) I only expect to feel the effects about 3 - 5 days after I start training hard again.

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nferyn

[quote author=Lab_Rat link=board=18;threadid=924;start=15#8159 date=1025141527]<br />Dr Jack Frost, <br /><br />Thanks for the heads-up, I will keep it in mind. *One thing I failed to mention is that I keep my cadence up while riding up these hills. *If I find I start labouring, I will change down. *Does this change anything?<br /><br />GG, and Goat.<br /><br />Yup, that's the fella, no, he chats to his mates while I'm riding at close to my max. *I think I have a few more base miles to do, (like about 10 000) before I'll be able to consider myself worthy of even trying. *Nope, I'm afraid, I'm still a relative newbie to the sport. *(I've only been riding for just over two years and half of that was as an absolute novice not knowing my backside from my elbow.) *Not that I've progressed much since then. *I now just ride early enough to start, and hopefully end a ride with the serious guys. *<br /><br />ps. . . *I'm riding this afternoon so I'll update details tomorrow.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Hi, Just been reading this seems interesting. If you're telling that the guy is happily chatting while you're close to the max, that doesn't only have to do with with the fact he's a top racer. Actually you can get a long way building up a decent base. From reading your training data, it seems to me that you the base volume of your training is too low and that you push yourself too much.<br /><br />To give an example, my little brother (15 years on 11 november) just decided he wants to start racing. Since the spring he's been busy building his base, not very intensive riding but lots of kms (maybe 300 to 400 a week) and he's only going to start with the 'nieuwelingen' in Belgium. During the winter he'll maintain his aerobic fitness and will start doing more intense intervall training half januari.<br /><br />It's also quite important that you can maintain a high cadence during your base training, making sure that you develop enough aerobic capacity, conditioning your CNS and ensuring that you have enough capilaries going through your muscles. This conditioning may take years and pushing yourself too hard too early will only be detrimental in the long run.<br /><br />I just picked up biking again after a being inactive for a couple of years and forced myself not to use the big gears at all. I only used my big chainring after 3 months training at low gears in order not to destroy too much muscle tissue. It's not always easy to see those guys passing by at high gear grinning at your 'oude wijven' (old women) gear as we would say in Flemish, but in the end, next year I'll have the capacity and then they'll see me passing by at a higher gear and with a cadence they can only dream of<br /><br />Anyway, I always wonder why everone wants to use the big gears while upping your cadence can be much more effective and is certainly less tiring (the less lactic acid the better)<br /><br />Niek

SniperX

Guest : i'm a polar HRM user as well .. just wondering .. how do u check the percentage of fat burnt using the Owncals function ? I only see calories burnt.