HR Training Z4-5a

KennethG,

Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling, and even more important, welcome to a life of fitness and health.

I'm a big believer in heart zone training as are many of the members of this forum, so congratulations on starting off the proper way with a valuable training tool.

As you are new to cycling, the only suggestion I would make is to include a few good solid months of "base" training in your routine. This is typically done in the off season or winter months. These "base" endurance conditioning rides are done anywhere from 65%-70% (Chris Carmichael camp) to 65%-75% (BCF/ABCC/WCPP revised guidelines) all the way up to 70%-80% of your working heart rate (Karnoven Formula).

However, if you are a young strapping lad and can recover quickly between bouts, then 40 minutes at or near your Lactate Threshold probably won't hurt provided you warm up and cool down properly. I have sustained 84% of my MaxHR for 3 hours continuous, but at my age (44) it really saps my strenth and it takes a few extra days to recover.

You may want to state more about your goals and what you wish to accomplish with cycling. Do you want to do Time Trials, ride a Century, or just build more endurance and get fitter? There are some very knowledgeable members on this forum (ricstern, 2LAP) that could help you with some of these specifics.

Enjoy

Quoted post said:

You may want to state more about your goals and what you wish to accomplish with cycling. Do you want to do Time Trials, ride a Century, or just build more endurance and get fitter? There are some very knowledgeable members on this forum (ricstern, 2LAP) that could help you with some of these specifics.

Doctor Morbius,

Thanks for the feedback. From a goal / accomplishment perspective, I am focused on endurance & fitness. Two years ago, I was living in Austin, TX training 10-15 hours a week and getting into multisport events. Ecomonmy & job changed, where I had to move and travel 100% of the time, so I would spend up to three weeks on the road with out seeing my own bed, let alone develop a training routine. Over that period of time, my endurance base went to crud and it has only been in these last six months that I have been able to develop a discipline for exercise.

Right now I am training for the MS150 (Houston-Austin) and really want to focus on developing good bike technique and rebuilding my cardio & LATR.

I would like to focus in on long rides (50-100miles), I figured out this past weekend that at the 25 mile point, I really get relaxed and fall into a great groove. My HR lowers, I am relaxed, eating & drinking is no problem; my legs turn into two little pistons, pumping away ... (hopefully one day they will be big!).

Thanks for your thoughts and any other feedback you might have.

-KennethG