Which system to stress more?

Romis said:

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[font=Calibri]So, she told me I have to practice long slow distance rides with heart rate not more than 125 bpm to force my body of making much more of those cells (in which oxygen is being attracted). And, interestingly, she told me that with every anaerobic effort above my anaerobic threshold (172 bpm), I will destroy these „hard earned” extra „slow” cells. So, the question is, first - how much work over 170 bpm could I afford in a week, and if it`s needed at all in my XC races? Or should I stay with those long slow distance rides, plus SST rides and add only a few L5 or L4 workouts, training mainly my weak point - oxygen delivery system? I noticed that I`m a good sprinter, so I have more „fast” cells and I must pay a great attention to building my „slow” cells, which produce energy in the presence of oxygen? So, must I concentrate on training my oxygen metabolic system, and how much % of total time on the bike?[/font]

LSD does not equal long slow distance. It equals long STEADY distance. If you search the forums for "base training" you're going to find a huge number of posts debating the pros/cons of LSD training - which many would distinguish separate from SST.

At the end of the day, for most riders that are riding on time limited schedules, SST is going to be the bulk of your "base" training to build aerobic capabilities. SST is (IMO) all about training your aerobic systems to get the most training value for your time.

There are bound to be a bunch of folks jumping on this subject, but it all comes down to the amount of time you have to train and the desired effect of your training.

Romis said:

[font=Calibri]When I went to test my condition to the sports laboratory before the season, doctor told me that my aerobic base isn`t good, because I too quickly „jumped” into zone, where lactic acid increases highly.[/font]

[font=Calibri]So, she told me I have to practice long slow distance rides with heart rate not more than 125 bpm to force my body of making much more of those cells (in which oxygen is being attracted). And, interestingly, she told me that with every anaerobic effort above my anaerobic threshold (172 bpm), I will destroy these „hard earned” extra „slow” cells. So, the question is, first - how much work over 170 bpm could I afford in a week, and if it`s needed at all in my XC races? Or should I stay with those long slow distance rides, plus SST rides and add only a few L5 or L4 workouts, training mainly my weak point - oxygen delivery system? I noticed that I`m a good sprinter, so I have more „fast” cells and I must pay a great attention to building my „slow” cells, which produce energy in the presence of oxygen? So, must I concentrate on training my oxygen metabolic system, and how much % of total time on the bike?[/font]

My guess is that your "sports doctor" said that either mitochondria or capillaries are damaged by high intensity activity. This is complete rubbish. Sack your "doctor" and find someone who knows what they're talking about (either ourselves or other sports scientists or coaches).

Ric

ric_stern/RST said:

My guess is that your "sports doctor" said that either mitochondria or capillaries are damaged by high intensity activity. This is complete rubbish. Sack your "doctor" and find someone who knows what they're talking about (either ourselves or other sports scientists or coaches).

Ric

Thank`s a lot. I was afraid I will damage my mitochondria. So I limited my intense training down to only racing at weekend... it usually is MTB race from one, and up to 3 hours with average pulse somewhere around my threshold 175 bpm.
Now, as I feel pretty fresh, I could start maximize training schedule with more L4-L5 workouts, even L6-L7... without fear of "damage" to mitochondria 🙂