You can now breeze through a cool online library to access some of my favorite “Training to Finish Strong” related information. There’s a new digital library online called Libreeze™ and I’ve joined up with them to create a collection of the online content that I find the most useful and valuable in our ongoing education on smart training at the Fit Stop Human Performance Lab.
My library will include tons of articles, videos, photos, and my own entire collection of blog posts. You’ll be able to browse, search, and find content that I recommend super easily. My collection will grow quickly because I’m constantly finding things that smart people have to say.
I hope you’ll find it useful. Let me know what you think – and do tell me if there are resources you use that you’d recommend I include. You may also decide you want to create your own library. You got to check it out.
To join me in the library click here.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Sweat rate sheet
This is a nifty little tool is used to track how much fluids you will require to minimize dehydration during exercise. You should know your sweat rate on warm, humid and cool days.
Fuel planning sheet
Try out this Fuel Planning Sheet to estimate the before, during, and after exercise fuel recommendations. You can complete the form and then export it as an Excel spreadsheet or pdf.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Aerobic Threshold (AeT)
The aerobic threshold (AeT) is a measure of a trend change in your fatigue response as you increase your exercise level. We typically evaluate AeT during a graded or ramp exercise test (see CMP). AeT is considered the first threshold and is observed prior to the anerobic threshold and is a good description of your endurance platform and the intensity of exercise which marks a steady state and your highest level of fat oxidation. It can be identified by ventilatory or lactate trend changes where we see a slight change in your breathing and an associated difficulty in talking while exercising or at a one mmol increase in lactate levels in the blood. AeT is usually found around 65-75% of max heart rate for fitter individuals and 50-60% for the less fit individual.
The AeT heart rate and pace are used as an indicator of how well you have established your aerobic endurance. Since the AeT suggests for you an intensity level that is well enough below the lactate threshold that you are not producing metabolic fatigue and at a rate that would not generally overwhelm your aerobic system, but is still high enough to suggest maximum fat oxidation, it can be a good indicator of your aerobic foundation.
If you know your AeT pace and heart rate then you can test and observe the coupling or de-coupling effect to evaluate where you are in your base development. To do this you will need to find a level course that will make it easy to maintain a consistent pace for walking, running or cycling. After warming up try to maintain your AeT pace for 20-50 minutes. This should be done during a longer workout and you will notice that after a while the heart rate begins to drift even though the pace remains the same (i.e., decoupling). Theoretically, when that pace and heart stay constant (less or no drift) and the data lines are parallel then your aerobic endurance is well established and you are ready to proceed to more intense building phases in your endurance training.
For a more detailed explanation of this decoupling effect and strategies read Joe Friels blog summary at http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/cycling/aerobic-endurance-and-decoupling,-by-joe-friel.aspx
During the CMP testing in our lab we identify your AeT and provide appropriate explanation for optimizing the training effect.
APPLICATION
For endurance athletes and enthusiasts the AeT is a good focal point for the long slow workout to optimize metabolic efficiency (better fat utilization) and prepare the musculoskeletal system for long efforts. Most long course triathletes and ultra distance athletes will choose a race pace that is often quite close to the AeT.
All exercisers can benefit from some longer training that is at or near the AeT which will optimize endurance, promote better fuel utilization, burn calories, improve recovery capabilities, without overwhelming your energy and musculoskeletal systems.
The AeT heart rate and pace are used as an indicator of how well you have established your aerobic endurance. Since the AeT suggests for you an intensity level that is well enough below the lactate threshold that you are not producing metabolic fatigue and at a rate that would not generally overwhelm your aerobic system, but is still high enough to suggest maximum fat oxidation, it can be a good indicator of your aerobic foundation.
If you know your AeT pace and heart rate then you can test and observe the coupling or de-coupling effect to evaluate where you are in your base development. To do this you will need to find a level course that will make it easy to maintain a consistent pace for walking, running or cycling. After warming up try to maintain your AeT pace for 20-50 minutes. This should be done during a longer workout and you will notice that after a while the heart rate begins to drift even though the pace remains the same (i.e., decoupling). Theoretically, when that pace and heart stay constant (less or no drift) and the data lines are parallel then your aerobic endurance is well established and you are ready to proceed to more intense building phases in your endurance training.
For a more detailed explanation of this decoupling effect and strategies read Joe Friels blog summary at http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/cycling/aerobic-endurance-and-decoupling,-by-joe-friel.aspx
During the CMP testing in our lab we identify your AeT and provide appropriate explanation for optimizing the training effect.
APPLICATION
For endurance athletes and enthusiasts the AeT is a good focal point for the long slow workout to optimize metabolic efficiency (better fat utilization) and prepare the musculoskeletal system for long efforts. Most long course triathletes and ultra distance athletes will choose a race pace that is often quite close to the AeT.
All exercisers can benefit from some longer training that is at or near the AeT which will optimize endurance, promote better fuel utilization, burn calories, improve recovery capabilities, without overwhelming your energy and musculoskeletal systems.
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