Training & Nutrition - Regulating breathing and Lactic Acid buildup

My lungs have been developing much faster than my legs up to this point in my cycling experience, and because of this I find my legs giving out before my lungs are even feeling it.

Today I was on a group ride, and for the last 6 or 8 miles we were going what appeared to me to be somewhere around 27-28mph. My lungs were fine, but my legs felt like they were going to explode, even though I was sucking wheel. So I decided to do something I tried during a TT. I regulated my breathing so that for every complete revolution I made with the crank, I took one full breath. So, if my cadence was 90 I was taking 90 breaths a minute. It seemed to help, as the aching at least appeared to diminish somewhat. I know oxygen keeps Lactic Acid from building up, and I have a feeling that regulating my breathing is beneficial, as a steady flow of equal amounts of oxygen is being inhaled steadily. But if I'm not being forced to breathe that way (as in, my lungs are being exhausted so I have to breathe more than I normally would) is what I am experiencing really helping anything, or is it just a placebo affect?

Thanks in advance

I find that breathing takes my mind away from the pain which masks as reduced Lactic acid. For me though my lungs seem to last a little longer than my legs but the onset comes on tougher. When I am in real pain my lungs are burning too... but my legs do have a long way to go...

If your legs hurt and your lungs don't go to an easier gear and spin faster. If your lungs hurt and your legs don't gear up. - bicycling mag

If your legs hurt and your lungs don't go to an easier gear and spin faster. If your lungs hurt and your legs don't gear up. - bicycling magI'll second that, even though it came from Bicycling Magazine - the cliché of cycling mags. :rolleyes:


PenguinDeD, it sounds like you may be mashing a bit much. Pick up the cadence. I'm not suggesting you spin at 115 RPM's but somewhere between 85 - 100 should do the trick.

What my58vw said. Regulating your breathing does 2 things... takes your mind of your legs and improves the oxygen/C02 exchange.

I'll second that, even though it came from Bicycling Magazine - the cliché of cycling mags. :rolleyes:


PenguinDeD, it sounds like you may be mashing a bit much. Pick up the cadence. I'm not suggesting you spin at 115 RPM's but somewhere between 85 - 100 should do the trick.


Actually, the only way I can ever get my lungs to be fatigued is to sprint on flats or stand and mash up hills. No matter how fast I spin sitting down, I can't get myself out of breath.

What my58vw said. Regulating your breathing does 2 things... takes your mind of your legs and improves the oxygen/C02 exchange.

Thanks to you and my58vw.

well u could have more type 2 fibers witch would suck but read this its intresting...

http://www.coachr.org/fiber.htm

well u could have more type 2 fibers witch would suck but read this its intresting...

http://www.coachr.org/fiber.htm

Thanks for the interesting read. I learned more about muscle from that one article than in a year of Bio.

I've done something similar to that muscle fiber test last semester. I wanted to see if I could lift all the weight on the leg press. I was able to, but barely. I did find out though, that at just about 80% on the button of my max, I was able to do 12 reps. Now, I stopped exercising over the winter for a bit due to laziness and personal issues, so my max lift weight is definatly lower, but I'd assume the same would hold true now. According to the article, that's a good indication of Type 1 fibers.

I would think that I have to have at least a sizable amount of type 1 fibers, since biking comes fairly naturally to me. I think part of the problem is I'm new to specifically training for riding, as before I would ride but not smartly. For example, I would put the bike into the highest gear and go with it, even if it wasn't at a high cadence, simply because it was the high gear. I've really only been riding my road bike since late march/early april, and have only been doing some rudimentary training since earlier this month. My lungs have always been pretty well developed, so they've really taken off quickly, and from what I've learned from you guys, one's lactic threshold takes much longer to develop. In the meantime, I'm just trying to figure out ways to be able to push myself harder without my muscles giving out on me, which is what was happening during that group ride. And, I figure if these things help me a lot even now, they'll probably help me even more when my LT gets higher.

Thanks again for that article, and here's to hoping I have lots of type 1 muscle fibers!

Yea, I am real noobie to this and fitness in general im loosing weight I got obese somehow after high school, I think I have endurance more then rapid fast short period muscle, I found hat article when I was wondering about weight lifting and stuff because my chest seems to have it where I can lift weight but each set of reps after the first gets worse like I can do 10 then 8 then 6 but my legs seem to be different like I could probably do 25 reps of 350 pounds leg press I do like 20 calf raises at 290 pounds its just weird how different my legs are compared to my upper body.. Also when I go riding if I can get threw the first 5 minutes im fine....

Also if u wanted to spend the money it says u can have a simple biopsy test done to see witch type u have...

its just weird how different my legs are compared to my upper body..
This is because your leges get a lot more endurance work than your upper body. Think of all the time you spend standing or walking. Those leg muscles are working, at least a little bit, to keep you upright and moving while the muscles of your upper body are basically just letting momentum play with them.

some of you people are legends the only way i can get to 45kmph (28mph) is if i am going down hill,and you people do it for miles.
cheers
graham

some of you people are legends the only way i can get to 45kmph (28mph) is if i am going down hill,and you people do it for miles.
cheers
graham

There's no way I could have held that for more than a minute if it wasn't for the draft I was getting. And even with the draft, I was just barely holding on. I think they had to slow down momentarily a couple of times to let me bridge a slight gap. As was said in another thread, 10 feet might as well have been 10 miles.

It's very possible, and very fun.

Over 25 MPH on a non specific TT type bike is hard. To hold 25 MPH for a significant about of time for me is a major challenge. Many pros can hold 27 MPH for hours in a breakaway, but it is draining.

90 resp./min. is not the answer. You are not efficiently exchanging air at that rate.

Stand back he's gonna blow.

Over 25 MPH on a non specific TT type bike is hard. To hold 25 MPH for a significant about of time for me is a major challenge. Many pros can hold 27 MPH for hours in a breakaway, but it is draining.

I have a friend that did a 10 mile TT on a steel road bike and averaged 25mph.

As for the group I was in, they were echeloning the entire time. Guys would pull at the front for a bit, then break off to the back, and work their way back up again. Of course, they would pass me on the way up there :p