Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Well, if that's what he said, that's what you gotta do. Which, as HP points out, doesn't mean you can't go after it in Z4. Anything from 148 on up will make a big difference. You really want 157 and up for your 15 minute intervals. Start by just trying to do one interval. And don't worry about the rest of the ride. You'll do it too, just a little slower because of the interval. Starting out, I'd go 15' on, then 15' moderate work level, then another 15' interval. Work up to 3 of those, once a week.
Ok getting to 157 and up won't be a problem, but I'll have to really work on keeping it above 157 for 15 minutes. Would it be better to try and do 2 intervals of 10 minutes or 1 interval at 15? I just looked at my route and I have 2 big climbs that I currently average 10 min to do. I know if I push hard I can probably maintain that max hr for the entire climb, but after I'm done it's all downhill.
Originally Posted by
Heathpack
Wait? What? @
LGHT, you have heart disease and a cardiologist? Yikes. I have no idea what you should do in light of that.
I'm in the "high risk" category for heart disease and it runs in my family so I try and get a stress test and checkup at least once a year. No problems yet, but my doctor said the best way to avoid it is to stay active. The only good thing is my resting HR is now around 153.
Originally Posted by
Heathpack
I don't think anyone posting here was commenting on what you should do, or what cyclists should do universally. People have been responding to OP and the responses were specific to one person, considering what that one person was trying to accomplish & what he hold us about his strengths & limitations. @
LGHT did not mention any cardiac issues until later in the thread, at which time he was basically told, 'nevermind, listen to your cardiologist'.
Huge important concept is that I personally can't imagine ever posting or advocating what cyclists should do universally. I'm a bit of an outlier myself in the world of cycling & frequently get advice that's suited to a man, or someone younger, or someone with different goals/aspirations, etc. Im not a 28 yo male crit racer nor a 55 year old female rando rider. I dont ride just to experience the wind in my hair or to admire the scenery (although I do admire fine scenery quite frequently). Its not just about managing weight. All those paradigms present unique training challenges, but since none of them represent my paradigm, the advice given may not pertain. I've come to realize that it's just a hard thing to really visualize what someone else is doing on a bike, so if you're going to give someone advice, you actually have to try to listen to what he/she is asking & learn about what he/she is doing or trying to do. And that's exactly what happened in this thread. No one gave any universal rules.
I agree which is why I'm here asking often and really appreciate all the help from everyone. The training info I read "seemed" to be something I needed to work on, but after looking at it further it seems my weakest link isn't my leg strength it's my gearing and aerobic fitness so back to the training that will actually help me get to
MY next level. I just picked up a smaller cassette that will allow me to spin more since my stock 11-28 isn't really geared for the climbs I'm doing and max HR training will probably work well because I usually only get a few hours of a training in a week.