Originally Posted by
rubiksoval
From running, what I've read and ascertained in the past was that pushing AeT higher doesn't necessarily result in a higher AnT (you'd still have to do appropriate work to raise that if it's not already topped out), but it is possible to significantly close the gap from AeT to AnT. In running contexts, this was related to elite marathoners trying to run a low 2:00 marathon.
Essentially, the higher the pace when compared to AnT, the higher the glycogen consumption. By closing the gap between the two, glycogen use could be slowed down/spared enough to ensure the completion of 2 hours and change of maximum effort before completely running out of glycogen.
This was done with "long, steady fast runs" in which runners were essentially doing time trials for 2 hours plus at slightly slower than marathon pace (maybe 2:15ish pace, for example).
While all very interesting, I've never head the application for cycling. May be something to it?
Yes, exactly. That's a hypothesis, and only that, partly because it might depend on the individual and on age. So I'm experimenting to see I might give it the honor of calling it a theory at least anecdotally.
If one can increase power at AeT the idea is that if one leaves AnT power alone, FTP still goes up. So far it's been interesting.
We were pretty weak when we started our 10-day backpack. It was really tough. The day after, my TSB was -39. I tried a recovery roller ride the next day and averaged 106w for 15' before the pain in my legs forced me off the bike. That was 10 weeks of training ago. After a few weeks, my HR at or just below AeT started dropping. I'm shooting for 2 hours of it 4-5 days/week by the end of December. Then I'll start raising the watts for that until I get back up to just below AeT, which has obviously gone up in terms of power.
There was a guy who got a lot of press in the training world for doing really well at Kona, I forget the name. He changed his training that year to massive doses of below Aet. The caveat is yeah, that works for the elite who can handle that level of volume, but not for us average folks. Maybe, maybe not. I won't know for sure until probably March. By then I should have been able to add in enough SS to get a decent FTP test. I'm hoping to have added some watts. For the past 10 weeks, my legs have hurt every day, but not on the bike. On the bike, 75% feels lighter and lighter. I'm not taking any easy weeks. Don't seem to need it, as predicted by the guru. I keep cranking up the kj/week by increasing duration, about 11 hrs. this week if life doesn't interfere, counting my 3 X 30 dumbbell sessions. I'm maxed out with that, but then I've been maxed out every week so far.
As far as my OP goes, breathing and HR seem closely related to each other and to AeT. Raw power not so much, which is the good news, though perhaps the percent of FTP I'm using is dropping. Won't know that answer for some months yet.