Originally Posted by
force10
Can you share how you arrived at this belief? I have the same max hr as you but I would hardly get anything done at all at 120 bpm. That is a recovery ride for me - I'd be putting out something like 150-60 watts.
I'm far from the most informed, but my understanding is that bpm in the 130's are still considered within Zone 2 (for this max HR). My usual harder rides average in the upper 140's with a peak in the upper 160's (typically over ~3 hours). I'd like to know if I am overlooking data about training accumulating in and unhealthy way.
Thanks.
Reading and talking with Cardiologists.
Start with Phil Maffetone's Great Book of Endurance and Racing. Maybe read Zinn's "haywire heart". Almost all of the canned training prescriptions online are aimed at time crunched, younger athletes with lots of intensity on programs that are weeks and not years in duration resulting in a quick plateau of modest improvement
Here is an interesting blog post from an Exercise Physiologist. You need to build your aerobic base. Your engine is too small. Slower can be better. More stroke volume.
Is This Level of VO2 Max Improvement Typical?
I would have to say that this 40% improvement represents one of the largest jumps I have seen, and it’s not typical. However, in my experience, jumps far greater than the 5-15% cited in the literature, with sustained aerobic training, are routine.
In fact, when I model the average response to training across the entire group that I have VO2 and long-term training data for, I see an average shift from 54 to 67 ml/kg/min (a change of 24%) when a long-term, high-volume training plan is undertaken.
Conversely, when a short-term, high-intensity training plan is undertaken, the model shows a maximal increase (in 4-6 weeks) to only 63 ml/kg/min (16%).
So, while a 40% increase in VO2 max may not be considered “typical,” after my experience testing and observing athletes over the past 10+ years, I would have to consider a ~25% increase in VO2 max to be very typical given the right training over a sufficient period of time (the two items missing from those initial studies that suggested high genetic limitations).
https://simplifaster.com/articles/how-trainable-is-vo2-max/
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000749