Indoors i have a wattbike. Outdoors for longer events I'll use heart rate. Sure there's a bit of a lag, but for a 6 hour ride that doesn't really matter. You have to guess the effort for the first 15 mins, but after that it's fine. Ultimately your heart rate tells you how your body is reacting, so in some ways it's more useful anyway. No point sticking at a power you think you can hold if your heart rate is gradually rising. Equally why limit yourself to a power lower than you could handle on the day? It's important to get some real world experience in bike and run, and in all conditions. For long distance I tend to ride with my heart rate around 130, let it drift up on hills, but recover back as soon as practicable. On the run I'm quite happy with it at 140. This is in good weather. If it's cold then I find it difficult to get my heart rate up that high. I don't really look at it in the swim, but it's generally a bit lower.
Hi #gtnCoachesCorner, I understand the importance of recovery sessions on days between key cycling/ running workouts, but it's winter so I'm on the indoor trainer and I just find recovery rides so long and boring! Do easy runs and rides essentially serve the same purpose of recovery and aerobic base? Therefore meaning I could swap easy runs into my week for those easy rides? Thanks so much, and keep up the great content!
Ey ups #gtncoachescorner I’m relatively new to triathlon having done my first sprint in July. Now I’ve got the bug and I love it, therefore I’m training for more this year. I have a coach and I’ve joined a club! However, I’m currently suffering with bad cramps. These can happen in any of my muscles and at anytime of the day and night. (It does mainly affect my legs). I’ve been trying to preload with electrolyte drinks before training sessions, also by having them during and after training sessions. I thought fatigue may have been the driving factor but I’ve had plenty of rest/recovery days over the Christmas period. I’m at a bit of a loss! Any tips? Thanks in advance! Max 👍🏻
#gtncoachescorner I am a runner. I have done couple of marathons and ultras, now I would like start training for tri. My question about swimming. I swim slow and cannot swim very long with good shape. I swim 25 meters, rest and swim again. I just stated this week. So, Do you think by just training more often, would I improve? or should I get a swimming coach to learn swimming from them. Thank you guys! Great channel to follow.
Thank you for producing great informative videos. I am getting a lot of great information from them. However, I would like to understand why and how power meters became the dominant form/criteria for monitoring training and progress? I would think that heart rate (or Vo2 max) would still be the best, with just speed as the proof of improvement. Yes,, power output is interesting, but, I don't think it is a clear indicator of progress. For example, (on a road ride, not indoor trainer) your (fictitious) body weight is 79kg, your power output is 200 watts for 30 min at 28km/hr (again fictitious numbers) me 105kg my power output is 200 watts for 30 min at 24km/hr. So same power but vastly different speeds. Reason is at 26 kg (about 25%) greater mass I need higher watts to produce the same speed. I would need to increase my power output by approximately 12 % to equal your speed. Now, when we look at heartrate, while you have higher power output you also have a faster heart rate, say 165 to my heartrate of 135. So, I have higher potential to increase my speed if I increase my work to match your 165 heart rate. At the end of the race, it does not matter that I produced more watts than you to maintain the same speed, it matters that you finished ahead of me. Unless I am missing something fundamental, watts really should only be used to compare when both or all cyclist are on an indoor trainer where conditions are exactly the same flat static resistance and body mass and structure (broad shoulders create greater resistance) do not play a part. In the real world watts are not useful for training.
Seems like you guys are a little unsure about your 2022 goals. Perhaps Heather and James can do a “North Pole Marathon” (half?). It would be good to introduce James to snow, and Heather because we all know she loves the cold! 😉
# coaches corner. Hi all, I have qualified for Ironman 70.3 in St George and I understand that it is at Altitude. I live in the U.K and wondered if you have any tricks or tips to try and train for this as I will be arriving in St George a few days before the race? Thanks in advance Andy
Does cycling improve running ? And does running improve cycling ? Im doing a 70.3 stafford this June. Currently injured with sprained ankle so just using turbo and swimming at moment
#gtncoachescorner does walking help at all with run fitness and does really low intensity bike workouts help with my bike fitness? I ask because I have a standing desk with a walking treadmill and I walk about 60 miles a week. I am wondering if I am helping my running or hurting it... I also have a wahoo kicker bike and wahoo rolling desk. I basically setup zwift for a 7 hour ride around 115W a couple days a week. Then during my lunch breaks I will run, swim, bike, or lift weights as normal. I type on a computer all day for work and figured why not exercise while working.
Hi #gtncoachescorner, I have a one week tri camp coming up at the end of February. As this week will be much more training than my ordinary training weeks, what should I do to prepare for such a week?
I know that al of my 1 sec bests were errors haha. Realistically it’s not much more than 800w, anything higher than that I look at the chart and it’s a random number nowhere near a hard effort or start from a stop.
#gtncoachescorner I recently listened to a podcast about running shoes, and their expert mentioned that shoes with an offset (ideally 8-10 mm) are best for racing. This is compared to lower offset (in the 4-6 mm range) and zero drop shoes which are both fine for daily training. Why is this?
hey #gtncoachescorner i'd like to call myself a decent swimmer in the pool but once i hit the open water i can never get into a rhythm - i think this is because i expend so much energy trying to sight. Any tips on how to sight uses less effort and to not disrupt the stroke? Thanks
Hi #gtncoachescorner Team. Can you please help me on fuelling? Once in a month I skip the train and use my bike for a 60 km commute. On a good day I can make the journey in 2 hours and I use about 2000 calories. How should I fuel during the 8 hours office day to ride home in the evening? Most of my attempts ended up in a massive bonk. (On weekends I can cover similar distances with no issues. I've tried making the inward journey slower but that was not improving the evening ride.) Thanks!!
Sorry boys, garbage answer to the power question. You should have simply said “if you can’t measure power, use your heart rate zones”. Your pseudo-science method of answering is confusing and wayward.
How do you like to measure your efforts?
If I’m throwing up at the end of benchmark tests in training then I know I’ve given it my all.
Indoors i have a wattbike. Outdoors for longer events I'll use heart rate. Sure there's a bit of a lag, but for a 6 hour ride that doesn't really matter. You have to guess the effort for the first 15 mins, but after that it's fine. Ultimately your heart rate tells you how your body is reacting, so in some ways it's more useful anyway. No point sticking at a power you think you can hold if your heart rate is gradually rising. Equally why limit yourself to a power lower than you could handle on the day?
It's important to get some real world experience in bike and run, and in all conditions. For long distance I tend to ride with my heart rate around 130, let it drift up on hills, but recover back as soon as practicable. On the run I'm quite happy with it at 140. This is in good weather. If it's cold then I find it difficult to get my heart rate up that high. I don't really look at it in the swim, but it's generally a bit lower.
I would love to see a "water running" challenge!
Hi #gtnCoachesCorner, I understand the importance of recovery sessions on days between key cycling/ running workouts, but it's winter so I'm on the indoor trainer and I just find recovery rides so long and boring! Do easy runs and rides essentially serve the same purpose of recovery and aerobic base? Therefore meaning I could swap easy runs into my week for those easy rides? Thanks so much, and keep up the great content!
Ey ups #gtncoachescorner I’m relatively new to triathlon having done my first sprint in July. Now I’ve got the bug and I love it, therefore I’m training for more this year. I have a coach and I’ve joined a club! However, I’m currently suffering with bad cramps. These can happen in any of my muscles and at anytime of the day and night. (It does mainly affect my legs). I’ve been trying to preload with electrolyte drinks before training sessions, also by having them during and after training sessions. I thought fatigue may have been the driving factor but I’ve had plenty of rest/recovery days over the Christmas period. I’m at a bit of a loss! Any tips? Thanks in advance! Max 👍🏻
#gtncoachescorner I am a runner. I have done couple of marathons and ultras, now I would like start training for tri. My question about swimming. I swim slow and cannot swim very long with good shape. I swim 25 meters, rest and swim again. I just stated this week. So, Do you think by just training more often, would I improve? or should I get a swimming coach to learn swimming from them. Thank you guys! Great channel to follow.
Thank you for producing great informative videos. I am getting a lot of great information from them. However, I would like to understand why and how power meters became the dominant form/criteria for monitoring training and progress? I would think that heart rate (or Vo2 max) would still be the best, with just speed as the proof of improvement. Yes,, power output is interesting, but, I don't think it is a clear indicator of progress. For example, (on a road ride, not indoor trainer) your (fictitious) body weight is 79kg, your power output is 200 watts for 30 min at 28km/hr (again fictitious numbers) me 105kg my power output is 200 watts for 30 min at 24km/hr. So same power but vastly different speeds. Reason is at 26 kg (about 25%) greater mass I need higher watts to produce the same speed. I would need to increase my power output by approximately 12 % to equal your speed. Now, when we look at heartrate, while you have higher power output you also have a faster heart rate, say 165 to my heartrate of 135. So, I have higher potential to increase my speed if I increase my work to match your 165 heart rate. At the end of the race, it does not matter that I produced more watts than you to maintain the same speed, it matters that you finished ahead of me. Unless I am missing something fundamental, watts really should only be used to compare when both or all cyclist are on an indoor trainer where conditions are exactly the same flat static resistance and body mass and structure (broad shoulders create greater resistance) do not play a part. In the real world watts are not useful for training.
Seems like you guys are a little unsure about your 2022 goals. Perhaps Heather and James can do a “North Pole Marathon” (half?). It would be good to introduce James to snow, and Heather because we all know she loves the cold! 😉
# coaches corner. Hi all, I have qualified for Ironman 70.3 in St George and I understand that it is at Altitude. I live in the U.K and wondered if you have any tricks or tips to try and train for this as I will be arriving in St George a few days before the race? Thanks in advance Andy
Does cycling improve running ? And does running improve cycling ? Im doing a 70.3 stafford this June. Currently injured with sprained ankle so just using turbo and swimming at moment
#gtncoachescorner does walking help at all with run fitness and does really low intensity bike workouts help with my bike fitness? I ask because I have a standing desk with a walking treadmill and I walk about 60 miles a week. I am wondering if I am helping my running or hurting it... I also have a wahoo kicker bike and wahoo rolling desk. I basically setup zwift for a 7 hour ride around 115W a couple days a week. Then during my lunch breaks I will run, swim, bike, or lift weights as normal. I type on a computer all day for work and figured why not exercise while working.
Hi #gtncoachescorner, I have a one week tri camp coming up at the end of February. As this week will be much more training than my ordinary training weeks, what should I do to prepare for such a week?
I know that al of my 1 sec bests were errors haha. Realistically it’s not much more than 800w, anything higher than that I look at the chart and it’s a random number nowhere near a hard effort or start from a stop.
#gtncoachescorner I recently listened to a podcast about running shoes, and their expert mentioned that shoes with an offset (ideally 8-10 mm) are best for racing. This is compared to lower offset (in the 4-6 mm range) and zero drop shoes which are both fine for daily training. Why is this?
hey #gtncoachescorner
i'd like to call myself a decent swimmer in the pool but once i hit the open water i can never get into a rhythm - i think this is because i expend so much energy trying to sight. Any tips on how to sight uses less effort and to not disrupt the stroke? Thanks
I just follow everyone else, because I’m at the back 😁
Hi #gtncoachescorner Team. Can you please help me on fuelling? Once in a month I skip the train and use my bike for a 60 km commute. On a good day I can make the journey in 2 hours and I use about 2000 calories. How should I fuel during the 8 hours office day to ride home in the evening? Most of my attempts ended up in a massive bonk. (On weekends I can cover similar distances with no issues. I've tried making the inward journey slower but that was not improving the evening ride.) Thanks!!
Where are you getting the 2000 calories for 2 hour ride? Do you have a power meter? And what are you eating during the day?
Sorry boys, garbage answer to the power question. You should have simply said “if you can’t measure power, use your heart rate zones”. Your pseudo-science method of answering is confusing and wayward.