Excellent as usual thanks. I agree totally on trying to do a couple of high intensity rides each week. Because of their intensity they are short workouts of one hour or less, which means that I can usually find a spot to squeeze them in.
@alwaysanotheradventure I have zero scientific data but have found I mostly train in the higher zones, apart from resistance training in the gym, and although it isn't fat burning, I do burn carbs before it turns into fat. Although, that would be a very complex study including monitoring what food goes in, in the first place.
👍 Yes, listen to your body is always the most important thing. Every day is different. When I start my morning run I always have a plan, but the first 1-3 km tell me if I can/should follow it.
Thank you for posting this once again. Your comment of watching the VO2 and looking to catch it if it is dropping is easier said than done. 2020 came in , I had a good 1 week skiing hard and always clears me after the run up and Christmas itself …. My watch had my vo2 at about 45-46 when I came back . Covid got me , not bad but certainly did my vo2 dropped to 35 after this …. And it took me 6 months to claw this back ….. Then the vaccines came into play each time again my vo2 would drop into the 30,s and again I would claw it back the cycle continued after each Jab … My Apple Watch has now after two years of wallowing in the high 39’s , come back to 45.4 after months and years of working out , it has slowly come back up… being 69 now I know it is better I can ride faster on my road bike without getting fatigued…. Walking fast I’d easy again. Also would like to mention when working in the 3/4/5 range takes me two days to recover ….as I have aged it takes longer to recover….. so anyone looking to put in a daily session needs zone 2 training for two days before going back to the higher levels , stops injury and total fatigue…
Chris - ALL of it is easier said that done 😁! That’s the nature of exercise. But I do take your point that recovering from any kind of injury is difficult, physically and mentally. It’s hard to stay on course. And you’re completely right about not pushing too hard when you’re still recovering. The essential point of this is that listening to your body day to day overrides any targets based on the usual %maxHeart Rate. (Which is why I didn’t use those metrics)
Many thanks Simon, this is the first time ever I have seen the comparisons between a Lab measurement v smartwatch results for V02. It’s very encouraging and I appreciate your promise to upload this.
Good stuff, Simon. This has been a really good series of videos and I can't wait to see what other gems you offer us. Thanks to you I have been refreshing my knowledge of Zone Training and paying more attention to my own performance on the bike. I am a bit more structured over the winter (thank you, Turbo) but during the summer I just push a little bit further over the weeks and months. I've been trying to stay a little bit more on Z2 instead of Z3 than I used to but my talk test puts my Z2 well into Z3 territory according to my heart rate so don't worry about it too much. But I did a sportive the other week at a considerably higher average pace than most of my solo rides and noted that I was smack bang in the middle of Z3 for most of it. That was tiring but doable for four hours and I know myself well enough to know if I am 'burning my matches' at a sustainable rate or not. Yesterday's club ride was rather similar except with the added Z4 & Z5 as we incorporated some steep climbs! (There were no matches left by the end of that 50 miles.) The point being that, for me the occasional event or hard club ride is something I treat a bit like a race, (though I have never raced and never will). ie. I am willing to push myself harder than normal (and take the time to recover from afterwards) whereas my regular weekly rides (including club evenings) are 'training rides' and therefore the purpose is not to always push myself to my limits but to build capacity over time. But conversations I have with riders older than me makes me aware that some seem a bit scared of pushing themselves to their limits at all. OK, some will have medical reasons for not doing so but for others fear is holding them back. Pushing yourself hard keeps your body 'young' even if pushing yourself too hard takes too much out of you. For some, doing a session or two of Z4 each week is good and sustainable whereas others might find that once every two weeks or so is better for them. But pushing hard is a necessity for as long as you can do so.
A very informative couple of videos, thanks. I sneak in some Z5 through 'micro-dosing', spinning a very low gear, very quickly for 15 secs, 15 seconds rest x4, 1 min rest, repeat. It gets the heart pumping and the lactate rising but with minmal metabolic cost
The older you get the more your max heart rate and zones descend, yet the hills don't get any lower nor the slopes less steep so the effort required, and thus your BPM, remain the same. Eventually every ride is in zone 4 or 5. That's where I am now. I can still have fun but recovery is usually slow. I do a lot of flat rides these days.
Re: Hills, I think not enough is made of the bias in bicycle gearing (mainly from manufacturers, but also in bicycling culture) towards gears that are simply not low enough for less fit individuals (including older cyclists). Alee Dunham (CyclingAbout channel) has an interesting video suggesting that hill climbing is no more difficult than cycling on the flat, and that often we are defeated by hills because we try to go too fast or use gears that are too high (sometimes because we don't have any lower gears). I think he has a point - though for some very steep inclines, you get to the point that even if you have very, very low gears you end up going so slowly that you nearly fall off!
@@davidrowe8747 Older doesn't mean you get less fit. As you pass 70 your muscle mass begins to diminish and after 75 this speeds up (YMMV, obviously), so you have less power to play with. This doesn't mean you're unfit, it means that your motor might still be in perfect condition but time has reduced its capacity. Anno domini is a bitch.
@@johne7100 All other things being equal, getting older does mean you get less fit, and well before age 70. Specifically for VO2 max, age-related changes in the O2 supply side (decreases in MXHR, in capillary density, and in max SV) and in the O2 uptake side (reduced muscle mass) combine to lead to a reduction in VO2max. Thus, getting older is associated with a reduction in fitness (VO2 max). Other forms of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, body composition) are determined by other factors that also change with age, and not for the better. All we can do is try to reduce the rate of change. Of course there will be examples of older individuals who are fitter than some younger individuals, and there will be individual cases of older adults being able to increase their fitness, but in the latter case these would be individuals who started from a base of being inactive and unfit.
@@johne7100 if the motor's capacity is reduced, then fitness is de facto reduced as we get older. On the supply side, HR Max, SV max and capillary density decline and on the uptake side, muscle mass also declines. So, fitness defined as VO2max reduces with age. Similar for muscular strength, flexibility and body composition - physiological changes, well before age 70, lead to reductions in fitness. Of course, as Simon has pointed out in his earlier videos, we can reduce the rate of decline and for unfit, sedentary individuals, starting a training programme can even lead to improvements in fitness. But all things being equal, getting older (past middle adulthood) means getting less fit.
@@davidrowe8747 "Fitness defined as VO2 max", OK; but that makes no allowance for age, whereas in my view the any calculation of fitness should include age as a factor, yielding a specific VO2 max that would give a better comparison of fitness between athletes of various ages. In other words it would show, for any age of athlete, how well you are making use of your physique.
Thanks Simon, another valuable video. You certainly do some work, to not only research the latest knowledge, but then communicate it in laymen's terms for us.
After decades in the military with endless ego to fullfil and after retirement I took up Ultra. I also put the ego in the bin Common in cycling hence the drug addictions so common. I took the advice of female ultra riders who knew they could not compete on pure strength and ego, but in cunning and guile and planning and preparation and do rather well. The training advice was ride the bike and don’t get off unless you have something to do. When that something is done the ride the bike. All the advice I needed. Ride the bike do fairly well and watch people go home early because they went to hard to fast or it rained.
A time trial rider told me - it’s not about going fast; it’s about not going slow. By which he meant stops and faff time. Never been good at not faffing myself. Has your ride started yet?
I have been very zone-conscious since your series started and have been aiming to incorporate plenty of zone 2 work. It does seem to have many very beneficial effects - mainly, I do feel much better placed on the weekly harder ride with club mates. As I have also adopted some weight training into my programme its hard to know which is having the bigger impact but I am guessing that zone 2 on the bike is best.....since typing that I took 10 seconds to check Strava and see that most of my gym work is zones 1 and 2 so perhaps there is the answer! Sticking in the zone 4/5 Zwift workout on a weekly basis is the icing on the cake.
I’m 59 and like many people who just cycle my ‘training’ isn’t very structured. I usually ride between min 8 hours/week sometimes 10 and 12 hours in a bigger week. But big chunks of that are group rides of minimum two hours on our regular route. That includes a mix of zones 2, 3, 4 and 5 just depending on how hard the group is pushing it. One group pushes quite hard for the 2 hrs. There are Hills & Sprint sections. On a Sunday in a different group we might do three or four hours and that will be a mix of zones. Until the last couple of years I’ve never heard of zone 2 training. I just ride my bike And when you’re in a group, you don’t necessarily get to choose to stay in zone two for extended periods of time as is recommended. I like the social aspect of group rides and I think that’s important, at any age. But I’m wondering if I’m missing out by not doing specific zone 2 on my own or with a mate who agrees to stick at the pace. I’m in Australia there riding conditions are good all year round except summer can be oppressively hot so we ride early, I’m out the door no later than 5am most of the time.
Shred3005 The real expert, Dr Inigo San Millan, does his Zone 4/5 at the end of his Zone 2 rides (see GCN Cycling). This is the efficient way to do it, so finding similar ability riding mates would be good. I try to do my kayak & surfski paddling like this - by myself I choose to go out in Zone 2, pausing to take a few photos, but then storm home strong, getting into Zone 4 over the last 10-15 minutes. However, as you clearly know, training with a group brings great benefits. Since I turn 75 this year, it is difficult to find training mates, but my 60-65 year old training buddies do keep me working well during group training and race ready!
@@RedAnchor12 yes, I’ve been listening to various interviews with Dr Inigo the last year or two and he does say it’s fine to make the bulk of your ride zone 2 then put in efforts/ intervals at the end on the way home. I’ve done that a few times with that in mind. But if I get in say 10 hrs for the week, only one of those rides will be say a 2 hr zone 2 with zone 4 efforts at the end. The other 7 hours will be mixed group rides that could be a mix of anything as mentioned, zones 2-5 in a total mash up of whatever happens in the group. I guess as a result I’m getting a lot of high end zone 4 but the zone 2 I’m getting is only as recovery time on those rides. Same when I’m doing boxing. I could give up one of my group rides and do a solo 2-3 hr zone two and sometimes that’s very peaceful ‘me time’. But would miss some of the social aspect. After all every group ride ends at a cafe for coffee 😁
The reply below kinda gets it right. Group rides with friends are important for a whole load of reasons - maintaining social links is incredibly important as we age. The risk is spending too much time in Z3 and gaining less benefit while doing damage. (And we’re all a bit guilty of this😁). San Millan is indeed the top expert. In his book Dr Attia acknowledges this. One warning though - his 6 Zones tend to be aimed at younger fitter riders. As the other comments say, when I’ve done a z2 ride I finish with a hill climb.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I do wonder if my mainly group riding 2-3 hrs where the rides are constantly back and forth between smashing it and back to zone 2 for 5-10 minutes before smashing it again is affecting my FTP which seems to be low relative to my aerobic capacity. The only tool I have is Training Peaks with power and heart rate and it reports considerably lower Training Stress Score (TSS) if just using the heart rate but for exactly the same ride if the power data from my crank power meter is fed in then it reports a much higher TSS. That’s a question for Training Peaks to answer but to me it indicates that my power is much higher relative to my heart rate for the same effort, if that makes sense. I’ll troll through Training Peaks forums and help pages to see if there is an answer
Excellent as always. Perhaps you've talked about this in other videos but for folks like me who experience occasional AFib events venturing into zones 4 and 5 can be a bit of a problem and from my experience may trigger an AFib event. As my electrocardiologist said, do what you do but you should dial down the intensity
What happens when you have built up to a very high heart rate? Does the afib get more pronounced, or do you become symptomatic? I'm assuming you become dizzy, then when the heart rate drops, everything goes back to normal? I don't mean to pry, but as a non afib person it would be good to know the expected symptoms and what helps.
@@katesmiles4208the last time it happened, my HR was in the 150s. My heart was out of rhythm and I was definitely dizzy although not bad enough to fall. The dizziness went away pretty quickly once I got off treadmill. The AFib lasted about 7 days as compared to the typical 3 of previous events. That was the scary part. During those 7 days, my HR rarely got above 120 and was often in the 90s. That doesn't seem to concern any of the electrophysiologists I've had. It bothers me because my resting HR is about 60 or less. If the events become more frequent or HR remains high during event I might consider ablation but for now I continue with my drugs
Great series of videos. My issue is I far prefer to cycle outdoors than on the trainer, especially if weather is good so trying to keep to an estimated/perceived zone is nigh on impossible as virtually all of my rides will involve some steep hills. Mostly I just "go for a ride" which is fun but I'm not doing specific training efforts which perhaps I should. I am guilty of what a lot do which is go all out too often. As you rightly say, most of us do our easy sessions too hard and hard sessions too easy. I think more discipline required on my part, I exercise a lot with a combination of cycling and heavy weight training but I probably need to focus on structured workouts on bike.
Steve - there’s nothing wrong at all with lack of structure. It’s ‘doing stuff’ that matters as opposed to not being active. Structure works for some people and is technically more efficient, but never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Structure works best for me over winter when riding outside is less fun. But only when I have a goal to work towards. That said we’re all different.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I did do some hill reps last week 4x4 but I suspect I went too hard. I was going absolutely all out up a 4 min climb and by end of session was ruined! In retrospect I probably needed to dial it down a touch. I was doing them with specific aim of improving VO2 max. (I haven't tested mine but would like to). Thanks again.
Its interesting, and rather convenient, that the two strongest predictors for a healthy longer life and athletic ability are the same : Mitochondrial efficiency and VO2 max. And if you need a better example of polarised training then look no further than Tadej Pogacar (although I'm never sure about comparing the training regimes of pro's to that of us mere mortals!)
His ‘coach’ Inigo San Millan is a great source of knowledge on this. Add in Dr Peter Attia and Prof Stephen Seiler and that’s a formidable set of experts to learn from. Then you have to work out how to apply it to - as you say - mortals! 😁
As an aside, have you thought about doing a video on the benefits of stretching as we get older? As we lose muscle mass, our ability to rely on our muscular system to generate power on the bike obviously reduces and therefore we rely on our cardiovascular system to a greater extent. The limiting factor in my experience is the reduction in flexibility as we age, which in my case was leading to increasing discomfort on the bike. For this reason, I have taken up yin yoga with the aim of increasing deep tissue flexibility. It has had a huge effect on my comfort on the bike and I am now able to do VO2max interval sessions again that felt out of reach. Interestingly my average cadence on my last high intensity sessions was over 100 compared to my previous average of around 85.
It’s a great idea and I mentioned it in the Healthy Habits video. My only concern is the level at which to pitch it, esp when people stay seeing stretches. Someone will watch a stretch and think either - ‘that’s way too easy’ or ‘I’d never manage that’ and both could be discouraged . I’ll see if I can find a good expert who’ll give me some ideas.
Great video. I'm 70 and my VO2 max is 28, very low. I want to work to increase it. My resting heart rate is 59, walking heart rate is 98. What number do I need to reach with my heart rate and for how long to improve my VO2 Max? Thanks
It's not quite that simple. Might I suggest you buy a copy of Dr Peter Attia's book 'Outlive'? It puts all this, plus strength and endurance into context. Much easier to go back and re-read than to squeeze into a video. amzn.to/3Tiu4by
Current guidance for reasonably trained older athletes is three hours of zone 2 training a week, which might seem like a lot, but remember a brisk hill walk or jog can also get you into zone 2.
I'm 64 years old and in much the same head space as you. I'll never win (or even be in) the TdF, but would like to extend my active years. This is a very intelligent and well presented series. What I stuggle with more as an older athlete is when to back off and when to push thru not feeling great. We've all had days where the first interval felt like rubbish, but then the overall session was quite good. Do you talk about HRV?
After listening to all these stats I'm disappointed with my self, my Garmin is still in its box after 5 years. I tend to just run and use a cheap wrist watch to keep track and listen to my body in order to avoid injuries. I'm pretty quick for my age over most distances but clearly could do better. Thanks for this, I will try to be more scientific.
Don’t be disappointed!!! You’re getting out and running - that’s WAY more than many people. Structure can help tune this, but don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Some is always better than none. You absolutely don’t need a Garmin!!!! I used it to tie the science based lab tests to my real world feeling. When I go for a zone 2 run I nose breath only or, if running with someone, we chat and watch how we’re speaking - slightly breathless (see talk test in first zone video). Technically this is Ventricular Threshold, below LT1, but it’s a great way to stay Z2 and not push too hard. The 4x 4x 4 interval set also works for Vo2max training when running. I do mine on a hill. Structure isn’t for everyone, it’s the cherry on top and adds efficiency.
Oh ye !!!! Vo2 Max and life expectancy ? I have not looked this up but I wonder if the issue is Comorbidity and if the other illness is the significant factor of anyone’s crappy Vo2Max result. Asking for a friend aged 98.
There’s quite a discussion as to which is cause and effect. Perhaps it’s just that people who are not sick, so live longer, can do more for themselves so have a higher VO2max by default. Entirely possible.
![[안방1열 풀캠4K] 베이비몬스터 'DRIP' (BABYMONSTER FullCam)│@SBS Inkigayo 241110](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AQ4RIghEvUs/mqdefault.jpg)
I really enjoy your videos. Age 66 and if Apple makes it, I use it. Dropped from 225 to 165 now trying to live and improve at this weight. Thanks!
Thanks Simon, great information for us older athletes!
Wonderful content, clearly explained, with very professional presentation and production. Thank you!
Excellent as usual thanks. I agree totally on trying to do a couple of high intensity rides each week. Because of their intensity they are short workouts of one hour or less, which means that I can usually find a spot to squeeze them in.
I've been in the fitness industry for 20 years and still find this easy to understand film very informative. Thank you and keep them coming.
Kind of you to say so. I had a lot of help and about 4 goes to get these right. I still find places I could improve them.
@alwaysanotheradventure I have zero scientific data but have found I mostly train in the higher zones, apart from resistance training in the gym, and although it isn't fat burning, I do burn carbs before it turns into fat. Although, that would be a very complex study including monitoring what food goes in, in the first place.
👍 Yes, listen to your body is always the most important thing.
Every day is different.
When I start my morning run I always have a plan, but the first 1-3 km tell me if I can/should follow it.
Thank you for posting this once again. Your comment of watching the VO2 and looking to catch it if it is dropping is easier said than done.
2020 came in , I had a good 1 week skiing hard and always clears me after the run up and Christmas itself ….
My watch had my vo2 at about 45-46 when I came back .
Covid got me , not bad but certainly did my vo2 dropped to 35 after this …. And it took me 6 months to claw this back …..
Then the vaccines came into play each time again my vo2 would drop into the 30,s and again I would claw it back the cycle continued after each Jab …
My Apple Watch has now after two years of wallowing in the high 39’s , come back to 45.4 after months and years of working out , it has slowly come back up… being 69 now I know it is better I can ride faster on my road bike without getting fatigued…. Walking fast I’d easy again. Also would like to mention when working in the 3/4/5 range takes me two days to recover ….as I have aged it takes longer to recover….. so anyone looking to put in a daily session needs zone 2 training for two days before going back to the higher levels , stops injury and total fatigue…
Chris - ALL of it is easier said that done 😁! That’s the nature of exercise.
But I do take your point that recovering from any kind of injury is difficult, physically and mentally. It’s hard to stay on course. And you’re completely right about not pushing too hard when you’re still recovering. The essential point of this is that listening to your body day to day overrides any targets based on the usual %maxHeart Rate. (Which is why I didn’t use those metrics)
Send like having your vo2 max estimate remain stable over 4 years is not a bad result. ..
Always Another Amazing Video. Thank you.
I was a solo RAAM finisher at 50. At 72 I do 16mph group rides 3X a week, with a heart monitor. These videos are a great source of information.
Wow - chapeau.
Thank you Simon. I watch your videos as much for the stunning locations you ride in as the technical content. I really appreciate both of these
Many thanks Simon, this is the first time ever I have seen the comparisons between a Lab measurement v smartwatch results for V02. It’s very encouraging and I appreciate your promise to upload this.
Glad it was helpful Raymond
Thanks again Simon. Superb easy to follow and understand content, as ever 👍
Good stuff, Simon. This has been a really good series of videos and I can't wait to see what other gems you offer us.
Thanks to you I have been refreshing my knowledge of Zone Training and paying more attention to my own performance on the bike. I am a bit more structured over the winter (thank you, Turbo) but during the summer I just push a little bit further over the weeks and months. I've been trying to stay a little bit more on Z2 instead of Z3 than I used to but my talk test puts my Z2 well into Z3 territory according to my heart rate so don't worry about it too much. But I did a sportive the other week at a considerably higher average pace than most of my solo rides and noted that I was smack bang in the middle of Z3 for most of it. That was tiring but doable for four hours and I know myself well enough to know if I am 'burning my matches' at a sustainable rate or not. Yesterday's club ride was rather similar except with the added Z4 & Z5 as we incorporated some steep climbs! (There were no matches left by the end of that 50 miles.)
The point being that, for me the occasional event or hard club ride is something I treat a bit like a race, (though I have never raced and never will). ie. I am willing to push myself harder than normal (and take the time to recover from afterwards) whereas my regular weekly rides (including club evenings) are 'training rides' and therefore the purpose is not to always push myself to my limits but to build capacity over time.
But conversations I have with riders older than me makes me aware that some seem a bit scared of pushing themselves to their limits at all. OK, some will have medical reasons for not doing so but for others fear is holding them back. Pushing yourself hard keeps your body 'young' even if pushing yourself too hard takes too much out of you. For some, doing a session or two of Z4 each week is good and sustainable whereas others might find that once every two weeks or so is better for them. But pushing hard is a necessity for as long as you can do so.
Thanks Hugh, and I'm sure you're right about the Z4 stuff. It's all about listening to your body.
A very informative couple of videos, thanks. I sneak in some Z5 through 'micro-dosing',
spinning a very low gear, very quickly for 15 secs, 15 seconds rest x4, 1 min rest, repeat.
It gets the heart pumping and the lactate rising but with minmal metabolic cost
The older you get the more your max heart rate and zones descend, yet the hills don't get any lower nor the slopes less steep so the effort required, and thus your BPM, remain the same. Eventually every ride is in zone 4 or 5. That's where I am now. I can still have fun but recovery is usually slow. I do a lot of flat rides these days.
Re: Hills, I think not enough is made of the bias in bicycle gearing (mainly from manufacturers, but also in bicycling culture) towards gears that are simply not low enough for less fit individuals (including older cyclists).
Alee Dunham (CyclingAbout channel) has an interesting video suggesting that hill climbing is no more difficult than cycling on the flat, and that often we are defeated by hills because we try to go too fast or use gears that are too high (sometimes because we don't have any lower gears). I think he has a point - though for some very steep inclines, you get to the point that even if you have very, very low gears you end up going so slowly that you nearly fall off!
@@davidrowe8747 Older doesn't mean you get less fit. As you pass 70 your muscle mass begins to diminish and after 75 this speeds up (YMMV, obviously), so you have less power to play with. This doesn't mean you're unfit, it means that your motor might still be in perfect condition but time has reduced its capacity. Anno domini is a bitch.
@@johne7100 All other things being equal, getting older does mean you get less fit, and well before age 70. Specifically for VO2 max, age-related changes in the O2 supply side (decreases in MXHR, in capillary density, and in max SV) and in the O2 uptake side (reduced muscle mass) combine to lead to a reduction in VO2max. Thus, getting older is associated with a reduction in fitness (VO2 max). Other forms of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, body composition) are determined by other factors that also change with age, and not for the better. All we can do is try to reduce the rate of change.
Of course there will be examples of older individuals who are fitter than some younger individuals, and there will be individual cases of older adults being able to increase their fitness, but in the latter case these would be individuals who started from a base of being inactive and unfit.
@@johne7100 if the motor's capacity is reduced, then fitness is de facto reduced as we get older. On the supply side, HR Max, SV max and capillary density decline and on the uptake side, muscle mass also declines. So, fitness defined as VO2max reduces with age. Similar for muscular strength, flexibility and body composition - physiological changes, well before age 70, lead to reductions in fitness.
Of course, as Simon has pointed out in his earlier videos, we can reduce the rate of decline and for unfit, sedentary individuals, starting a training programme can even lead to improvements in fitness. But all things being equal, getting older (past middle adulthood) means getting less fit.
@@davidrowe8747 "Fitness defined as VO2 max", OK; but that makes no allowance for age, whereas in my view the any calculation of fitness should include age as a factor, yielding a specific VO2 max that would give a better comparison of fitness between athletes of various ages. In other words it would show, for any age of athlete, how well you are making use of your physique.
Thanks Simon, another valuable video. You certainly do some work, to not only research the latest knowledge, but then communicate it in laymen's terms for us.
Thanks Simon, very interesting, always good for us older athletes to stretch well after exercise 👍
Absolutely!
After decades in the military with endless ego to fullfil and after retirement I took up Ultra. I also put the ego in the bin Common in cycling hence the drug addictions so common.
I took the advice of female ultra riders who knew they could not compete on pure strength and ego, but in cunning and guile and planning and preparation and do rather well. The training advice was ride the bike and don’t get off unless you have something to do. When that something is done the ride the bike. All the advice I needed. Ride the bike do fairly well and watch people go home early because they went to hard to fast or it rained.
A time trial rider told me - it’s not about going fast; it’s about not going slow. By which he meant stops and faff time. Never been good at not faffing myself.
Has your ride started yet?
I have been very zone-conscious since your series started and have been aiming to incorporate plenty of zone 2 work. It does seem to have many very beneficial effects - mainly, I do feel much better placed on the weekly harder ride with club mates. As I have also adopted some weight training into my programme its hard to know which is having the bigger impact but I am guessing that zone 2 on the bike is best.....since typing that I took 10 seconds to check Strava and see that most of my gym work is zones 1 and 2 so perhaps there is the answer! Sticking in the zone 4/5 Zwift workout on a weekly basis is the icing on the cake.
I couldn’t have put it better Mathew.
Wonderful video. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
I’m 59 and like many people who just cycle my ‘training’ isn’t very structured. I usually ride between min 8 hours/week sometimes 10 and 12 hours in a bigger week. But big chunks of that are group rides of minimum two hours on our regular route. That includes a mix of zones 2, 3, 4 and 5 just depending on how hard the group is pushing it. One group pushes quite hard for the 2 hrs. There are Hills & Sprint sections. On a Sunday in a different group we might do three or four hours and that will be a mix of zones. Until the last couple of years I’ve never heard of zone 2 training. I just ride my bike And when you’re in a group, you don’t necessarily get to choose to stay in zone two for extended periods of time as is recommended. I like the social aspect of group rides and I think that’s important, at any age. But I’m wondering if I’m missing out by not doing specific zone 2 on my own or with a mate who agrees to stick at the pace. I’m in Australia there riding conditions are good all year round except summer can be oppressively hot so we ride early, I’m out the door no later than 5am most of the time.
Shred3005 The real expert, Dr Inigo San Millan, does his Zone 4/5 at the end of his Zone 2 rides (see GCN Cycling). This is the efficient way to do it, so finding similar ability riding mates would be good. I try to do my kayak & surfski paddling like this - by myself I choose to go out in Zone 2, pausing to take a few photos, but then storm home strong, getting into Zone 4 over the last 10-15 minutes. However, as you clearly know, training with a group brings great benefits. Since I turn 75 this year, it is difficult to find training mates, but my 60-65 year old training buddies do keep me working well during group training and race ready!
@@RedAnchor12 yes, I’ve been listening to various interviews with Dr Inigo the last year or two and he does say it’s fine to make the bulk of your ride zone 2 then put in efforts/ intervals at the end on the way home. I’ve done that a few times with that in mind. But if I get in say 10 hrs for the week, only one of those rides will be say a 2 hr zone 2 with zone 4 efforts at the end. The other 7 hours will be mixed group rides that could be a mix of anything as mentioned, zones 2-5 in a total mash up of whatever happens in the group. I guess as a result I’m getting a lot of high end zone 4 but the zone 2 I’m getting is only as recovery time on those rides. Same when I’m doing boxing. I could give up one of my group rides and do a solo 2-3 hr zone two and sometimes that’s very peaceful ‘me time’. But would miss some of the social aspect. After all every group ride ends at a cafe for coffee 😁
Exactly this.
The reply below kinda gets it right. Group rides with friends are important for a whole load of reasons - maintaining social links is incredibly important as we age.
The risk is spending too much time in Z3 and gaining less benefit while doing damage. (And we’re all a bit guilty of this😁).
San Millan is indeed the top expert. In his book Dr Attia acknowledges this. One warning though - his 6 Zones tend to be aimed at younger fitter riders.
As the other comments say, when I’ve done a z2 ride I finish with a hill climb.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I do wonder if my mainly group riding 2-3 hrs where the rides are constantly back and forth between smashing it and back to zone 2 for 5-10 minutes before smashing it again is affecting my FTP which seems to be low relative to my aerobic capacity. The only tool I have is Training Peaks with power and heart rate and it reports considerably lower Training Stress Score (TSS) if just using the heart rate but for exactly the same ride if the power data from my crank power meter is fed in then it reports a much higher TSS. That’s a question for Training Peaks to answer but to me it indicates that my power is much higher relative to my heart rate for the same effort, if that makes sense. I’ll troll through Training Peaks forums and help pages to see if there is an answer
Excellent as always. Perhaps you've talked about this in other videos but for folks like me who experience occasional AFib events venturing into zones 4 and 5 can be a bit of a problem and from my experience may trigger an AFib event. As my electrocardiologist said, do what you do but you should dial down the intensity
Thanks Tom - it’s what the cardiologist said in Ep 13 of this series. Discussed quite a lot of AF
@@alwaysanotheradventurethanks. Guess I missed that one. Will check it out
What happens when you have built up to a very high heart rate? Does the afib get more pronounced, or do you become symptomatic? I'm assuming you become dizzy, then when the heart rate drops, everything goes back to normal?
I don't mean to pry, but as a non afib person it would be good to know the expected symptoms and what helps.
@@katesmiles4208the last time it happened, my HR was in the 150s. My heart was out of rhythm and I was definitely dizzy although not bad enough to fall. The dizziness went away pretty quickly once I got off treadmill. The AFib lasted about 7 days as compared to the typical 3 of previous events. That was the scary part. During those 7 days, my HR rarely got above 120 and was often in the 90s. That doesn't seem to concern any of the electrophysiologists I've had. It bothers me because my resting HR is about 60 or less. If the events become more frequent or HR remains high during event I might consider ablation but for now I continue with my drugs
Any advice on strengthening knees for cycling ?
Curious. How long does it take for the mitochondria to lose benefits from zone 2?
Great series of videos. My issue is I far prefer to cycle outdoors than on the trainer, especially if weather is good so trying to keep to an estimated/perceived zone is nigh on impossible as virtually all of my rides will involve some steep hills. Mostly I just "go for a ride" which is fun but I'm not doing specific training efforts which perhaps I should. I am guilty of what a lot do which is go all out too often. As you rightly say, most of us do our easy sessions too hard and hard sessions too easy. I think more discipline required on my part, I exercise a lot with a combination of cycling and heavy weight training but I probably need to focus on structured workouts on bike.
Steve - there’s nothing wrong at all with lack of structure. It’s ‘doing stuff’ that matters as opposed to not being active. Structure works for some people and is technically more efficient, but never let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Structure works best for me over winter when riding outside is less fun. But only when I have a goal to work towards.
That said we’re all different.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I did do some hill reps last week 4x4 but I suspect I went too hard. I was going absolutely all out up a 4 min climb and by end of session was ruined! In retrospect I probably needed to dial it down a touch. I was doing them with specific aim of improving VO2 max. (I haven't tested mine but would like to). Thanks again.
Its interesting, and rather convenient, that the two strongest predictors for a healthy longer life and athletic ability are the same : Mitochondrial efficiency and VO2 max. And if you need a better example of polarised training then look no further than Tadej Pogacar (although I'm never sure about comparing the training regimes of pro's to that of us mere mortals!)
His ‘coach’ Inigo San Millan is a great source of knowledge on this. Add in Dr Peter Attia and Prof Stephen Seiler and that’s a formidable set of experts to learn from. Then you have to work out how to apply it to - as you say - mortals! 😁
As an aside, have you thought about doing a video on the benefits of stretching as we get older? As we lose muscle mass, our ability to rely on our muscular system to generate power on the bike obviously reduces and therefore we rely on our cardiovascular system to a greater extent. The limiting factor in my experience is the reduction in flexibility as we age, which in my case was leading to increasing discomfort on the bike. For this reason, I have taken up yin yoga with the aim of increasing deep tissue flexibility. It has had a huge effect on my comfort on the bike and I am now able to do VO2max interval sessions again that felt out of reach. Interestingly my average cadence on my last high intensity sessions was over 100 compared to my previous average of around 85.
It’s a great idea and I mentioned it in the Healthy Habits video.
My only concern is the level at which to pitch it, esp when people stay seeing stretches. Someone will watch a stretch and think either - ‘that’s way too easy’ or ‘I’d never manage that’ and both could be discouraged
.
I’ll see if I can find a good expert who’ll give me some ideas.
Great video. I'm 70 and my VO2 max is 28, very low. I want to work to increase it. My resting heart rate is 59, walking heart rate is 98. What number do I need to reach with my heart rate and for how long to improve my VO2 Max? Thanks
It's not quite that simple. Might I suggest you buy a copy of Dr Peter Attia's book 'Outlive'? It puts all this, plus strength and endurance into context. Much easier to go back and re-read than to squeeze into a video. amzn.to/3Tiu4by
Excellent description. Zone 2 training best done for 45 min+?
Current guidance for reasonably trained older athletes is three hours of zone 2 training a week, which might seem like a lot, but remember a brisk hill walk or jog can also get you into zone 2.
I'm 64 years old and in much the same head space as you. I'll never win (or even be in) the TdF, but would like to extend my active years. This is a very intelligent and well presented series. What I stuggle with more as an older athlete is when to back off and when to push thru not feeling great. We've all had days where the first interval felt like rubbish, but then the overall session was quite good. Do you talk about HRV?
I haven’t had much success with measuring HRV.
Thanks. I was curious how good my Apple watch was at estimating my vo2 max.
Yours might be less close than mine but the change month to month is what matters more than the absolute.
The Apple Watch graph shows this well.
Zones 2 3 and 5 now you are talking!
As ever excellent info for us "oldies" (I've just turned 60). Cheers.
👏👏
After listening to all these stats I'm disappointed with my self, my Garmin is still in its box after 5 years. I tend to just run and use a cheap wrist watch to keep track and listen to my body in order to avoid injuries. I'm pretty quick for my age over most distances but clearly could do better. Thanks for this, I will try to be more scientific.
Don’t be disappointed!!! You’re getting out and running - that’s WAY more than many people.
Structure can help tune this, but don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Some is always better than none.
You absolutely don’t need a Garmin!!!! I used it to tie the science based lab tests to my real world feeling.
When I go for a zone 2 run I nose breath only or, if running with someone, we chat and watch how we’re speaking - slightly breathless (see talk test in first zone video). Technically this is Ventricular Threshold, below LT1, but it’s a great way to stay Z2 and not push too hard.
The 4x 4x 4 interval set also works for Vo2max training when running. I do mine on a hill.
Structure isn’t for everyone, it’s the cherry on top and adds efficiency.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Thank you.
Zone 4: "shit! Zone 5: "mother f*cker!"
🤣
Oh ye !!!! Vo2 Max and life expectancy ? I have not looked this up but I wonder if the issue is Comorbidity and if the other illness is the significant factor of anyone’s crappy Vo2Max result. Asking for a friend aged 98.
There’s quite a discussion as to which is cause and effect. Perhaps it’s just that people who are not sick, so live longer, can do more for themselves so have a higher VO2max by default. Entirely possible.
@@alwaysanotheradventure if pie eating is a comorbidity I really would not put anyone who is on a Vo2Max test 😂😂😂😂
Simon, please tell us your age
I’m 65. ( And a half 😃)
Use it or lose it.
A cyclist is not done until he cannot mount the bike.
Some of us simply ride for 100 years in the easy zones.