Finding LT while on a TT

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I am trying to figure out my LT, unfortunately Joe Friel & Andy Coggan explain how to do this while on a TT or ITT. Well turns out that I have never done a TT, and worst than that I don't even know how I am supposed to run\race one.

Well I got on my bike on the rollers and decided to follow Joe Friel's advice on how to find LT; got the bike on the rollers warmed up for 20 minutes, and then went at it for 10K. Turns out that my avg HR was of 146bpm, and my max HR was at exactly 80%.

It seems (to me) that I am doing something wrong, should I be near my 100% HR on a TT? or try to maintain a "high" speed for the entire 10K without "blowing up"?

I am trying to figure out my LT, unfortunately Joe Friel & Andy Coggan explain how to do this while on a TT or ITT. Well turns out that I have never done a TT, and worst than that I don't even know how I am supposed to run\race one.

Well I got on my bike on the rollers and decided to follow Joe Friel's advice on how to find LT; got the bike on the rollers warmed up for 20 minutes, and then went at it for 10K. Turns out that my avg HR was of 146bpm, and my max HR was at exactly 80%.

It seems (to me) that I am doing something wrong, should I be near my 100% HR on a TT? or try to maintain a "high" speed for the entire 10K without "blowing up"?


If you want to find your LT (lactate threshold), then you'll need to see someone who does some sort of exercise testing and can take your blood and measure your lactate. HR has nothing to do with LT, as LT is defined as a workload that elicits a specific amount of blood lactate.

On the other hand, if you want to know what your average HR is for say a ~1-hr TT then, you should (should you be fit/healthy enough to do so) go out for an hour riding as hard as you can. However, HR is a dependent variable and can thus vary at a given workload due to external factors such as cadence, environmental conditions, caffeine, anxiety, etc. This is why people now are starting to use power meters.

ric

If you want to find your LT (lactate threshold), then you'll need to see someone who does some sort of exercise testing and can take your blood and measure your lactate. HR has nothing to do with LT, as LT is defined as a workload that elicits a specific amount of blood lactate.

On the other hand, if you want to know what your average HR is for say a ~1-hr TT then, you should (should you be fit/healthy enough to do so) go out for an hour riding as hard as you can. However, HR is a dependent variable and can thus vary at a given workload due to external factors such as cadence, environmental conditions, caffeine, anxiety, etc. This is why people now are starting to use power meters.

ric

Friel mentioned what you describe; however he also provided an alternate way for those who doesn't have the means to find their LT through a lab\prof place.