Would like to get some expert opinions - Page 3

Originally Posted by whoawhoa

You may need low-intensity training to be able to ride 200 races (which very few amatuers need to do) but it's a high functional threshold power that will let you "race," that is, go hard over the duration of the race.


Let's not start a # dropping war, now. BTW, many posters here do that much or significantly more volume while including plenty of l3-l6 work.

Originally Posted by stevevinck

you say plenty off , can you put a percentage on that ?? If I have 8 hours of training time how would I divide ; 75% l1-l2 and 25 %l3-l4 (I'm no racer but would like to improve my capability to ride harder for a longer time say 130 km in 4 hours ; solo)

Originally Posted by whoawhoa

I agree, I was just trying not to jump on the OP's training method. If he's happy with his program, I think it makes sense to stay on it, until he decides he'll be better off with something else.

Originally Posted by Old Junker

If you get a hub with a grease port like the campy hub and load them up with grease they will not roll as well when OVERGREASED therefore increasing rr but what a mess it will make, also not very good for the hub, just try to spin it in your hands , or just try a mountan/cross bike tire and change your road fork

Originally Posted by RapDaddyo

What I'd really like is a hub where I could vary the resistance before a ride (e.g., a club ride). I've looked a bit into the hubs they use to power headlights and such, but most of them are rear hubs and I want this on the front. Any engineers out there want to tell me how to do that? Oh, and I'd like for it to be consistent (in watts) from ride to ride and not change when it heats up from rolling.

Originally Posted by rmur17

well I often ride my mountain bike and knobbies with the group. That usually gets 'em going

p.s. fenders/lights/knapsack are optional

p.s.2. I'm not joking - if you're stronger than the bulk of your group - ride your m/b or CC bike or super heavy tires like Armadillo's at only 80 psi.

Originally Posted by RapDaddyo

I understand. FWIW, I'll make one suggestion about commenting on someone's training regimen. Strip away all the detail and look at the poster's core work in (what we believe to be) the important training levels. If you feel he could achieve his objectives with a bit more time at, say, L4, then suggest that he increase his L4 minutes. Forget about what he's doing that you think is a waste of time, because to offer that opinion immediately turns the guy off and he doesn't hear what you think he could be doing, he only hears that you don't like what he is doing. IOW, as soon as he hears the negative, his ears close and he fails to hear the positive suggestion. But, what you really want him to get is the affirmative suggestion. So, drop the negative and go right to the jugular -- what he could be doing that he is not doing that would help him. Anyway, duty calls -- I have to go and have my ass kicked by those salty SoCal masters. Wish me luck.

Originally Posted by whoawhoa

Do you know what 'cross tires do to rolling resistance/wattage?

Originally Posted by whoawhoa

When I try this appraoch on local riders, their first reaction is that I'm a total idiot. "Don't you know you should be building your base? You don't want to peak too early!"

Originally Posted by frenchyge

Better to just blow their doors off at the races, and when they ask you for training advice say something like "Oh, you know. Lots of base-building over the winter and then some intervals and races later on." That way they'll think you're smart instead of an idiot.

People get pretty invested in their training programs.

Originally Posted by Thorman

As you're finding out when you ask a question here you'll get serveral different answers. For the last 4 seasons I used the Friel methodology and saw significant improvements in my peformance progressing from cat 5 to 3 and even winning a few races along the way.

This year after spending a lot of time educating myself in the principles of exercise physiology (on this forum, pubmed studies, topica wattage, etc.) I decided to fly solo and build my own plan.

My performance this year is significantly better than last year (my first year using a power meter) based on interval power and testing I've done and that is despite my total hours being down by 13% (although my cumulative TSS is up a similar amount).

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that even though one is improving it doesn't mean the plan you're working to should be considered optimal. The trick in this whole training plan development process is finding which plan will deliver the best results, which is no easy task. This is perhaps the "art" of coaching, which can take years of working with someone, that is if it's even possible to know when you've achieved peak performance.

Now that would make for an interesting topic...how do you know when you've achieved all that you can?

Originally Posted by whoawhoa

You're right, of course, but sooner or later they figure out that increasing l4 minutes goes against what they are doing. When I try this appraoch on local riders, their first reaction is that I'm a total idiot. "Don't you know you should be building your base? You don't want to peak too early!"

Originally Posted by LowCel

Another thing is what would you put more stock in? Would you be more inclined to listen to something an unknown screen name says, whom has absolutely no interest in your performance gain plus knows absolutely nothing about you or someone you know and trust?

Originally Posted by LowCel

Sometimes it's more about how the advice was delivered.

Another thing is what would you put more stock in? Would you be more inclined to listen to something an unknown screen name says, whom has absolutely no interest in your performance gain plus knows absolutely nothing about you or someone you know and trust? Someone that has raced professionally for years? Someone that has coached many successful riders over the past eight or so years? That person has also coached people from cat 5's to become competitive cat 1's three years later. Also taking relatively beginner sport mountain bike racers to podium finishes in expert class in two years.

I know who I am going to trust. However, if the delivery is done gracefully I will definately listen to people on forums. Just saying my way's right, your's is wrong with attitude doesn't do it for me. Whether or not the attitude was intentional I will never know. You can't tell these things by just looking at text on a screen.