Hi
Computrainer
Another good steady 2x20 L3 session which I found pretty comfortable by my standards. HR remaining very much under control throughout and I'm starting to shed a bit of body fat I think through these steady sessions, which is my plan at this time of year.
As some of you know I'm still messing about with my training WebCast which is a bit of fun and is proving to be quite motivational. If you tell people (even if you don't know who they are or whether they are there!) that you are going to do a session at a certain time it really does make you get up and do what you say you are going to do.
So, more steady "fight the flab" work tomorrow. The next training broadcast will be at 14:00 hrs BST tomorrow (GMT +1), drop in if you are free, of better still, drop in if you are working!
Cheers all.
[Uploaded 16/09/2008 09:44:39]
Hi Porky boy I always think of 2 x 20's as being L4 sessions. Are your 2 x 20's at you TT/threshold pace or much lower? Thanks Toks (ademerckx)
ReplyDeleteHi Toks
ReplyDeleteI use 2x20s for several different things depending on the time of year, my fitness, and my objectives at the time. As you say I also do 2x20s @ threshold which I call L4 as per the Coggan definitions. I also do 2x20s @ Sweet Spot which is on the border between threshold and L3, so upper L3 really or 88-94% of FTP which for me is about 270W at present. A typical current average HR for a SST 20 minute effort would be about 155, about 83-85% of MHR I'd guess.
That's not all! I also do, as I am at present, either 2x20 or 2x25 minute L3 efforts which are done at about 250-255W or about 80% of MHR. I do these when I want to lose a bit of weight and do worthwhile training without really tiring myself too much as I can do theses day after day, unlike L4 work. I've done these for the last 5 days and I feel fine.
I find regular 2x20-25 minute L3 work very effective as base building work and I then steadily shift more to SST and L4 work as time goes by and the need to work harder on my threshold and VO2 max increases.
So, that's me really, I no longer bother with L2 stuff, I find it unproductive, it just makes me tired and delivers nothing. I either do what I consider to be useful intensity training which to me is L3 upwards or I rest, or walk to loosen up. I think many cyclists should do more walking for a number of reasons I won't bore you with.
I think some folk get a bit hung up on the length of the efforts and feel that if the effort is say 20 minutes long it should be done at a certain intensity. I like to mix it up a bit, I do some of my L5 work at 4 minutes rather than the traditional 5, but that's another, potentially long, story!
Thanks for dropping by, I've always enjoyed your posts and am flattered that you have taken the time to read my ramblings. You should pop into one of my live turbo session webcasts one day, now they are a real laugh!
Keep in touch, advice always welcome.
Cheers,
Q
My L3 sessions on the turbo are usually 2 x 45mins or a straight 90mins. I need a lot of distraction to get through but its manageable. Jus! I haven't done any L3 on the turbo for a while but will get back them in November. Happy Training :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ade, all Ok at the moment anyway. As the Winter rolls in 1x60 L3 sessions will become my meat and potatoes, happy days on the CompuTrainer!
ReplyDelete