Most interesting to me is the time span needed to adequately condition the aerobic pathways vs. the Anerobic pathways.
It takes months (years, really) to develop a huge aerobic base, but only weeks (days?) to bring the VO2 max – AnerobicWorkCapacity up to par.

Your articles have put even deeper confidence in my off-season goals as a competitive cyclist.
These goals are predominantly:
1. increase endurance capacity at sub threshold intensities (i mentioned my 3 hours @ 85% of LTP goal in an earlier post) to be a stonger finisher in long road races.
2. boost threshold by using the “push” methodologies of SweetSpot training.
3. increase efficiency by becoming more comfortable pedaling in a very aggressive position on the bike (the “invisible aerobars” position).
4. lose 3 kilograms of fat.

As much as this can be quite boring and time consuming, I too find that my greatest fitness comes from this type of work. Additionally, the work capacity developed from 10,000-12,000 kilajoule weeks is tremendous and inspires huge levels of confidence.

Unfortunately, Supra-threshold Intervals in many ways are “easier” than a 3 hours tempo session, at least mentally.
So for better or worse, I’m going to continue on this path of sub threshold training.

I’ve also noticed that my ability to ride with less food has increased as well as my long tempo sessions have become the norm. Very cool.

The only type of supra-threshold work I do in the off-season is “muscle tension intervals”. basically 2-3′ of low cadence hill climbing @ vo2max wattage. This seems to do two things: get me more comfortable at lower cadences and prepare me for the more intense 4×5’s @ vo2max that come in the last month of a build cycle.

thanks again, any comments are deeply aprecciated.

-Leo

Martin: Read the research review on EPOC on the site which talks about this in excruciating detail. Or the steady state vs. interval series.

I like your idea a lot. I would second that article idea.

i am an avid reader of your site and eagerly check for new posts. My question is only slightly off topic. I am obese and interested in fat loss. I seem to remember from physiology done years ago that when the body goes into oxygen debt, there is ‘interest paid on the loan’. In other words, when exercising at a rate developing oxygen debt, more calories are consumed than if the same work was done at an intensity that did not accumulate an oxygen debt. Is my memory faulty? If not, is it a valuable tactic to to work at an intensity hard enought to accumulate an oxygen debt for the purpose of increased calorie consumption and fat loss?
Thanks

martin

It would be pretty cool if we could have a research paper(s) going into the training effect/transfer of different training methods you outlined.

For example, assessing the
1. Stroke Volume
2. Capilarization of FT and ST fibers in muscles
3. Mitochondrial enzimes, density in FT and ST fibers
4. Lactate threshold in term of power/speed, %age of VO2max and vVO2max, VO2 LT, HR LT, etc
4. Maximal aerobic power, in vVO2max, VO2max
5. Buffering capacity, like betaM

Then having groups doing different kind of training and then evaluate the effects. What training type cause no/medium/high training effect on those factors, and the dynamics of that change (the platoue effect)

Also, I would be interested into hearing more about improving ‘recovery’ ability in HIIE sports, like soccer, bball, tennis, etc. What physiological factor has the greatest ‘transfer’ to field performance and physiological testing.

Keep up the good work Lyle!