Testing
Testing is a fairly important part of training for 2 reasons. The first being that you need to determine your power/hr zones through a test. The second is that it confirms your training is working. From an idealist point of view, if you have a plan and stick to it, your training will work and there's no need to verify it. Also, with a lot of trail and error, you can get the workout zones without a formal test. But in reality, testing covers these issues a lot more efficiently and without the blind faith.
For any test, you should perform it when rested and keep variables as consistent as possible. For instance, always do a test on a Saturday at the end of your rest week, at 9:00 am with the same breakfast, a full night sleep, same warmup, etc.
LT Test
The standard test to find your LT can be found here. Essentially you "should" be able to ride at your LT for 60 minutes. Since this is painful, a 20-30 minute test is much easier. With experience, you'll know when you're getting close to your LT and testing will become less formal. This test is what Friel uses in his plans.
3 mile
Carmichael uses a 3 mile time trial to determine your various zones. Regardless of your using this method, it's not a bad idea to mark off a 3 mile course and test yourself on it occasionally. If you're recreational, the Mendoza Line is 10 minutes. If you're a racer, it's 8 minutes. Beating the 8 minute mark puts you in the advanced-intermediate category of riders.
Make It Up
There's no reason you can't make it up as you go along. I have a short 13 mile loop I occasionally use for recovery rides which loops around the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. I use this as a metric to test where I'm at. There are other common loops I ride which I check as the season goes on. Some are hill rides, some are 30-40 miles. Some are nothing more than how I feel on a particular off-road ride.
Or make up whatever you think works for you. The LT test is a good "industry standard" to go by. On top of that, there are any number of things you can do to measure your progress, even if it's nothing more than comparing this year's race results with last year's.
For any test, you should perform it when rested and keep variables as consistent as possible. For instance, always do a test on a Saturday at the end of your rest week, at 9:00 am with the same breakfast, a full night sleep, same warmup, etc.
LT Test
The standard test to find your LT can be found here. Essentially you "should" be able to ride at your LT for 60 minutes. Since this is painful, a 20-30 minute test is much easier. With experience, you'll know when you're getting close to your LT and testing will become less formal. This test is what Friel uses in his plans.
3 mile
Carmichael uses a 3 mile time trial to determine your various zones. Regardless of your using this method, it's not a bad idea to mark off a 3 mile course and test yourself on it occasionally. If you're recreational, the Mendoza Line is 10 minutes. If you're a racer, it's 8 minutes. Beating the 8 minute mark puts you in the advanced-intermediate category of riders.
Make It Up
There's no reason you can't make it up as you go along. I have a short 13 mile loop I occasionally use for recovery rides which loops around the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. I use this as a metric to test where I'm at. There are other common loops I ride which I check as the season goes on. Some are hill rides, some are 30-40 miles. Some are nothing more than how I feel on a particular off-road ride.
Or make up whatever you think works for you. The LT test is a good "industry standard" to go by. On top of that, there are any number of things you can do to measure your progress, even if it's nothing more than comparing this year's race results with last year's.
posted by Norm at 7:05 AM
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