Increasing your muscle's capillary density, etc...?

Bhima

I have been told that you can increase your muscle's capillary density by riding slowly. Is this true? If so, HOW slowly must you go?

If I understand it correctly, a higher capillary density would help you get to a higher lactic threshold, right? What about the other things which affect the threshold? Like fatty acid oxidation? Are there ways you can train to make this more efficient?

I've been doing the interval training which has been mentioned on here to increase my lactic threshold but if there are ways of increasing your body's efficiency first, i'd like to know what they are!

Murr X

Bhima wrote:

I have been told that you can increase your muscle's capillary density by riding slowly. Is this true? If so, HOW slowly must you go?

Just to clear things up riding "slowly" does NOT increase the muscles capillary density when you have already been interval training. It is a golden myth that LSD riding will bring you this benefit.

Threshold and particularly V02 / MAP intervals are what increase capillary density the most.

Riding slowly may be fun but is probably not something you need to be doing too much of if you want to improve as a road racer.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Improved muscle capillarisation will be induced by sufficient riding at non-recovery aerobic intensity levels but is maximally induced by riding at an intensity in and around those that induce a state of VO2 Max.

Click the chart on this page for some clues as to the various adaptations related to intensity:

http://www.cyclecoach.com/index.php?opt ... Itemid=112

MyCycling.com

Normally what is associated with this instruction is low heart rate long miles. Intervals will increase your capillary systems of course, however, you can't sustain this for long periods of time.

From experience of myself, and many professional cyclists is that couple this philosophy with long miles. As in 6-800km a week type blocks.

In early season training, your focusing on building the "base" for which the rest of your year is built on. Early on, you need to ensure that your doing the training that will allow you to maximize how many hours in the saddle you can sustain.

It's essential that you look beyond what you are doing in an individual session, but the bigger building blocks of an entire season. This is especially important if you want to ride 7+ day tours.

fuzzynavel

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

Improved muscle capillarisation will be induced by sufficient riding at non-recovery aerobic intensity levels but is maximally induced by riding at an intensity in and around those that induce a state of VO2 Max.

Click the chart on this page for some clues as to the various adaptations related to intensity:

http://www.cyclecoach.com/index.php?opt ... Itemid=112

Going by the pictures....around L5/L6 (FTP upwards) is where you want to be for best improvement in all mentioned categories for improvement. That's good to know seeing as WKO+ says that I spend 85% of my time in the 90% and above range according to Heart rate. Is that about L4?

Bhima

Cheers for clearing that up straight away Murr X. I think i'll stick to doing the interval training with a bit of slower long-distance stuff mixed in here and there.

Murr X wrote:

Riding slowly may be fun

Fun? :?

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

maximally induced by riding at an intensity in and around those that induce a state of VO2 Max.

Just to clarify, the VO2 Max state is when you're right on the verge of being "out of breath"...? (I know this is a basic question probably asked on here 34180741402 times but searching around, it's hard to find a simple answer to this.)

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

http://www.cyclecoach.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=112

Wow! Lot of info there! Thanks.

slunker

yeah, that was helpful????? :shock: What the hell are all thse acronyms stand for.

Any chance of a "dummies guide"

fuzzynavel

slunker wrote:

yeah, that was helpful????? :shock: What the hell are all thse acronyms stand for.

Any chance of a "dummies guide"

Read the link that Alex offered...lots of good info there.

Try reading this too.

http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/power411/threshold.asp

Alex_Simmons/RST

fuzzynavel wrote:

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

Improved muscle capillarisation will be induced by sufficient riding at non-recovery aerobic intensity levels but is maximally induced by riding at an intensity in and around those that induce a state of VO2 Max.

Click the chart on this page for some clues as to the various adaptations related to intensity:

http://www.cyclecoach.com/index.php?opt ... Itemid=112

Going by the pictures....around L5/L6 (FTP upwards) is where you want to be for best improvement in all mentioned categories for improvement. That's good to know seeing as WKO+ says that I spend 85% of my time in the 90% and above range according to Heart rate. Is that about L4?

90% max HR would be in the L4 range.

As I said earlier the adaptations come from most non-recovery levels and since there is an inverse relationship between how hard we can ride and how long we can sustain it, then there is a trade off between duration and intensity.

IOW you also get good benefits from longer rides, provided they aren't too easy.

Gains made by riding sufficient volumes at VO2 Max inducing levels are most useful but assosicated with that form of training is a shorter time course for developing and sustaining the improvements (e.g. weeks vs months for improvements in lactate threshold).

Alex_Simmons/RST

Bhima wrote:

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

maximally induced by riding at an intensity in and around those that induce a state of VO2 Max.

Just to clarify, the VO2 Max state is when you're right on the verge of being "out of breath"...? (I know this is a basic question probably asked on here 34180741402 times but searching around, it's hard to find a simple answer to this.)

Typically you could sustain riding at such a level for around 3-8 minutes depending on exactly how hard you go and your level of fitness. But yes, your breathing will be very heavy and conversation is not possible, especially in the latter stages of such an effort. Strong sensations of leg effort and fatigue.

You wouldn't do more than 20-30 mins total such efforts in a day's training.

Heart rate is not much of a guide when doing such training.

Alex_Simmons/RST

slunker wrote:

yeah, that was helpful????? :shock: What the hell are all thse acronyms stand for.

Any chance of a "dummies guide"

I've probably already written about them. What terms are you unsure about?

fuzzynavel

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

fuzzynavel wrote:

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

Improved muscle capillarisation will be induced by sufficient riding at non-recovery aerobic intensity levels but is maximally induced by riding at an intensity in and around those that induce a state of VO2 Max.

Click the chart on this page for some clues as to the various adaptations related to intensity:

http://www.cyclecoach.com/index.php?opt ... Itemid=112

Going by the pictures....around L5/L6 (FTP upwards) is where you want to be for best improvement in all mentioned categories for improvement. That's good to know seeing as WKO+ says that I spend 85% of my time in the 90% and above range according to Heart rate. Is that about L4?

90% max HR would be in the L4 range.

As I said earlier the adaptations come from most non-recovery levels and since there is an inverse relationship between how hard we can ride and how long we can sustain it, then there is a trade off between duration and intensity.

IOW you also get good benefits from longer rides, provided they aren't too easy.

Gains made by riding sufficient volumes at VO2 Max inducing levels are most useful but assosicated with that form of training is a shorter time course for developing and sustaining the improvements (e.g. weeks vs months for improvements in lactate threshold).

Thanks Alex,

My training is one 50+ mile ride at the weekend riding at about L4 with a couple of short climbs which push my up into L5 ish territory. Can't seem to get into L6 no matter how hard I try according to heart rate! I seem to have a heart rate cap at about 191 which I can't get over.
I also do 2 or 3 20 mile rides during the week which are full of hill intervals which are done at maximum perceived exertion...

hopefully with this combination I should be helping VO2 max and endurance/fitness

mclarent

Out of interest Alex, why haven't you pulled together all these ideas into a book yet?

Alex_Simmons/RST

mclarent wrote:

Out of interest Alex, why haven't you pulled together all these ideas into a book yet?

'cause I've got a Sydney house mortgage
Lot of it has been done already anyway. e.g.:
http://www.amazon.com/Training-Racing-P ... 1931382794