Using the Turbo with HR Zones

MartinGT
MartinGT Posts: 475
edited January 2011 in Training, fitness and health
Hi Guys

A quick one for the people who know this :)

A friend asked me today about training on a turbo using HR zones.

She has been told that when she comes off her Turbo she should be shattered and drained. Which I would sort of agree with.

She has also been told her turbo has been set up wrong as she does more miles on her turbo than her coach (only 3 miles like).

I thought the idea of training in HR zones was to make sure you go above your Anaerobic threshold for a certain amount of time in intervals?

So if she does a decent warm up and cool down then surly it doesnt matter how many miles she has done? As long as she has done what she intended I.e worked in Zone 2 for 5 x 5 mins for example?

Am I right?

Comments

  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    You can do all different types of training on a turbo, just like you can do on the road.

    I normally do sessions on the turbo, and these could range from a recovery spin, to a full out Vo2Max intervals.

    As to the notion you should come off a turbo shattered and drained is a little silly, it depends on what session you do on the turbo.

    In the recent bad weather, I was doing 2 hour tempo rides, now it does make you tired, but not overly so. Not sure what percentage of HR her level 2 equates to but even if it was tempo, an hour of this is fairly easy on the body, though perhaps not the mind.

    Back to the question though, speed doesn't matter if you are training by HR, though bear in mind that dependent on what sort of intervals you are doing HR is pointless, such as 5 mins at Vo2Max, you would finish the interval before you get to the max HR
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    I think she has her zones mixed up. You wouldn't get very far doing 5x5s in zone 2.
  • jonmack
    jonmack Posts: 522
    In all honesty, I never come off the turbo shattered and drained, and I ride to my HRM zones on the Sufferfest videos. Don't get me wrong, during the ride my legs ache and I get very out of breath and look forward to the rest periods, but within 15 minutes or so I feel okay again. Not good enough that I could go through with it again, but i'm certainly not knackered.

    Maybe i'm training wrong?

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