Heart Rate zones.

I haven't ever looked into this from a biking point of view, but from other (cardio) sports my impression is best way to improve your VO2 max is interval training. The classic is "tabata" (each set is 20s flat out 10s off x8), but you can also do intervals where you're not going 100% eg 2mins on 1min recovery.

You can definitely be doing anaerobic exercise that isn't weight training. If you try and go 100% as hard as you can on a bike, you will probably be able to hold max wattage for 20-40 seconds. That's your anaerobic system working (and then running out). For every part of biking other than sprint finishes though, its an aerobic sport so this is much more important.

Hope that was helpful,
Rob

Post your ? on Training forum not beginners I would say ....

Without getting all scientific, here's some rough guidance:
90 - 100% - hurts like hell and you can't go for very long, a few minutes at the maximum. Most people never reach this degree of intensity because it's so uncomfortable. Typically finishing effort on a really hard hill or sprint - you need a good training base to start working at this level. You need to do a proper test protocol e.g. ramp test to find your real limits - if you near black-out then you've probably reached 100%!
80-90% - threshold - right on your sustainable limit, try 20 minutes at this insensity and you're getting tunnel-vision and light-headed. Do repeated. short intervalsintervals at this intensity to train your tolerance to pain!
70-80% - top of your aerobic limit - endurance pace but still quite hard. You can train yourself to maintain this pace for longer.
If you're a beginner I'd focus on your fitness, endurance and conditioning first - over-doing high intensity work at this time of year is a recipe for over-training and injury. Save the really hard stuff for the warm weather.

oldwelshman wrote:

I don't think 80 to 90% is anaerobic, more 95 to 100%.

not so sure you have that correct, most people (and yes this is a generalisation, everyone is different) fall into the following :

50-60% - recovery level - helps and speeds up recovery after heavier exercises
60-70% - increases aerobic - increases fat metabolism
70-80% - enhances aerobic - improves blood circulation
80-90% - increases anaerobic tolerance - improves high speed endurance
90-100% - tones the neuromuscular system - increases maximum sprint race speed

oldwelshman wrote:

hulla the hulla wrote:

oldwelshman wrote:

I don't think 80 to 90% is anaerobic, more 95 to 100%.

not so sure you have that correct, most people (and yes this is a generalisation, everyone is different) fall into the following :

50-60% - recovery level - helps and speeds up recovery after heavier exercises
60-70% - increases aerobic - increases fat metabolism
70-80% - enhances aerobic - improves blood circulation
80-90% - increases anaerobic tolerance - improves high speed endurance
90-100% - tones the neuromuscular system - increases maximum sprint race speed

Thats training, I was more on about effort, if your at 95 to 100% thats anaerobic.

Fair do's - and yeah, suppose that makes more sense.