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Re: Maffetone Method [ZenTriBrett] [ In reply to ]
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ZenTriBrett wrote:
I'm a half-believer in Maffetone's method. What he says is right on, but many races have different requirements. If you go above a certain heart rate (usually 180-age), then you're training more anaerobic systems for sprinting or forcing your way over a steep grade. For endurance events on flat gournd, that's definitely not the right thing to be training. BUT, if your race has hills or bursts of speed to catch a pack, never training those systems will ruin your race day. Do a race with lots of hills and you have to go way over threshold many times or you'll go backwards or fall over. A mountain bike race or trail run would be great examples. If you never touch going anaerobic and then do a race that requires it, you're going to be in a world of hurt. If you tried to stay below 180-age while mountain biking hills, you'd have to get off and walk... slowly, while everybody else rides past you with their strong legs trained going anaerobically.

Basically, build aerobic base, but don't forget to train for what you're racing.

Or you could use a scientific method to determine HRs and not the MAF Method and train for the terrain you're racing. But hey, to each their own. ;-) Good to see you post Brett

Mike Ricci
2017 USAT World Team Coach
USAT National Coach of the Year
Coaching Triathletes since 1992.
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Re: Maffetone Method [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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I am in the middle of the book and have started adapting it to my training this off season.

BACKGROUND..

I am a 42 soon to be 43 year old male. 5 foot 10 183# right now (I get down to 178ish at the peak of training)

I have been an off and on runner since highschool. I got fat about 10 years ago over a period of 3 years of relative inactivity. When I hit 240# and needed to buy fat clothes I said enough is enough. I got tired of being fat and decided to run a marathon.

I got down to 215# with 4 months of training and diet and did my first marathon in 4 hours 42.

I stayed the course and ran 1 marathon a year and have cut time (and weight) off every year. I have a PR of 3HRS 39 now.

In 2012 I got into tri and did my first full this summer at IMMT.

I want to get faster and decided to try the MAF method. I started 2 weeks ago and this is what I am doing.

I gave myself an max HR of 140. I start running slow, 10 minute mile pace for the first mile. My HR stays low, 110 to 115. over the next 2 to 3 miles I ramp up the speed until I am just below 140. The first time I tried this I was only able to do a 9 minute mile. Now only 2 weeks later I am in the 8:20 range.

I am a little bored with running so slow at times BUT I see results (and quickly) so I am willing to give the program a good try.

QUICK QUESTION... What do you do on race day??? Stay below your max just like in training??

Thanks for any more info you can provide.
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Re: Maffetone Method [Mike Ricci] [ In reply to ]
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Ha ha! Exactly. What's up, Mike!

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Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com
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Re: Maffetone Method [sciguy] [ In reply to ]
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sciguy wrote:
jroden wrote:
it seems like a nice bridge to higher mileage, I found I had to walk the hills, which got old after a while.

I'm not sure if there is an evidence base to the whole "you have to do it for x months or all is lost" mantra in his book, it seems like a lot of the underlying physiology and science is a little weak.


Ummmmmm perhaps nonexistent? What it may well do is prevent someone from injuring themselves leading to more consistent training which we all have to agree is a good thing.

He is often on Endurance planet. Recently he did a show on athletes over 50. At around 50mins into the interview it gets interesting :

Tawnee : How do you use the 180 formula for an older athlete ?
Maffetone : I don't
Tawnee : You don't use the 180 formula for an older athelete ?
Maffetone : I don't use it for anybody

He then explains he used to use the 220-age and that was not effective. What he did was a physical examination and watched a person's gait on the track ...a long question session...to determine a MAF HR based on clinical judgement.

When people asked him how to do this assessment he couldn't give them an answer. He found the 180-age was coming close to the number he was assessing through his examinations.

"I don't use the 180 formula because I can be more accurate"

But the following was the most interesting part

"Later on when we started using treadmill tests with RQ and we could see how much fat and how much sugar people were burning at different heart rates, that became a very interesting thing and we were able to explain that to people that did those tests".

"Do the treadmill test, look where your breakpoint is, where your fat burning starts to diminish, RQ starts to go up, back up in HR to the point just before that"

So it sounds to me what he is looking for is aerobic threshold or very close to it.
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