First, you need to define what you mean by "LT" since there are lots of definitions floating around.

If you mean "true lactate threshold" as defined as the first rise in lactate above baseline or, say 2 mmol...

My HR at the LT is about 162; my max HR (biking) is about 185 (I'm pretty sure; haven't done an all-out test in a few years)

If you mean "avg. HR over the last 20 minutes of a 30 minute all-out TT" ...

My HR in such a test is about 178 (did one two weeks ago).

True lactate threshold. For example, during my CP20 tests, 164 + is where I'm at. I guess I'm just wondering how much more efficient I can get(i.e. how close can you bring those two numbers together)?

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

My LT is 173-175'ish, max HR at just over 180 (highest numbers I have ever hit).

My CP30 is 315w currently.

Last weekend I ran it into the red and hit 179 BPM several times during a short 7 mile TT.

Wow, that's pretty good - not much difference there between LT and max for you. Two questions.

1. How's your sprint? I know you do mostly TT's, but how do you feel when you wind it up?

2. I don't want this too sound bad, or be taken the wrong way, but do you feel like you have much room for improvement, or are you pretty max'd out? I realize we can all become more efficient at our LT, and that LT doesn't neccessarily need to be raised to improve, but do you feel like you can get much more powerful, or are you just fine tuning at this point? For instance, I'd like to raise my CP20 to 400, or even 425 someday. I was well above 450 pre-surgery, but I fear I'm reaching my ceiling now.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

Not to be a nitpicker, but CP20 is way above "true" LT. True LT is more like the power you can hold over 2.5 to 3 hours. Trained athletes can exercise at the LT for around 3 hours.

CP20 is a little above MLSS, which a trained athlete can hold for around an hour.

They're all related, of course. I'm just making a point of clarification.

As for how close -- it's more relevant to ask how close your LT (or MLSS) power can get to your VO2max power*. That is a relationship that is the important one (as opposed to max HR). Even as VO2max maxes out, an athlete's LT can keep rising for years. Somebody somewhere (Coyle, I think) reported not long ago that Lance's VO2max power has declined slightly from early in his career, even as his LT power has risen. LT power wins races for the most part, not VO2max power (although a high VO2max power never hurt anybody!).

*VO2max is roughly the power a trained athlete can hold for about 5-6 minutes.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Realize that my own testing has shown 180-182 to be my max, becuase that's the highest I have seen. But this was not done in a lab ... so ...

1. Sprint? It's ok, but I'm not a crit guy.

2. I don't base improvement on my HR at LT. I base it on power at LT. I expect that my heart rate at LT will actually drop as I get older. Really, all I care about is average power over the length of a TT course, for pacing and monitoring my performance. I don't use HR anymore really.

I average around 187 bpm for a 40k time trial...in shorter t/t's(like 10 miles or so), I average about 192-195ish. The highest max I've hit is 206. At least for me, there seems to be a very small gap from LT and AT???

Don't know if thats good or bad??? I don't really go by a heartrate monitor anymore... I have developed that "feel" of when I am in that zone of time trial mode. On race day, my numbers run so much higher and using a monitor would really psych-me out; thinking that I am going to hard.

that didn't quite come through.... You had cp20 "well above 450" pre-surgery? Unless you weigh an awful lot, that easily puts you into world class ranks -- not just among triathletes, but pro cyclists. Just curious... what Powermeter do you use?



--j

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

The numbers are correct, at or above 450 (not well above - if I typed that it was a mistake). And yes, I could ride a lot of people off my wheel in the late 80's - early 90's, but chose a more stable career over the life of a pro (yep, regret it! :-))However, I've since had my aortic and pulmonary valves replaced and, not surprisingly, there's been a negative, non-pharmacological, impact on performance. Post surgery, I lost 20 or so beats off the top end, and went from a resting rate of 29 to 43 now. Some of the change is age (39), and some lack of fitness and weight as I'm 20-25 pounds heavier. Currently use a PT.

I don't base much on hr anymore either - I really don't even look at it these days except that now that I'm back to racing, I just don't have the kick and it's frustrating. I'm just assuming it's the drop in max hr, or the lack of reserve I had between what I considered LT and what was my max. Does that make sense, or do I have it wrong? It's not that LT is all that important in this scenario except that's usually where one is at just prior to beginning the lead up to the final sprint in a race. Basically, I figure I don't have much chance in winning a race in a field sprint anymore, and will have to rely on tactics and breakaways for further success. Just wondering what other's experiences where as far as getting the most out of themselves at LT hr or threshold power. Hoping I'm not banging my head against the wall trying to win at the master's level. I ask this question here because because the majority of athletes on this forum rarely race above LT, and are probably getting the most out of their aerobic engines.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

From my test 4 weeks ago (after some time off from training):

LT: 198

Max: 203

(This is for the run).


edit: cycling HRs are pretty similar, maybe slightly lower. Usually I only reach these numbers if I'm at a fast cadence (95+), but I tend to ride at around 80 rpm for TTs because I feel I generate more power (don't know any numbers though).

That is a very important point that many athletes and coaches never understand. It is power at LT that matters, not HR (or pace at LT for running).