Big Efforts... But Not Too Big

My Heart Rate During Workout Session

Tuesday was the maiden voyage for me and my new Fuji track bike on the Boulder Indoor Velodrome. I purposely didn't go gonzo on my hot laps because I wanted to make sure I got a good feel for the bike before I started focusing on speed rather than my technique. That said, I still had some good efforts during the session.

The Workout:

1. warm up.
2. 4 sprint efforts from the back of the pack
3. Recover
4. 2 3k team pursuit efforts
5. cool down

The Explanation:

1. Warm up: Twenty minute warm. Effort should be gradually increasing to a peak at the finish. First 15 minutes will be in zone 2 and 3. Final 5 minutes will be spent in sprinters lane with heart rate steadily in zone 3 and final lap can peak in zone 4.
2. 4 sprints from back of the pack: Exercise requires at least a group of three riders. This drill is intended to practice attacking off the back of the pack and taking your opponent by surprise. In theory, right before an attack the attacking rider needs to allow a bit of a gap between themselves and the group before throwing the hammer down. The idea is to allow the attacking rider to attack while still in the slipstream before passing at full speed.
3. Recover: self explanatory.
4. 2 3k team pursuit efforts: With a group of three riders the idea is to finish the effort in as little time as possible with a strict no drop policy. Each rider takes turns at the front and communication is key to allow weaker riders to take shorter pulls and stronger riders to pull longer. Along with communication, pace line mechanics is critical to success with the high speed effort.
5. Cool down: Allow your heart to recover before ending exercise. Should not get off the bike while still sweating.

In Practice:

1. Warm up: Did not track my warm up heart rate so it is not displayed in the graph above.
2. 4 sprints from back of pack: There was a group of 4 riders on the track. I have some technique to learn on this form of attack. I understand the theory, but in practice I got a bit anxious when I watched the riders open a gap. I applied the pressure a bit too early, eliminating the slipstream effect and I ended up attacking while on the outside, which eliminated any surprise. Not great, a lot of room for improvement, but like anything it requires practice. We did that a total of four times after our warm up (First four spikes in graph).
3. Recover: Seemed to recover quickly
4. 2 3k team pursuit efforts: This was awesome! Basically a three person team time trial around the track. The first effort was a bit dodgy. It was the first time the three of us rode together that fast. However, we learned quickly and made decent time. Now the second effort was were it got cool. Not only were we more comfortable around each other, but we started communicating. Allowing those who were struggling a chance to take shorter pulls while those who could handle more took longer. It started to feel like a real team effort, which is rare in a sport such as cycling (3k efforts are the second set of spikes on the graph).
5. Cool down:

In Conclusion:

The riding was great and I felt in control during the entire session. I was happy to see my heart has a large range. My max heart rate yesterday was 190bpm and I didn't feel like I was going to puke! I'm pretty sure I can get it a couple beats above that even when doing a solo hot lap. Time will tell as I plan to continue to chart my heart rate during these rides.