[Brett]

I’ve read that training over aerobic threshold can potentially inhibit aerobic gains, and even cause loss in progress, especially during the base building phase. I know Maffetone is big on this. I’ve tried a couple of AeT tests in the past two weeks where my drift was between 8-10% for both, so I’ve been recently running in Z3 way more than I would like during my base building phase. I’m hesitant to try another failed test, as I don’t want it to have a negative effect on the hard (or should I say easy!) work I’ve done up to this point, and I am more tempted to stick to the AeT HR I determined in the first week of my training plan (even though I think it’s too low at this point).

Is this a valid concern, or am I just being paranoid? These darned AeT tests are so tricky to nail down, as evident with all the related questions in these forums. I think my body may be fighting illness or something else is amiss, as my HR consistently climbs roughly 10 beats every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes of the test, regardless of my pace and perceived effort.

Thanks in advance!

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 30, 2020 at 7:36 am #37101

An AeT test every four to six weeks, even if it slightly goes over AeT, isn’t going to hurt anything. Training above aerobic threshold harms aerobic capacity when it’s chronic and disproportionate to regular base work.

By disproportionate, I mean greater than 5% of total training time. And an AeT test would be so marginally over AeT that it’s probably not even a factor.

But this is a huge factor:

I think my body may be fighting illness or something else is amiss, as my HR consistently climbs roughly 10 beats every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes of the test, regardless of my pace and perceived effort.

There isn’t much point in testing anything if you’re sick. It won’t be an accurate representation of your fitness. Heart rate measures global stress, not just training intensity. Illness will just muddy the results from something that’s already a pretty fudgy method. (We don’t use a drift test because it’s the best, but because it’s the most practical for repeated testing for non-professionals.)