If you want to self-test using a handheld blood lactate meter, this article provides guidance: https://uphillathlete.com/aerobic-training/blood-lactate-test-protocol-tips-and-tricks/
Jane Mackay
Forum Replies Created
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KeymasterJane Mackay on March 15, 2024 at 2:35 am · in reply to: Scientific basis of heart rate drift test #85624Keymaster
Hi Max,
Apologies for the late reply.
I discussed your question with coach Pedro Carvalho and he said that because the specificity of your question requires taking into account changes in the exercises, analysis of your posture while doing them and other individual factors, the best thing would be to book a video consultation with a coach. We want to make sure you’re not setting yourself up for injury.
JaneKeymasterJane Mackay on March 15, 2024 at 2:28 am · in reply to: Scientific basis of heart rate drift test #85622Hi Jackie,
Good question.
In the early years, the HR drift test was administered, interpreted, and evaluated for hundreds of athletes and found to correlate very closely to the laboratory-administered gas exchange test (GET).
If you’re interested in a deeper understanding (and more science), in these two podcast episodes the co-founder of UA, Scott Johnston, discusses all of this:Talking Metabolic Testing with Director of Sports Performance at UC Davis, Judd Van Sickle
Phil Maffetone Talks Health, Training, and Aerobic Deficiency with Scott Johnston
Let me know if you have more questions.
JaneKeymasterHi Kira,
Sorry for the late reply.In basic terms, in the Uphill Athlete methodology, these are the zones:
Recovery Zone: ambling along a flat street, very relaxed
Zone 1: easy effort, you can easily carry on a conversation without puffing
Zone 2: harder effort but you can still talk in complete sentences : Aerobic threshold (AeT) = top of Zone 2
Zone 3: “fun hard” — an intensity you can maintain for at most one hour : Anaerobic threshold (AnT) = top of Zone 3
Zone 4: hard – an intensity you can maintain for at most several minutesThe UA method uses the two threshold markers — AeT and AnT — to guide training.
This article outlines the zones and shows their relationship to the metabolism (using fat vs using carbs/glucose for fuel):
This article explains (with a video) how to do the HR drift test to determine the top of your zone 2: https://uphillathlete.com/aerobic-training/heart-rate-drift/
Does that help?
JaneKeymasterHi nkerber,
Have you managed to do a successful test? To answer your question, how much time to leave between tests depends on the individual and what else is going on that could cause fatigue. Since you got a drift of 6.5% at 153, you could take 149 or maybe 150 as your starting AeT and retest again in a month or so when you can fit it with the rest of your training.
Hope this helps.
JaneKeymasterJane Mackay on February 21, 2024 at 3:52 am · in reply to: Aerobic threshold and cross country skiing #84953Good you figured that out!
KeymasterJane Mackay on February 20, 2024 at 1:36 am · in reply to: Fatigued legs during recovery week #84932Great that you’re feeling fresh again.
Maybe the sudden drop was caused by the final week of that block pushing you over the edge, or maybe it was ‘vacation syndrome’ — when you get sick the day you go on vacation because the body knows it can now relax and do all the repair and restoration that’s needed.
In any case, great news that the load now seems to have been absorbed.KeymasterJane Mackay on February 19, 2024 at 12:43 am · in reply to: Fatigued legs during recovery week #84916If you have access to a place to swim, swimming is a fantastic recovery excecise for the legs, because it’s weightless and the legs are horizontal, and also the pressure of the water.
KeymasterJane Mackay on February 19, 2024 at 12:39 am · in reply to: Fatigued legs during recovery week #84915Pinekiwi, it sounds like you’re underrecovered, which is the inverse way of saying what llaurent2006 said, that you’ve been pushing harder than your body can cope with at this point. You mentioned you just finished a tough block with a lot of ME, right after a phase in which you’ve been “feeling really strong”. Paradoxically, feeling really strong can be a sign that your body has reached a peak and you’re on the edge of pushing too hard. My suggestion would be to do another recovery week or maybe repeat week 1 of the programme — but really pay attention to how your legs and your system overall are feeling. Also other indicators: are you sleeping well? Have your moods changed?
Let us know how it goes.
JaneKeymasterJane Mackay on February 18, 2024 at 2:46 am · in reply to: Workout z3/z4 from uphill athlete book #84901Ste17, the first reply in this forum post is from Scott Johnston, the co-founder of UA. Does it answer your question?ù
Jane
KeymasterJane Mackay on February 16, 2024 at 1:41 am · in reply to: Workout z3/z4 from uphill athlete book #84871Have you got an answer to your question, Ste17?
KeymasterIf you’re alone, the safest way to add weight is to wear a weighted backpack or use a weight vest. Or instead of adding weight, you could elevate your feet and/or do an offset-arm progression towards one-armed pushups. If you have a band, you could lay it across your back and twist an end in each hand, so the band is providing resistance as you rise. That doesn’t add effort to the lowering phase, however. If you’re working out a lot at home, it’s probably worth investing in a weight vest. I love mine.
KeymasterJane Mackay on February 14, 2024 at 7:55 am · in reply to: Aerobic threshold and cross country skiing #84816Hi ajpartanen,
I ran your question by coach Pedro Carvalho. Here is his reply:Most likely its not correct , but one of the reasons it can give differently and higher is because skiing is a sport without no impact, and your weight has not so much impact. To be sure, it would be a good idea to redo the test for skiing.
Another important thing to remember is that each sport has its specificity — i.e. we should only compare apples with apples, and not compare numbers from one sport with numbers from another sport.
Does that help?
JaneKeymasterMax, as you note, what you lose if you do bench presses rather than pushups is the full-body aspect of pushups. Pushups train core strength (front and back), because you’re essentially holding yourself in plank position, and they also require that you hold correct form in the mid and upper back around the shoulders and shoulder blades.
Does that help?
JaneKeymasterJane Mackay on February 13, 2024 at 1:47 am · in reply to: UA Expedition Mtn Training Plan and TSS #84788Hi Deborah,
I ran your question by Coach Alyssa Clark, who manages the training plans, and this is her reply:I just checked the mountaineering plan and it doesn’t show any of the workouts at 887 TSS. TP automatically calculates the TSS scores based off of the structured workout and the HR zones, so I would suggest she check her zones and then try reloading the plan. It shouldn’t be coming up at 887.
Let us know if that doesn’t solve the problem.
Jane