Aerobic Training Will Make You Faster
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- čas přidán 11. 11. 2022
- Zone 2....... Base Miles........ Aerobic Training........
All terms you have heard, but what do they mean and why, as a mountain biker, should you care?
Let me show you why aerobic training should form the foundation of your fitness training, and, how to do it.
Stay Strong
Ben
#enduromtb #mountainbiking #mtb
Let me do the planning work for you, with The Complete MTB Programme:
thestrengthfactory.uk/program...
I ride a Vitus Sommet 297
tidd.ly/44JjezC
My E-Bike: Vitus E Sommet
tidd.ly/41jo5UY - Sport
Great advice. Until recently I had spent 3 years going out and smashing myself every single ride, spending most of my 1 to 2 hour rides at or above my threshold HR. Surprise surprise, I hit a wall and never got any fitter
A common story!
Great stuff man. My wife and I are always talking about how we can't keep our heart rates from racing up way to high. I usually ride in zone 4 and 5 all the time. I have a trainer in the garage as long as I can sit on the saddle for 2 hours I'll do it. Committing to this over the winter 2022/2023
Nice one Workhorse! Le me know how it goes.
Great video. I am a couple years older than you and was born with a heart issue. I took up biking 5 or 6 years ago. I’m in the best shape I ever have been. I do a lot of zone 2 rides in my basement in the winter. I feel it really helps me.
That's awesome mate. I am really glad that it has helped so much.. Zone 2 and strength training are the keys to health.
I did my first mtb race last year, I was so exhausted right after few km, I didn't do much preparation. I only survived with persistency, and didn't finished last. But this advice I haven't heard yet, I have to try it,
Cool, I hope it helps. Good work on the first race too.
@@thestrengthfactory. Thanks
I came to this from a different direction and agree with the process 100%. Middle of the year I read a book my sister's partner put me onto -- 'Training for the Uphill Athlete' by Stephen House, Scott Johnston and Kilian Jornet. THe book is aimed at long-distance mountain/trail runners and skimo athletes, but a big portion is about the fundamentals of why zone 2 training is so important (and hence, why the vast majority of successful endurance athletes use something close to an 80% low(er) intensity/20% high intensity ratio). I got interested cos I'm planning to bikepack the COlorado Trail next year, which is big miles and hills at elevation, and I knew I needed a different plan to 3x 1-2hr rides/week...
SO if you've watched this and want just a bit more understanding of the science, and another variation of the reason for the inability to keep your HR down when the trail goes up ('Aerobic Deficiency Syndrome') then the book is a great resource. Probably almost as good as signing up for one of Ben's classes! I've been trying the techniques since start of August, including starting some running age 47, and it's paying off for sure -- a 10k hilly loop is taking me less time for the given effort. It's easier to keep the HR down on the bike tho; running is just bloody hard work!!
Thanks for the vid Ben. Ditch the music tho.... :)
Hey Nick, thanks so much for the thoughtful comment and I will check out that book too. Music - noted. Trying out some different bits....
First of all thank you for putting a lot of effort in and explaining complex content in a easy way.
For me the best way of doing aerobic training is commuting to work. Twice a week I ride to the office with my road bike (70km total both ways). In winter time it is not very promising, because it is cold and dark. Nevertheless it gets me 2.5h of movement time and public transportation is not faster. Alternatively I incorporate some 10sec sprints and 5min rest when I get closer to the season or a race.
Indoor Trainers are very effective, because you just need to spin and you have a calm down coach….which prevents you from overdoing.
No worries, I am glad you liked the video. That is a really effective way to get a decent base fitness. Nice work. Ben
As an American I was really struggling figuring out what cuh-pillar-ee’s were 😂
haha!
Taking my fitness more seriously this year, on days I am not riding I tend to go for a Zone 2 run, couple weeks in and seeing improvements already :D
Nice one. Seeing some early improvements is great for motivation. You really know it works!
I watch your videos and really enjoy them! I am 54 and I have been doing this aerobic training for the past 3 months and I have seen a dramatic change! I ride at least 3 to 4x a week and my main rides I would say 90% of these are aerobic, I usually have a 12 mile loop I do and its nothing crazy but just enough, I found out last week about pushing myself to hard and I burned out, but I did see a improvement over last year, I recently rode with a friend and he couldn't believe how much faster I was riding without being winded! I will continue watching your videos and thank you!
No worries mate, I am glad it's going well for you. You might be interested in checking this out as well.
thestrengthfactory.uk/programmes/the-over-40s-mtb-programme/
Let me know if you have any questions. Ben
Interesting video, I definitely need this
Cheers mate.... we all do!
I just found out your videos, thanks for these, they are so good! I went yesterday for a "zone 2" run (here is a rider and runner wannabe) and guess what? it is so hard to stick to it! as soon as the road went a bit up-hill I was out of my aerobic zone. I had to slow down so much that I ended up on a brisk walk!
Well done mate, that's awesome. Keep working on it. You will be amazed how far and fast you can go when you get really fit! Thanks. Ben
interesting, all my local tracks unless i drive to the flatter XC stuff, i have to climb up a steep hill to get too. about 500m up.
Interesting you talk about heart spiking as soon as climbing. i usually set my garmin watch to look at my heart rate (obvs not super accurate) and listen to breathing.
if i know i'm going to be out 2-3 hours on hills. i try and spin if i can and take breaks. try and keep in zone 2 if possible but usually end up in 3 and try not to hit 4 as burn out.
also taking snacks. maybe i need to get out once a week to the XC flat stuff and ride at zone 2 for a few months for 3 hours. interesting stuff cheers
Sounds like a good plan. In the short term you have to ride a little flatter, less fun trails, but in the long term you will be way fitter. Let me know how it goes. Ben
Great tips Ben. Any chance you can turn the music down ?
yeah a few people said that and it has been turned down for the last couple of years. Thanks. Ben
I enjoy your videos so much, but please turn off the music when you’re talking 😫 Or lower it down. 🙏🏼
Ah thanks mate, a few people said that about this one, and I have lowered it in future videos. Ben
@@thestrengthfactory. you the man 👊🏽🙏🏼
Here's a hot tip - sign up for a month long charity ride. Once a year I aim for 500km over the month of October and the difference is amazing! I do this on my mountain bike too so they're not super fast kilometres either. By the end of the month, my fitness is much better, and I've lost a few kilos!
A charity ride will keep you motivated and accountable.
I like it! Never thought of that. 500km is a serious base!
@@thestrengthfactory. I was going to do more but I broke my leg in June :-P
Thanks for the tips, Ben.
You mentioned 180-age to calc approx maxHR. I had heard 220-age. Which is more
Accurate?
Ps-
On a bike, my max is about 10 beats lower than when running. Womder why?
Hey mate. 220 - age is supposed to estimate your max HR, (although not at all accurate for most people, and I would not use it) and the Maffetone formula of 180 - age is your max aerobic HR for the purposes of zone 2 training. Google Maffetone to find out a bit more.
As for your Max HR, that is quite normal, and triathletes will have different training zones for their different sports. Running is usually higher as you are stood up and supporting your entire weight.
Thanks for the fitness test tip! I’m going to do that in the gym this week. Does it matter if I do it on the recumbent bikes at the gym (since the spin bikes require a Peliton subscription)? Thanks!
Yes, that will work. You can also use treadmill, rowing machine or cross trainer to build general aerobic fitness and health.
@@thestrengthfactory. Rowing machine?! That’s what I’ll do! I love rowing. Thank you
@@marcymorgan243 Excellent! And some biking too......
@@thestrengthfactory. Rowing or biking for a set time doesn’t necessarily have to be at max heart rate, correct? It could also be an accurate indicator of growing fitness if tested at 90% max, yeah? As long as other factors are controlled (warm up, etc) each time? I’m really excited to give this a try tomorrow. Measurable improvement is very motivating for me!
@@marcymorgan243 No, not at all, as per the video, I am talking about low level aerobic training, not intense work.
Hey- noticed you’re on an ebike here- I’m actually considering getting an ebike for this purpose primarily- to be able to still ride with the guys a few times a week without going to hard- but still keeping up and having a great time. Does an ebike facilitate this? Then I imagine fitting ina couple hard rides/ or intervals a week as well. Thoughts?
100% - The E-Bike is an amazing tool for training as you have complete control over how hard you work. You can so super easy and do aerobic work, or you can go super hard. On a normal MTB you can't always go easy if it is steep or hilly.
Plus.... E-Bikes are way fun and great for developing skills as you get 3X more descending in.
This is the newer version of the bike I am riding. Killer spec and currently on sale too:
tidd.ly/3AbZjeW
@@thestrengthfactory. thanks- that is a great looking bike! Wish they had it in my size!
@@danielray1558 You might be in luck soon, but maybe not on sale? vitusbikes.com/pages/2021-vitus-bikes-stock-availability
@@thestrengthfactory. Sweet. Thanks
Hey Ben, my wahoo app has 5 categories: warm up, fat burn, aerobic, anaerobic, speed/power. Would you still say to aim for aerobic, or should I aim for fat burn? I have my fat burn zone set from 120-139 BPM. I feel like if I was in aerobic (139-157) my legs would definitely feel it.
Using your method (180-31 = 149 (+-5) I'd be at about 144 so sounds like I'm not too far off.
Every brand and every company has their own versions of the 'correct' zones and it gets really confusing really quickly! I would ignore the Wahoo zones and just ride at 144 bpm. Keep it simple. Hope that helps.
Ben
@@thestrengthfactory. Thanks Ben
Just for clarity I'm going tondo this training on a spin bike throughout the winter I'm going to aim for 3-4 times a week. In-between these sessions can I do like a hill climbing session that will put me over zone 2 or do I just stick to this training and forget everything else?
It is a bit different for everybody, depending on time frames and ability, but in general it would be good to exclusively train aerobic for 3-4 weeks before adding in the hill climbing. Of course, boredom and enjoying riding play a part too, so find a balance.
@@thestrengthfactory. that's absolutely fine I'm just starting back after most of the year off due to spinal surgery so I'm willing to do what it takes to get a good fitness level back.
@@brianbutton4102 Nice one. Play that long game!
Should I be doing this as well as weights and intervals?
In general, yes, I usually train weights all year. If next spring or summer is the goal then I would lay off the intense intervals now though and focus instead on some base training for a month to 6 weeks, then add intervals in the new year. It just depends - as always! - on your goals, timeline and current fitness.
@@thestrengthfactory. ok thanks
I am pre-diabetic. I was sick for two years with long covid and gained much weight. I started back to riding this summer. I'm curious about what you could add to help me. I understand that my body will not use sugar the same way it would while I train in zone two. As it would if I were not a prediabetic. Can you please help me?
Hey mate, thanks for dropping me a line. First of all, I am not a doctor, so this is very general advice, and taken at your own risk..... As I understand it, losing fat and controlling blood sugar will both help or reverse the pre-diabetic diagnosis. Zone 2 training does not require you to eat many calories during the training at all, and in fact it runs mostly on fat, once you get used to it and make some adaptations. I would focus on eating a meal that contains protein and fat and only low carbs before doing Zone 2 work and see how you feel. It may be that at first you need some carbs during the ride, but after a while you should become less reliant on those.
The other things to wok on are getting your daily step count up to help tip you into a calorie deficit. Being post long-COVID and over weight it may also be that walking will help you to develop your aerobic fitness. Finally I would focus on your breathing to fully get over the long COVID. Start with nasal breathing and go from there. Read 'The Oxygen Advantage' amzn.to/44dXTwN and start gently applying the things within that book as you are able to.
Good luck.
Ben
@@thestrengthfactory. hi Ben I appreciate you replying thanks for that. I have actually been riding enough that I'm riding 40 Mi rides now for my Longest Ride switch that used to be just a quick lap around my short ride course. But I am getting slowly better. So thank you for this information I've actually learned a lot from the guy that works in see you and is tati pogacha coach. I saw him in a long interview and he mentioned that our body Stone assimilate chiggers the same when were in that pre-diabetic State and I was just hoping to drill down a little bit more on that. But I do appreciate you responding to me friend thank you very much have a wonderful day
@@squatchy69 well done mate. Keep going! You can do this!!!
Sorry mate…couldn’t get over the noise in the background to watch or listen to your knowledge
Do you mean the music? It is a new thing that we have been trying out as I am now working with a videographer. Think it's too much? Interested in your thoughts Russell. Cheers. Ben
@@thestrengthfactory. thanks for replying back. I really like your videos and content. Yes. The music just seemed a bit loud to me. It could just be me. Haven’t noticed on your videos
@@russellturpin1259 No worries - always trying to refine it and I am glad for your feedback. Have a great day.
@@thestrengthfactory. I found the same thing, the music needs to be a bit quieter :)