I'm sure everyone has been anxiously awaiting the post talking about training zones based on Lactate Thresold Heart Rate, and the Borg Rating of Percieved Exertion. Here is a table showing all 7 training zones with corresponding heart rates.
| Zone | Purpose | % of LTHR |
| 1 | Recovery | 65-81% |
| 2 | Aerobic | 82-88% |
| 3 | Tempo | 89-93% |
| 4 | Subthreshold | 94-100% |
| 5A | Superthreshold | 101-102% |
| 5B | Aerobic Capacity | 103-105% |
| 5C | Anaerobic Capacity | 106%+ |
Rating of Percieved Exertion (RPE) is another method for measuring the effort of a workout. RPE is a numbered scale from 6 to 20. After a workout you give a number equvalent to the the intensity of the workout. Athletes that have used RPE for many years can accurately pinpoint lactate threshold just from feel. RPE is nice in that you don't need sophisticated training equipment, like a heart rate monitor, or powermeter.
| Purpose | Rating | Exertion |
| Recovery | 6 | |
| Recovery | 7 | Very, Very Light |
| Recovery | 8 | |
| Recovery | 9 | |
| Aerobic Development | 10 | |
| Aeobic Development | 11 | Fairly Light |
| Aerobic Development | 12 | |
| Tempo Development | 13 | Somewhat Hard |
| Tempo Development | 14 | |
| Subthreshold Development | 15 | Hard |
| Subthreshold Development | 16 | |
| Superthreshold Development | 17 | Very Hard |
| Aerobic Capacity Development | 18 | |
| Aerobic Capacity Development | 19 | Very, Very Hard |
| Aerobic Capacity Development | 20 |
At around 16 to 17 RPE is lactate threshold. Less then 10 RPE is recovery, and greater then 17 is superthreshold. Holy crap its not easy to put tables in posts. It involves code writing, which I know nothing about.
A third tier to measure training involves power output, but since none of us mere mortals has a powermeter (I assume) I won't talk about Critical Power. Measuring power is the way to go, if you can afford a powermeter. RPE is difficult to subjectively measure, and heart rate can fluctuate wildly due to hydration, rest and stress to name a few, but power remains constant.
In the next post I'll talk about limiters, and how to train to turn your weaknesses into strenghs.
2 comments:
Simmons went to a MTB training camp earlier this season with Jeff Hall, mtb super-stud. Jeff uses the RPE method for training. He's fast as hell.
He also bikes to races with his kids in a burley. Then he wins the race. Then he packs his kids back up in the burley and bikes home. Bastard. ;)
I don't think I could ever accurately use RPE.
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