EPIC Forum finally goes into meltdown...

[TomH]

It was only a matter of time...
http://www.epicmtb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8596

[Cormac]

they will be all buying turbotrainers next

[RichardL]

That's choice coming from the forum that gave us the famous 30 post "Stem Length" thread surpassed only by the 50 post "How to weigh my bike by submerging it in a bath of water" thread!!!! Next thing you lot will be hosting a Cyclocross race ......!

[paddyobrien]

that bike weight thread was pure nerd heaven .. i loved it!

Now go back to your own kind ya geriatric auld grump!

[feed]

And don't forget the famous Epic "how do I tighten spoke nipples ?" tread from a 250+ post club member :)

[RichardL]

And don't forget the famous Epic "how do I tighten spoke nipples ?" tread from a 250+ post club member :)

Hmmm ..... forgot that one!!

[DaveS]

that bike weight thread was pure nerd heaven .. i loved it!
Not just nerd heaven, it was also hilarious... I loved it too

Now go back to your own kind ya geriatric auld grump!
Yeah! To many Victor Meldrews around...

[john.ie]

Interesting stuff though all the same, especially for the newer entrants amongst us ... Whats the official madmtb line on this :D

[paddyobrien]

on training?

i could do you out a program, though it'd mostly be interval drinking sessions, cigarettes and late nights. Guaranteed to have you fighting for last place in the masters category

[john.ie]

on training?

i could do you out a program, though it'd mostly be interval drinking sessions, cigarettes and late nights. Guaranteed to have you fighting for last place in the masters category


Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[oisinfitz]

if you want a really simple way to train for xc racing

1. Do long spins to develop aerobic endurance (long is relative to your fitness level)
2. Do lactate threshold intervals (basically just find a loop with a climb longer than 4 mins and go flat out up the hill and take the descent real easy, dont go shorter than 4 mins otherwise its too anaerobic)
3. Rest is when adaption to training occurs so rest day after the intervals and if you do 2 long spins in a row

if you just want to get fit forget the intervals

i do sports science so thats not some hard man rubbish,
also if anyone wants more info on how to train i'm happy to help what i wrote above is just the icicle at the tip of an iceberg when it come to training

[paddyobrien]

well john, first off at this stage of the year you want to be working on your endurance, rather than all out power, so taking it steady is the name of the game

I recommend starting off with sessions of about 3-4 hours in length at 2 pints per hour, building up to the occaisional 8 hour session, though you may need to include a few 'repeats' during these longer sessions .. just to keep from overstraining the system.

Eating is also very important during this phase, especially in the first hour after you get kicked out of the pub, Zaytoon is the one true recovery food.

By January you should be starting to mix in some sprints with the endurance training .. tequila works well as the salt helps with rehydration and you get a lot of vitamins from the lemon, 3 shots every two hours should do it. Again, some 'repeats' may be necessary.

Next weeks session will cover cigarettes (methods and theories of taking up smoking, followed by a practical demonstration), marijauana (skin theory, rolling techniques, you're doing what with that youghurt?)

Book now, places are bound to fill up quick!

[Micky]

Oisin, about point 2...how many times would you do the "flat out up the hill,easy on the decent" loop??Thanks ,Micky

[DaveS]

Ok, I've actually got a list of questions so I'll start with these two

How would one ascertain their current level of fitness (so you know you're not going to try to run before you can walk).
I'm picturing taylors/kellystown lane climb (which I can do if paced) but I don't think I could do that flat out for 4 mins once... any suggestions

[oisinfitz]

i'd say start off so that the fast portion totals up to about 15/20 min or 4 intervals whichever comes first and over time increase and also vary the place too...doing too much too soon can lead to overtraining

Also by flat out i really mean climb the hill as fast as you can, ie dont go flying at the start and explode after 90 seconds and struggle up the remainder

bit o science: The point of these is to make your body better at dealing with the Hydrogen ions that come about due to lactic acid oxidizing into lactate. These cause your blood to become acidic, causing fatigue as your body doesnt work properly in such conditions. They or something related to their release also stimulate your pain receptors hence the burning feeling.
The reasoning behind not sprinting to fatigue at the start is that the interval would be more improving anaerobic capacity, it would be working how much lactic acid your body can deal with before fatigue of your anaerobic system rather than getting rid of it.

[oisinfitz]

dave about how to determine your current level of fitness, do you mean in relation to the average person or in relation to the length of spin you should do?
if its about the length of a long spin to be honest its down to personal feel, if for example you start to feel very tired and bonk after 2 hrs despite taking in adequate food water etc then work at 2 hrs until its moderately difficult and increase then.
If you're of average fitness you could all day at an easy pace really its more down to time constraints, energy levels etc

[Sean]

It also helps to test and retest yourself on a standard climb so you can monitor progress.
The Kilmashogue climb (all of it!) and Edmonstown/Cruagh road (start at the bridge just after the turn off for the bottom of Masseys) are good for this - some of us in the club use these very regularly for drills and monitoring purposes.


The 2 parameters are how long it takes to do the entire climb (Cruagh offers ∼5min, 10min and 15-20min [at my speed] options) or how far up the climb you can get in a specific time.
When doing such tests, I tend to do multiple reps of the climb - a single rep would be quite variable and unreliable, but if you are consisently faster over, say, 3 reps (and can maintain the same times for each rep) then you can be sure you're getting fitter.
Roads are also more consistent over long time periods, so are better for measurement purposes...

[DaveS]

Also by flat out i really mean climb the hill as fast as you can, ie dont go flying at the start and explode after 90 seconds and struggle up the remainder Ok, that was what I was originally thinking of. Lately I've been pacing myself with slower but relentless climbers to keep me paced.

dave about how to determine your current level of fitness, do you mean in relation to the average person or in relation to the length of spin you should do?I guess in relation to what sort of spin I should do. I know I should really be doing a second lap of B'stoe every time at this stage and would be capable of it (though would be grumbling on all the climbs on both laps :rolleyes:).

As for feeling tired, more often than not I've turned up to the beginners spins with less than 4 hrs sleep (just a bad sleeper) so I often feel tired before I start... and more often than not my legs feel a bit tired, not sore though.

if its about the length of a long spin to be honest its down to personal feel, if for example you start to feel very tired and bonk after 2 hrs despite taking in adequate food water etc then work at 2 hrs until its moderately difficult and increase then.
If you're of average fitness you could all day at an easy pace really its more down to time constraints, energy levels etc I'll have to test that easy pace soon, but I wreckon I'd get a good 6hrs out of me...?

Goal wise, I'd like to race next year in at least the sports class, money allowing. Not to worried about being the fastest but I wan't to do something to push myself. My climbing is getting better and I'm getting better on the trails (though usually too slow on the first lap and then speed up) but I know I'm only scraping the surface of what I'm capable of (in time).

[DaveS]

The Kilmashogue climb (all of it!) :eek:

Road wise I've got Howth this side of the city, so I'll have to start revisiting that and doing timed reps :)

[john.ie]

well john, first off at this stage of the year you want to be working on your endurance, rather than all out power, so taking it steady is the name of the game

I recommend starting off with sessions of about 3-4 hours in length at 2 pints per hour, building up to the occaisional 8 hour session, though you may need to include a few 'repeats' during these longer sessions .. just to keep from overstraining the system.

Eating is also very important during this phase, especially in the first hour after you get kicked out of the pub, Zaytoon is the one true recovery food.

By January you should be starting to mix in some sprints with the endurance training .. tequila works well as the salt helps with rehydration and you get a lot of vitamins from the lemon, 3 shots every two hours should do it. Again, some 'repeats' may be necessary.

Next weeks session will cover cigarettes (methods and theories of taking up smoking, followed by a practical demonstration), marijauana (skin theory, rolling techniques, you're doing what with that youghurt?)

Book now, places are bound to fill up quick!


And to think ... I nearly joined a gym what a waste of money that might have been.