Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner
***** THIS DID NOT PUBLISH ON JULY 4th, 2021 LIKE I EXPECTED. PLEASE EXCUSE THE TECHNICAL GLITCH. I AM WORKING ON AN END-OF-JULY REPORT NOW. *******
XSS (Xert Strain Score) is a metric that looks at the time you spend riding, the energy you use, and the intensity with which that energy is spent. Several weeks back, after a great winter and then an odd spring, I announced that I would be aiming for 75 XSS per ride, at least 5 days per week for 75 Days. I’m now 21 days in for my goal. Let’s see where things stand.
When I self-declared my goal of 75 XSS for 75 Days, I was sitting at an Xert Training Load of 35 XSS. This was on May 26th. On June 20th, I publicly announced my goal, and began to focus on the volume. The Xert Training Load had migrated to 43.8 XSS. At three weeks, XSS is now at 53.4.
The Xert Planner Weekly Stats show several other positive markers. The week of May 31st, I accumulated 5.2 hours and averaged 47XSS/Day. Over the next four weeks, hourly volume increased to roughly 10 hours per week. This has led to an average XSS/Day of 78.3 points, and a Ramp Rate of around 3.3 XSS.
Weekly Focus actually migrated OUT towards more aerobic values, but it has remained in the ‘Climber’ category for the past three weeks.
Polarity Ratio remains highly aerobic, with 96 to 97 percent of my rides occurring in the ‘aerobic’ intensity. You may recall in a previous post that I performed three or more DFAA1 HRV Ramp protocols to best determine my TRUE Lower Threshold.
Using the Garmin Index Smart Scale, I routinely track my body weight, before and after most rides. MOST of my low-intensity rides have been with a Vo2master gas-exchange analyzer on my face, so I don’t drink for the 90 minutes or so that I am out. I routinely consume 16oz of Preload from NBS Nutrition, as a way to stave off losses due to dehydration, and I also ride at earlier hours to avoid heat stroke (I did suffer a heatstroke in June of 2010, which left me with PERMANENT stroke nerve damage in my right eye – don’t try to pass me on my right side, please).
For myself, 75 XSS translates into about 750 KiloJoules of energy per ride. This is roughly 800, or thereabouts. I’ll have more information on this parameter as the Vo2master feature list grows.
Weight has dropped about 2 KG, which is a nice side effect. Body fat is too low to track, and remains stuck at 7%. Biompedence monitors tend to miss Body Fat Percentages for my Somatotype.
The Xert Progression Chart includes a number of parameters that have value, but are perhaps poorly explained. The default parameters are: Threshold Power, High Intensity Energy, and Peak Power. Lower Threshold Power is also presented and available. However – Lower Training Load and High Training Load, as well as Focus and Specificity, bear some remarks.
My chart shows some interesting trends:
First – 75 XSS over 5 out of 7 days per week lends itself to at least 350 XSS per week. With several long rides on Sundays, I’ve been averaging closer to 500 points (See chart above). As a result of all this lower intensity work, my LOWER TRAINING LOAD has been steadily rising. Ironically, my HIGH TRAINING LOAD has also been rising. This is a bit of a mystery, given my 95:5 and 97:3 Polarity Ratios.
Second – My “Specificity” has gone from about 31% Polarized, to 43% Polarized, and back down to 29% Polarized. I believe I know where this range came from; my wife and I were mountain biking until mid June, when the drought and fire risk pulled me off my mountain bike – the trails are just too marbly and loose to climb or descend with any confidence. I am now specifically road cycling, and can control my intensity more broadly.
Third – “FOCUS” has bounced from “Climber” to “GC Specialist” and back, as my Fitness Signature continues to meander. “GC Specialist” is in the 8-minute range of intensity, and I believe this has to do with the fact that I cannot climb the 800m, 9.2% climb to my house at much less than 300 watts. This short, 2-3 minute effort completely alters the “FOCUS” of a ride, from “–:–” to “8:00”, depending upon how much time I spend above my 5 to 3 minute MMP (which correctly drifts down as MPA drops above Threshold. )
Fourth – I have NOT spent much time worrying about my Fitness Signature. I did achieve one BT in late May, but the “Focus” has been on 75 XSS. My Signature has not changed much with the added volume, but the weight loss has improved my Power-to-Weight Ratio. My HIE values have dropped a bit, but again, Anaerobic Work Capacity is not a focus at this time – Overall Volume is.
75 XSS for 75 Days is a work in progress for me. I am enjoying the Time on the Bike. I’m confident that this is building towards greater capacity and lighter weight. When climbing, I’ve seen some Vo2 values in the low and mid 60’s, which is something I’m excited about as a 51-year old with a 35-year pedigree in endurance activities. I’m going to start working on some more intensity as July Progresses, and will use that to hit my 75 XSS. As August approaches, I’ll try to migrate my Polarity Ratio closer to 90:10, and will attempt breakthroughs more frequently. Perhaps most importantly, I want to set some PR’s on the hill outside my home, and on a Category 1 climb outside of Virginia City, NV.
Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!
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The DFAa1 Ramp Test is a protocol that shows cyclists where their bodies begin to change biologically when under strain. It uses Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and I have studied it since at least 2004, when I wrote a pocket book for Suunto for their T6 watch. The absolute distilled version of Heart Rate Variability says, “The heart is beating when it wants to, vs. beating when it has to.” In other words, no two beats are the same. A stochastic heart rate is a happy heart. A consistent heart rate is a strained heart.
When the Strain of heart rate contractions reaches a value of around .75, then it’s time to look at the actual heart rate itself, as well as the power being generated by the cyclist. With that value, we then have a much better idea of a cyclist’s Lower Threshold Power.
Lower Threshold Power is the KEY to POLARIZED TRAINING. When a cyclist is riding below their Lower Threshold Power, they’re teaching the body to become more economical. They’re teaching the body how to improve STAMINA. They’re teaching the body to BURN FAT. Over time, with regular testing and Progression, the DFAa1 test can reveal economy at higher heart rates, and higher wattages. If you believe in Polarized Training, then it should be 80-90% of your overall training volume. But ride too hard, and the gains are not as solid.
I’ve been using the Fitness Signature Values from Xert for years, which include a calculation for Lower Threshold Power. Lower Threshold Power can be found via a Lactate Test, a Vo2 test, and through the use of a Moxy Muscle Oxygen Monitor, but all of these are expensive, all of them have margins of error, and the Lactate Test is invasive.
Having a modern heart rate chest strap that can calculate HRV, and using a cheap app to reveal the data, provides everything we need to know, for less than $100usd.
My friend and fellow coach, Richard Collier, of London, UK, was the first to really compel me to attempt this test. This is his protocol, based on conversations with Dr. Bruce Rogers, Marco Altini, a professor in Japan, and the developers of the www.runalyze.com website in Germany.
I have since named the workout after Richard, in my Xert Workout Library.
It’s a simple ramp test, from 55 to 105% of Threshold Power (NOT Lower Threshold Power), over 24 minutes and 30 seconds.
We begin by setting our Garmins up to record HRV via BLE.
To begin, go into your Garmin head unit settings, and press “System”.
Then press “Data Recording”.
Set ‘Recording Interval’ to ‘1 Sec’. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see “Log HRV”. Turn that feature ON.
Next, make sure you have one of the preferred BLE Channel Heart Rate Chest Straps.
Go back into “Settings”, and press “Sensors”. Then press “Search All”.
And just WAIT.
It SHOULD give you a “BLE” AlphaNumeric Identifier. Select that, save it, and you’re good to go on that part. Remember – you do NOT want the ANT+ version of the signal. You want the BLE.
Next, go ahead and download “HRV Logger”, from either iOS or Google Play on Android. It’s a good backup and it will visually help you ‘see’ where this 0.75 fraction exists.
Finally, go ahead and buy a one-year subscription to www.runalyze.com. Believe me; if you can spend $10/mo on a training platform, $12 for an app on a phone, and NOT spend $$ on a coach, then the $30 you’ll spend on Runalyze, just for the DFAa1 interpretation, is well worth it.
OR, you can do the test and send me the data, which is what most of my clients do, and I’ll run it through everything for you.
Thus far, I have performed three DFAa1 tests. Here are the results:
This is one of the tests, performed in late May.
Here’s the HRV data from www.runalyze.com:
And here’s the Power…
Now – here’s the data that I just got from a test run on Sunday, June 27th, after two weeks of consistent 75 XSS training, and an emphasis on staying BELOW my Lower Threshold Heart Rate (and Power)…..
And here’s the Power…
CONCLUSION: Use the DFAa1 Collier Ramp Test on a regular basis to help your POLARIZED Training.
In order to keep this short enough, I’m going to stop here. Next post, however, I’ll show you the Vo2master data from these rides. I’m riding for 75 XSS BELOW my DFAa1 HR, but my NORMALIZED WATTAGE keeps RISING!
It’s literally a ‘more watts per beat’ situation, and I am really loving it.
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XSS Stands for Xert Strain Score. It’s a way to combine time and energy at different intensities. It’s a measure of Cycling Volume. While I unofficially began thinking about this goal in late May, I announced the plan on this forum later, in Mid June. So it’s been about a week since I last posted, and roughly 2 weeks since I started. Let’s take a look at the Xert data, and then, let’s take a look at the information coming out of my Vo2 master for some of the rides. I think this is very revealing, and it augments some of the prevailing theories out in the blogosphere, while it also refutes some other paradigms.
This was my Xert Fitness Signature on Wednesday, June 16th:
On June 27th, at the time of this writing, here are my most current numbers:
Here’s my four-week Weekly Stats breakdown. Specifically, note the growth in… Hours
Two weeks of 75 XSS per day for a minimum of 5 days per week, has led to a jump in overall volume, a jump in XSS per day, a healthy rise in Ramp Rate, and a 45% increase in Weekly XSS. I’ve been cycling BELOW my Lower Threshold Power, with ONE or TWO small exceptions.
Now remember – I’m NOT FOLLOWING the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor. I’m simply cycling for 75 XSS per day, over 75 days. Some days will be above that. Some days will be Well above that. I may do ONE DAY every few weeks to earn 25 points or thereabouts, when I perform a DFAA1 cardio test, which, again, is a discussion for another post.
But if you look at the chart above, I’m at my hours per week, my Polarity is 97:3 for Aerobic (lower) intensity, and the SUGGESTED FOCUS WATTAGE is at 277 watts.
The Scientists at Xert are NOT directly revealing their research. Therefore, it’s up to me to glean what I can from the structure they’re providing. I’ll explain that in the next post
75 XSS per day is yielding some subtle, but immediate results. I’ll break those down with two specific workouts, via metabolic data, next.
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The Punishment Pass occurs when Motorists pass cyclists at close lateral range. The pass is meant to threaten, harass, and “Teach Cyclists A Lesson”. I have received Punishment Passes for decades as a cyclist. Recently, however, I purchased a CycleVision Helmet Camera system, and began to record all of my rides. I’m also using the Garmin Varia Radar System. The Garmin Field and Website that I upload the data to is www.mybiketraffic.com. It’s a fascinating display of vehicle counts, absolute and relative passing speeds.
So far, since I first began using the Garmin Varia Radar, www.mybiketraffic.com is showing that I have been passed by over 800 motorists. I don’t live in an urban location any longer, but what I have discovered is that thus far, the number of Punishment Passes is about 0.26%. That’s TWO Punishment Passes. They’re just that rare. I could show 2.5 hours of cycling, and the rear camera would show that the VAST MAJORITY of motorists respond to the following…
As the video will show, THIS motorist was fully aware of our presence (1), saw us riding in the Right Wheel Well (2), knew our intentions (3), and decided to threaten me specifically with a pass within 1′ of my left shoulder. Motorists prior to this one and just after, practiced good driver behavior.
I’m not going to quit riding my bike, at that location, or any other. Bicyclists are legal road users, and motorists must respect the rights of all road users – their license is a privilege which can be revoked. 99.999999% of all cyclists are also motorists, and bad behavior needs to be exposed and reprimanded. This video is the second incidence of bad motorist behavior, and both times, I have captured the motorist’s license plates. So, today, I turned this video clip over to the Plumas and Sierra County Sheriff’s office, for review and possible action. Bicyclists deserve to travel roads in safety and with the protection of the law. These acts are rare, but as I capture Punishment Passes, I’ll write them up and create short videos, to help all cyclists better understand proper cyclist etiquette and defense.
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Enjoy the Ride!