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SmO2 and Base

The Moxy’s SmO2 Sensor Helps Make Base Training Even More Effective

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect Image 1
Saturated Muscle Oxygen can make Base Training even more effective. Look for a rise in SmO2 at a known low intensity. Then, gently raise the intensity to find that SmO2 ‘sweet spot’ of aerobic training.

 
 

This week on my VQ Velocity Virtual Studio, we are focusing on a week of Periodization and Taper. We are not performing hard intervals, but instead, we are focusing on easier rides. I wear my Moxy for all my rides, but most of the time, I focus on Desaturation and Resaturation. This blog post is about SmO2 and Base training. We can use the Garmin Connect Ecosystem to highlight the PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS of low-intensity rides.

SmO2 and Base Oxygen Saturation Levels

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 2
When you first start a ride, the body just isn’t ready for the strain. With proper warmup and vasodilation, SmO2 rises, ThB declines, and you’re achieving the benefits of ‘Base’!

SmO2 (Saturated Muscle Oxygen) readings show cyclists just how much Oxygen Supply is in the muscles. When a cyclist is riding for BASE, there should be plenty of oxygen available. As a ride progresses, the body warms up, and the blood vessels dilate. This offers the muscles more available oxygen. Think of SmO2 as ‘Volts’ in a car battery. When there’s a heavy draw on the engine (Demand), the volts may drop, like when the ignition is engaged. On electric vehicles, computers monitor watts (torque), volts, and Amps. I compare Amps with Total Hemoglobin, which I’ll discuss later in this post.

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 4
Patented Warmup. Create just a wee bit of strain, then recover, and watch your SmO2 and ThB values climb over 20-27 minutes (~200-300 Calories).

Since 2012, when I first started using SmO2 monitors from Moxy, I’ve discovered that SmO2 reveals great information about Base Training. When you first place a Moxy monitor on the left Lateralis, you usually get a reading of about 30-60% SmO2. I call this ‘Active Resting SmO2’. As you warm up, SmO2 will definitely drop a bit. If a cyclist or runner does NOT perform my trademarked Warmup Protocol, SmO2 dilation does NOT reach its’ full potential, and in my opinion, restricts some of the benefits of visualizing this feature. But IF the cyclist DOES perform my Warmup Protocol, then SmO2 can become a highly effective, visual method of visualizing just what Base provides.

Base Training Is an Energy-Positive Ride

Watch this 30-second advertisement for Del Monte Green Beans. Specifically, watch what happens when this young lady goes on a bike ride. This is EXACTLY what a ‘Base’ Ride should provide a cyclist or a runner. It should be ‘Energy Positive’ for mental wellness and spiritual fulfillment. It’s literally the way most of our bike rides should occur. The time you spend out there performing this may depend on goals, etc., but SmO2 can provide a window into exactly what is happening when a ride like this occurs.

SmO2 and Base Lead to Greater ‘Volts’ of Available Power, While Drawing Less ‘Amps’ (ThB) for the Same Amount of Physical Output

In this graph, you can see how my post-warmup Base ride begins with roughly 52% SmO2. While power output changes very little, vasodilation occurs, and available SmO2 rises at roughly the 45:00 mark, with a small dip in power output. The Smo2 continues to rise after that, until I perform a single 1-minute standing effort to change my saddle position.

***Standing Power is INCREDIBLY INEFFICIENT.

If you watch old videos of Alberto Contador, there are times before he had a serious crash, when he would climb seated, and honestly, he was a GC or stage threat. After his crash and long recovery, his body was never the same, and he climbed standing for even longer periods of time. It was very powerful, but very costly. 

However, after that single effort, SmO2 rose further, with little change in power.

Why Did SmO2 Start to Decline at the 1-hour mark?

mO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 3
This is where I wish I had some coding knowledge. I would build a Garmin app that would run a 1-minute graph of SmO2 and ThB, along with recent Ceilings and Floors, so I could better visualize each parameter and make a more informed choice about intensity and nutrition or hydration.

Right around the 1:05 timeline, SmO2 began to decline. When we use Garmin Connect to zoom in, we can see that it began with a slight rise in power output. This was further exacerbated by another minute of standing and pedaling. SmO2 dropped further. Once I sat down, SmO2 Resaturated, but then continued its’ decline back to around 50%.

Why did this happen? Well, let’s look at the OTHER data point that we get when we ride with a Moxy; ThB.

What is ThB?

ThB stands for ‘Total Hemoglobin’, and it’s based on Millimols per Deciliter of volume. It’s the total count of red blood cells in your overall system. Hemoglobin is a protein that carries Oxygen to the Muscles. It’s another window into the ‘SUPPLY and DEMAND’ side of the SmO2 Equation. The more ThB we have, the more ‘AMPS’ we have available to help provide fresh oxygen to the muscles, to help keep SmO2 high.

Right around the 1:05 mark, when my SmO2 began to decline, Total Hemoglobin, which was declining from minute 33:00 to that point, began to rise. After the final standing moment, it rose further, and rose until I quit the ride at the 1:15 mark. So, SmO2 declines and ThB rises, for the same amount of power.

Now, this is CONJECTURE, because I AM NOT A SCIENTIST. But my own speculation is that I was getting short on blood sugar. I always ride these easier rides in a fasted state. It’s a way to train my body to burn more fat over time, as long as I don’t push too hard. But there are only between 800 and 1200 calories of carbohydrate in the circulatory system at any time, and in the 30 years that I’ve been cycling, my body tends to change at roughly 1200 calories, WITH CARB SUPPLEMENTATION. Without Carb supplementation, I think it’s very feasible to ‘see’ the body switching energy systems or becoming less efficient. At this point, I had burned roughly 800 calories, and had consumed nothing more than water (and probably not enough of that). Hence, ThB rose, SmO2 declined, while power and basic heart rate remained neutral.

Use Your Moxy SmO2 And Keep It HIGH!

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 5
For roughly the same amount of power, my body responded with less stress. Once I used up my blood sugar (I was in a fasted state), the body began looking elsewhere for energy, and my SmO2 and ThB both changed to become less efficient, while power stayed the same.

My personal SmO2 Floors and Ceilings are as such, but your own zones may vary.

  • My Max Recovery Saturation is at 80%. I rarely get there on an active bike ride, so 70% means my Muscles are being resupplied with fresh Oxygen and are ready for another effort.
  • My Active Base Saturation is between 40 and 70%. When I ride at those SmO2 intensities (remember, harder is lower, easier is higher), my body is using energy to make energy in my  mind, and these are fruitful, fun, functional rides.
  • An SmO2 below 20%, and usually below 17% puts me on ‘BORROWED TIME’, and is my Vo2Max range of intensity. It’s also unustainable for long periods.
  • An SmO2 between 20 and 25% is a great Threshold Intensity for me, regardless of the old-school heart rate and wattage values that have traditionally yielded these zones.

If you really want to get a window into your body, SmO2 (and ThB) provide real-time value to help you optimize your ride. Once you know your numbers, you can always try to track gains in power or loss in weight over time. You can also watch ThB to see if you’re perhaps in need of some carbs, or may even be approaching a bonk.

I’m going to continue to share my observations. If you own a Moxy, let me know if you see similar phenomena. I’d love to learn more.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

Using SmO2 for Threshold Intervals

SmO2 Provides Real-Time Physiological Info

Textbook SmO2 desaturation and Vo2 tipping point
Moxy SmO2 values give you an instant, physiological value for what is, and what isn’t, sustainable. It’s a noninvasive way to get accurate, autonomic data about aerobic and anaerobic tipping points.

Here is yet another example of the utility of an Smo2 sensor. This workout was performed by a client as well as myself last week. The goal of the intervals was to improve fitness at Lactate Threshold.

I may be a bit old-school, but I’ve essentially distilled cycling workouts to three simple levels of intensity; Breathing, Heaving, and Gasping.

  • Breathing workouts are easier, they’re aerobic, and they’re meant to improve Economy and Stamina. They burn mostly fat, but they’re on the easier side.
  • Heaving Workouts are harder, but they’re sustainable for up to 60 minutes. These would be ‘Speed’ or ‘Threshold’ type workouts.
  • Gasping workouts are super-hard, with high heart rates and respiratory rates, and they can’t be sustained for more than 6 or 8 minutes.

SmO2 works better than heart rate in all three of these types of efforts.

SmO2 – Saturated Muscle Oxygen

Moxy’s SmO2 sensors measure the amount of oxygen in your muscle. I tend to use it on my left quad, and sometimes on my left deltoid. When either my clients or myself uses it on the left quad, we get a great range of saturation, from 2-80%. With proper placement and use over time, we can get a really solid and consistent value for finding the highest sustainable power output, aka, “THRESHOLD”. When SmO2 drops BELOW that value, well, you’re on “Borrowed Time”.

Get SmO2 too low, and you're on Borrowed Time
Get SmO2 too low, and you’re on Borrowed Time.

Here are several GREAT examples!

THRESHOLD INTERVALS ARE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

Everyone knows about Heart Rate Zones. We’ve been using them, plus Wattage Zones now, for Decades. But the Heart tends to drift. Our bodies tend to act like bad oil filters; we work harder internally for the same external output over time. However, when we employ SmO2 sensors, and we know right where we are in terms of what the balance of Oxygen Supply and Demand is, well, we can get more work done. We can sustain this intensity more acutely. When we finally ‘Tip Over’ the Threshold, well, SmO2 shows that we’re on ‘Borrowed Time’.

Let’s Zoom In on these Intervals. We’ll start with an 8-Minute effort. This set of intervals was a ‘Reverse-Fibonacci’, and it was a set of 8-minute, 5-Minute, then 3-minute, 2-minute, and finally 1-minute intervals, with equal recoveries. It’s modeled after a Ronneveld Study, but I’ve been using regular Fibonacci efforts (1,1,2,3,5,8 sequence) for decades on the advice of Dr. Conrad Earnest, my mentor.

SmO2 captures Tipping Point Between Threshold and Vo2.
I included the ThB (Total Hemoglobin) on this image because it shows how the heart and lungs continued to work, harder and harder, to get oxygen to the muscles, even while the muscles were becoming less and less efficient. Craig’s ‘Tipping Point’ or ‘Threshold’ for Oxygen Supply and Demand is right at 17%. For the first half of the effort, he was riding with sustainable power. However, once he got to 17%, it dropped sharply, and he ‘Tipped’ into Vo2max territory, which is ‘BORROWED TIME’.

 

Next, let’s look at the 5-minute Interval.

5 Minute Interval at Threshold Using Moxy SMO2
Here it is again – wattage is fairly uniform, but ThB continues to rise, showing the strain, and right about the middle of the interval, just above the 17% Value, Smo2 starts to drop in to ‘Borrowed Time’.

 

Here’s the SmO2 Value for the 3-minute Effort.

3-Minute SmO2 and Thb Value Tipping Point.
For the 3-minute effort, You can see how SmO2 dives down to 16-17% early, then he literally holds it right there for the duration of the time period, until the LAST 30 SECONDS. The difference in wattage begins at the first red arrow. He shifted and pumped out more watts to finish. This led to a lowered SmO2 and near-exhaustion.
***also note: ThB for the middle part of the effort plateau’d. We don’t use THB as much as we should, but it’s another great indicator that a physiological intensity is sustainable – or not.

 

At 2 Minutes, and over 600 KiloJoules of Work Performed Thus Far, It’s Hard To Get Below Threshold

 

2 Minute Interval at Threshold Using Moxy SMO2
If this workout had been 3,2, and 1-minute intervals, we would have worked hard to get SmO2 Below that 17% value early, and to try and hold it there as long as possible. But after numerous high-quality efforts, SmO2 won’t dip, and this becomes, once again, a THRESHOLD EFFORT. Which was the goal.
The RISE in SmO2 at the vertical line occurs because he Stood, off the saddle. This changes muscle dynamics and force. He dropped from 100 to 60 rpm, and while power went up, he once again, WAS ON ‘BORROWED TIME’!

 

The Grand Finale; a 60-Second Effort!

1 Minute Interval at Threshold Using Moxy SMO2
For a 1-minute effort, we’re almost completely past the tipping point. I placed the vertical marker at 16% and you’ll see that the value stays BELOW that number EVEN AFTER THE EFFORT ENDS. The entire effort was performed well north of 300 watts, and this yielded a LARGE metabolic penalty. ThB continued to rise and while we can’t add another metric to the chart, Heart Rate was well above 95% of HRR.

Moxy and SmO2 are POWERFUL Tools

You all know – I have promoted wattage and power and kilojoules since FOREVER. But going forward, I’m going to be more nuanced. The body is a machine, but it’s a machine with huge variations in recovery, genetic ability, and psychological, almost psychotic abilities to suffer. Using a Moxy and SmO2 to determine the ‘Goldilocks’ intensity for Threshold Intervals gives us an ideal intensity FOR THAT DAY, FOR THAT MOMENT, FOR THAT DURATION. If you’re a Moxy owner, try to find your ‘Tipping Point‘ of desaturation, and then back off JUST ENOUGH to give it a sustainable, but powerful effort. Try it on a hill. After all – we don’t live on a Space Station.

I just did that this weekend, when I rode a couple of hills on a route that was unfamiliar. I used another feature on the Garmin, the ‘ClimbPro’ option (I’ll have to talk about that in another post), but here’s how it worked.

Richard Wharton Using Moxy when Climbing a Hill
This was a 6-minute hill, give or take, on an unfamiliar route. Average gradient was about 7%. I followed the ClimbPro until I knew that I was maybe 700 Meters from the end of the effort. Looking at the SmO2 data, I kept the Saturated Oxygen above 25%, and when I knew where the finish was, I increased the power EVER SO SLIGHTLY until it dipped down to about 20%. In this graph, you can also see the deflection point of ThB, and then the continued rise once I pushed it past the Tipping Point.
I was on Borrowed Time, but I knew where time could stop.

 

Get a Moxy and Use SmO2 For Accurate Training and Sustained Efforts At Power.

I know this is HIGH NERD STUFF. But it’s fascinating, and it’s useful. If you own a Moxy Monitor, use the Steve Neal Field and the lap function, and watch for your ‘Tipping Point’, indoors or out. You don’t want to be on ‘Borrowed Time’ for those longer intervals or hills!!!

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

If you like what you’ve just read, then

Steve Neal’s Moxy Field

Coach Steve Neal’s Moxy Field Is INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE!

Steve Neal Garmin Connect IQ Field
Steve Neal is one of the most experienced cycling and endurance coaches out there. He’s also a Moxy User, and knows how to get the most out of your investment.

Steve Neal is one of the most successful and qualified coaches that I know. He and I have followed a similar path. We both owned Cycling Studios. He and I have worked together to employ features in PerfPro Studio. He is a pioneer in Diaphragm breathing protocols. But most recently, he built a Garmin Connect Field that highlights EXACTLY what we need to know in regards to Saturated Muscle Oxygen!

Saturated Muscle Oxygen (SmO2) is a metric that uses NIRS (Near Infra-Red Spectroscospy) to measure Saturated Muscle Oxygen levels and Total Hemoglobin Counts (ThB). The product that Steve Neal and I both use, the Moxy Monitor, is a lab-accurate device. Here’s how Steve and I use it in workouts.

Steve Neal Uses Moxy Monitors to measure SmO2.
The Moxy is a noninvasive, durable NIRS sensor that is tuned to transmit SmO2 and ThB data to Garmin Head Units and Watches.

 

 

 

 

When a muscle contracts, it uses oxygen in the process. Moxy Monitors basically measure “Supply” (Smo2) based on “Demand”, which is measured in watts. It’s a merge of Physiology and Physics.  Muscles and Lungs (Oxygen) are augmented with the measurement of heart rate, all of which I have been studying for decades.  However, at certain levels of intensity, and depending on the muscle group being measured, the Moxy can help identify what I call “Floors”, or “Ceilings”. A “Floor” is an SmO2 intensity that can be sustained under duress. If intensity rises, the SmO2 will decline and can predict exhaustion. If SmO2 rises, we know the cyclist is riding at different levels of aerobic (sustainable) intensity.

STEVE NEAL’S MOXY FIELD ON GARMIN CONNECT IQ

Steve’s Moxy Field helps Moxy owners optimize the Physiological Impact of EACH and EVERY INTERVAL and RECOVERY. The concept is simple. The cyclist places their Moxy Monitor on a muscle group (I prefer the Left Lateralis). They then head over to the Garmin Connect IQ Field on their mobile phone or via Garmin Express, and download this Custom Field. In the Settings Tab, the cyclist will enter the specific Moxy ANT+ or BLE code for that unit. They also enter the location where the Moxy will be placed. I’ll talk about different locations and what they can tell us in a bit. Finally, the cyclist places the Custom IQ Field on their Garmin Ride Profile.

My profile screen looks like this:

Steve Neal Moxy Lap Field Garmin Connect IQ Field 4
The Steve Neal Moxy Lap Field is on the bottom of this screen. It eliminates the ThB Field, and replaces it with Instant Smo2 %. The number on the Right is the ‘Lap’ Average SmO2. It will change colors as the average rises and falls in the context of the lap, and the available Oxygen in the blooodstream.

The Steve Neal Moxy Field is used in conjunction with the ‘Lap’ Button. It eliminates the view of Total Hemoglobin, or ThB. The Field gives a lot of information in a small package.

You get:

Steve neal Moxy Lap Field Description
As important as the Instant SmO2 value is, it’s the COLOR and VALUE of the number on the RIGHT that is so critical. This is where having a BIG, HUGE, HEAD UNIT, like the Garmin 1040, comes in so handy. If Garmin still made their Head-Up Display, I swear, I’d ask them to include custom fields like this one in their options for fields.
  • Instant SmO2
  • Lap Average SmO2
    • and based on the color of the Lap Average SmO2, you can determine whether your SmO2 is RISING, FALLING, or is STABLE.
    • Red is Falling, Black is Stable, and Blue is Rising.

USE STEVE NEAL’S MOXY FIELD DURING A WORKOUT

Now, the results can be individualized, but the general trend for a workout might go like this:

First, have a look at this blog post and video that explains how I use the Moxy to determine proper warmup and preparation for a ride.
Moxy Monitor Warmup Protocol – Online Bike Coach

Then, look at the Steve Neal Moxy Field, and when an interval of, say, 3 minutes begins, hit the ‘lap’ button. As intensity increases, Smo2 will decrease, and the Lap Average SmO2 will also decrease. However, 3 minutes can be an eternity of effort. Intensity has to be modulated in order to complete the task. Using the Steve Neal Field, I can identify an Oxygen Demand which is SUSTAINABLE, and then I can watch the AVERAGE, trend down towards that value. If I’m near the end of the interval, and I feel like I have a little more to give, I can INCREASE INTENSITY, and DECREASE available Smo2, switch to an anaerobic energy system, and basically ‘Leave With Nothing Left’. Hit the lap button at the end of the interval, and you can watch the SmO2 value RISE to Maximum Resaturation, which is also a great time to replenish any carbs or rehydrate. Over the course of several intervals, it becomes easier to identify a ‘Floor’ of Smo2, below which you’re on seriously borrowed time. Steve Neal has several Diaphragm Breathing Protocols that affect Smo2 levels and can improve both Stamina and Strength for endurance and intensity days on the bike.

Looking at Moxy Results On Garmin Connect After A Ride

I recently performed a set of intervals on my Virtual Studio at app.vqvelocity.com, with a client who also had a Moxy Monitor. I am in California; he is in Massachusetts. We were both using Steve Neal’s Moxy field, and we both had the Moxy Monitor on our Left Lateralis. The interval set was 14 minutes long, with intensities at 120% of FTP for 22 seconds, and 8 seconds of recovery at 50% of FTP. But the WATTAGE GOALS FOR THE WORKOUT CHANGE WITH THE VALUES that show up on Steve Neal’s Moxy Field. This interval effort is what I call a ‘Push’. Let me explain.

VQ Velocity 22-8 intervals 2 sets
I created this interval set because the metabolic response to a stimulus is about 25 seconds. It also takes about 8 seconds to reset the ATP in your legs when recovering. The 22-8’s have some intensity and recovery overlap, but they yield a VERY high overall normalized and actual average when properly employed. They’re actually a “Threshold” workout…

The overwhelming research on cycling reveals that the sport is overwhelmingly aerobic in its’ demands. Sure, we love to talk about intensities and intervals for brief moments here and there, but when the ride is over and uploaded, it’s our AEROBIC economy that makes such a difference. The goal of training, therefore, is four-fold; we want to improve STAMINA, STRENGTH, SPEED, and SKILL. Aerobic Power and economy is akin to Stamina, and that’s what we were focused on in this effort. But you can ‘see’ whether you’re aerobic or not, via the Steve Neal Moxy Field. A cyclist can also see when they’ve tripped over that line of Threshold, and they’re dipping into their own, personal, time-limited, “Well of Despair”! The second-by-second watts are less important here. What IS important is getting the cyclist to their own, personal, average SmO2, that is both painful, but yet also sustainable. This workout was a Threshold Workout, and the Moxy data shows just that. Aerobics is the ‘Push’ of Economy and Stamina. Anaerobic Intensities and Vo2Max efforts, are the ‘Pull’.

Garmin Connect Moxy Quad Watts Heart Rate
This is a screen report from the Garmin Connect File. Steve’s Moxy Field showed me a cumulative average and an idea of intensity that I just can’t get from traditional heart rate. If you look at the grey data points, which is SmO2, you’ll see that around minute 40, SmO2 began to rise. Why? Look at the RECOVERY WATTS in purple. I began to take those 8 second recoveries more seriously, and my Saturated Muscle Oxygen rose in accordance. ‘ON’ Power stayed high, and this allowed me to do MORE of the ‘Work’, which is beneficial.

On my first interval, I hit the ‘Lap’ button on my Garmin 1040 Solar, and rode at the varying intensities that the workout prescribed, until I hit a value of Saturation below 20%. The stochastic nature of the intervals within the set show perpetual swings of wattage, but the SmO2 drifted between 14 and 18%. For the First Interval Set, I averaged 17% for SmO2. Average power? 292 watts. This is WELL ABOVE the predicted Thresholds that have been set for me by numerous other Threshold Calculators. The second Interval? 20% SmO2 with power at a more modest 261 Watts, still above my ‘Calculated” Threshold. Traditional Heart Rates? They were 172 bpm and 168 bpm, both arguably UNDER my claimed Threshold of 173 bpm.

Steve Neal Moxy Field With SmO2 Wattage and DFAA-1
Here’s the second set. I wanted to show the SmO2 values with DFAA-1 values from AlphaHRV, which is another great Field found in Connect IQ. I use both fields, but I find that Moxy ‘Floors’ are more acute than the ‘rolling 2-minute’ value that we commonly use to calculate DFAA-1. 

Moxy Values are more accurate and precise than traditional Heart Rate and Wattage Claims for Threshold Values. They also highlight FATIGUE and arguably, DEHYDRATION or a BONK. That’s another discussion for another day, but the gist of it is this; We’ve had this tool for about 10 years now, but it required mental calculation to determine Aerobic and Anaerobic Thresholds. Now, with the Steve Neal Moxy Field, we get Instant values, Average Values, and a Trend, which is worth its’ weight in gold.

CONCLUSION

Everyone knows how much I love power meters. More recently, I’ve fallen in love with the study of Heart Rate Variability. I love how that works with our bodies in a more holistic way. With the release of Steve’s Moxy Field, we now have the tool to observe thresholds acutely, and then determine ways to dive through them, stay at or just above them, and recover from efforts more effectively.

I’ll save the next blog post for another aspect of Steve Neal’s Moxy Field, where we will look at the same workout, but from the aspect of the LEFT DELTOID. The numbers are going to be more nuanced, but they continue to reveal some INCREDIBLE, REPEATABLE, NONINVASIVE information.

Until then, ENJOY THE RIDE!

 

Using Ergometer LOAD vs. % SLOPE for DFAA-1 Base Training

"PerfPro Studio is such a fantastic product for training and analysis. It allows a cyclist to ride at a load based on an ergometer, or a load based on % slope. Yesterday, after assessing my DFAA-1 heart rate, SmO2 and wattage values, I decided to 'test' the values...."
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Using the Moxy Muscle Oxygen Monitor to Affirm LT1

Moxy Muscle Oxygen Monitor Is A Passive Way to Detect Lactate Threshold Deflection Points

I’ve been using the Moxy Muscle Oxygen Monitor since the product first became available in the early 2010’s. I quickly realized that it offered insights into physical fitness unlike any other product. Today’s Online Bike Coach Daily Ditty shows how my Moxy confirmed that 205 watts as my first Lactate Threshold Deflection Point.

By setting my wattage resistance on PerfPro Studio software, I was able to ride consistently for several minutes, and my SmO2 values remained steady. When Saturated Muscle Oxygen is stable, Oxygen is flowing in, Carbon Dioxide is flowing out, and Lactic Acid is being shuttled in the bloodstream. It gets picked up and processed by these things called “MCT”‘s, or, “Monocarboxylate Transporters“. Then it’s turned back into energy. It’s really efficient, and it can be trained. The different levels, or plateaus, tell us just how well our bodies are working at shuttling the waste out, and the nutrients in.

The Moxy shows you just how that’s working. In this case, the information was displayed with a Vo2 Master Gas Exchange Analyser. That way, I can look at the Watts, the Lungs, the Legs, the heart, and the blood. It’s a holistic approach to fitness and aerobic intensity. This information can be viewed on your Garmin head unit, via a custom field. It can also be displayed and recorded on PerfPro Studio. I use the Moxy for every outdoor ride and indoor ride. I believe it can reveal warmup preparation, early indicators of a bonk, and much more.

Here is today’s Video. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how my wife uses the Moxy to ensure that her warmup is adequate and her intervals are at their best.

Thanks for watching, and ENJOY THE RIDE!