31.12.05

The Loosing Game

Ahhhh...this is always the time of year that I look at myself and say, "it's time to get to race weight". And I really mean it this year. No more messin' around.

I want to climb hills with LaLande, Matter, House, Schouten, Hall, Ettmayer, and Eppen. That means I need to have a power-to-weight ratio at lactate threshold of 5.0 watts/kg or better.

That's what the power meter is for (FedEX delayed my PT wheels coming in...not till Wednesday!)

So given that my LT power is 346 watts right now, I figure that with some intense Build training, I can increase my power by 6-8%. That gives me a LT power output of 366-373 watts. Not too bad.

Now comes the crucial part--the weight of the rider and bike system. My body weight is 78Kg right now. So as of last week monday, my LT power-to-weight ratio was 4.43. Not very good for climbing with the best.

So with my training plan and LT wattage increase, at the same body weight as I am now I would increase my power-to-weight ratio to 4.7-4.8 watts/kg. So I need to loose some fat. And, despite getting down to a VERY low body fat % while my jaw was wired shut in September-October, I have a significant amount of flab to loose here at New Years Eve.

So how much to loose? Well, being realistic for my body type, I know I can't get below 73 Kg's without looking like I'm a stick and getting sick all the time. And that would be a 5 Kg loss. If I were able to pull that off, I'd have a power-to-weight at LT ratio of 5.1. Perfect. The least amount of weight I can loose would be 3.5 Kg's in order to hit 5.0 power-to-weight (PTW).

So the New Year's Resolution comes today--I'm going to play the loosing game. Just like everyone else. I need to stop loosing by April, however, when the road race season kicks in full gear and my training becomes more intense.

GOAL: In order to achieve a 5.0 PTW ratio by April 1st, 2006, I will loose 3-5 Kg's of bodyfat while training to increase my power at LT.

Now there's an example of how to set your mid-season goals, for all who've been following the Baumann training plan so far this off-season.

SEDONA and TUCSON: Click the links to check out some very cool videos. (they take a few minutes to download, so right-click and open em' in a new window).

Happy New Year, blah, blah blah....go ride your bike, the season's wasting away!

3 comments:

Ryan Baumann said...

Power/(Weight in Kg) = PTW ratio

No, Friel doesn't really cover training with Power in his MTB trainers bible. He addresses it more in the "Cyclist's Training Bible v.3". But don't worry about it, you'll know pretty easily while your're climbing whether or not your PTW ratio is good or bad.

If you want to find out for sure, find a Computrainer somewhere near home and do a 30-60 min TT and find your average wattage output. That's about your LT power.

Ryan Baumann said...

Ha...because I am a numbers freak. I like data. Really, if I had the mind for it, I could just work my ass off and aim for a more abstract goal.

But that's not me.

By putting a specific number on my goal, I can motivate myself to achieve the goal more easily.

Climbing is more of a factor on mtb races at ski hills. Most courses are shorter (<2min), steeper climbs that are an anerobic effort more than an LT effort. Since one of my main goal races is on a ski hill...I'd like to be able to whoooop up on the uphills.

And I've never been real good at sustained climbs. Luckily there aren't too many around here, but I'm getting better at them by training in Madison.

Blue Mounds Hill Road, that's all there is to it. 3 miles at an average of 7%. Ride, rest, repeat.

Ryan Baumann said...

Ride them. Fast.

But don't ride too many during Base I and II. Base III and Build I is perfect for hills work. Just ride the long ones at your LT and the short ones above your LT.

Throw in a day of recovery and you will get faster at climbing hills, I garuntee it.