How To Improve Your Cycling Endurance, Using Sports Science

[@nickbrownbill3413]

Only half way through, but Adam is not just a great scientist, he's a great scientific communicator. Absolute natural communicating these concepts to the camera - my experience of academics and scientists generally is that being a great scientist does NOT ensure great scientific communication, thats a brilliant skill. What a guy.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Nick - and agreed Adam is on another level in terms of making the complex easy to understand . It’s always amazing to spend time in his lab - each time I learn about a wealth of different matters, and find that it works when I incorporate it into my training - good to know that a big stash of your flapjacks is more than justified for a big ride💯👌

[@mickboekhoff]

Agree! Really enjoy these videos with Adam. More lab testing please Phil, did I spot a treadmill in the lab? 😜

[@global_nomad.]

wasn't sure i was going to watch the whole 22 mins but then i found myself at the end without skipping.....great knowledge sharing..thanks

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

My pleasure for sharing, Global Nomad - and really pleased you found it interesting. Believe it or not I edited down 2hours of material to get to the 22mins - but felt that to cut any more would risk not doing justice to Adam’s insight 👍

[@stevennevin7466]

Very informative. Illustrates how personalised LT1 is relative to FTP. Work at LT1 or slightly below and grow your engine with lower risk of burnout.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Absolutely Steven 💯 - to set out training zones and thresholds between zones off an FTP test which is itself quite arbitrary in terms of the 95% vs 90% vs 93% etc - in turn causes many of us to over estimate our training zones and thresholds between zones, and then ride at too much power (eating too little) and bonking too early !!

[@ethangodridge6833]

Interesting point Adam made about the 50kg climber (similar to me) and a 100kg sprinter. Good video as usual.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Ethan🙏 - and for sure its a big advantage from the fuelling perspective 💯

[@ethangodridge6833]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Indeed. Easier the better.

[@AtakanCOBAN54]

Wowww. Dear Phil. Thank you for the video mate. Congratulations. 👍👍👍🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️👍👍👍

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Always so generous Atakan 🙏 - much appreciated 💯 And as you have seen I’m back on the rollers for serious improvements 💪💯

[@AtakanCOBAN54]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy I watched from start to finish

[@daveladdie3614]

This was a really fascinating look into what is happening in your body when trying to push out the watts and is so helpful when trying to know where your limits are, one of your most informative videos yet Phil,look forward to seeing more science.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Dave 🙏 - I too have loved learning about all of this from Adam - it’s fascinating - and also super helpful to understand what’s going on inside the body - and which energy systems we are targeting - plus what fuel is really required! 👌

[@paulhamblett7791]

Another brilliant video phill. Super insightful to many I’m sure 😊👍

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Paul 🙏 - pretty much everything you have been saying 💯✊

[@iancarson8614]

i guess that this is why its hard to lose body fat via cycling alone. its heavily weighted towards burning CHO, and low fibre, high glucose is king, on the bike. i firmly believe that the drip feeding of glucose into the blood stream, is key to telling the brain that all is well, and prevents a bonk. i did hear the phrase, "the fat you eat is the fat you wear", and it seems relevant. 230 watt LT1??? you beast Phil!!

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

That’s really interesting you say that Ian - and I guess that the strength training has been an added help for me. I do think that cycling does (often given our propensity to underway) create a good calorie deficit - which will help with the fat loss after the training. And based on what Adam said about the carbohydrate depletion even at low levels of intensity - I think you are right - by drip feeding you’re providing a positive signal to the brain. Cheers on the LT1 🙏- but as you previously saw my threshold is not the biggest ! Hope you are keeping well Sir👍

[@iancarson8614]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy keeping well phil. my outdoor racing season is underway and i plan on getting as much outdoors work as possible. a girona week is also on the menu for this year, so Ed's week has whet my appetite lol. say hi to Jayne!

[@DennisNowland]

Fascinating, thanks for sharing.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

My pleasure Dennis - hope you find this useful for your big rides, Sir 💯👍

[@Hotshotzwifting]

Something I am trying get used to is upping my carb intake on my endurance rides . Thanks for the knowledge Phill 👍

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Tony 🙏 and my pleasure 💯 - and for sure Adam was clear that eating more carbs is something that needs to be trained, in order for the gut to adapt. Best of luck with your big events and rides 👍

[@liamg9846]

Love the science!! This is an eye opener though seeing how much carbs you’re burning through at a relatively low power 😳. Maybe I need to rethink how much food I’m going to need for the dirty reiver!! Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Liam 🙏 - and am super pleased you found the video helpful. I too was really surprised that in my fat burning zone I was still using 140g carbs per hour and only using 10-12g fat ! Hope the Dirty Reiver goes well 🤞

[@scttgrice]

Great video, thanks for sharing

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

My pleasure, Brit 👍 - and much appreciated 🙏

[@drewlaventure9735]

Great vlog Phil, going to chk out other videos now it’s really cool and presented and put together so well - very impressive 👌🏼

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Drew 🙏 - that’s really kind of you to say so. And I think it’s the combination of exercise and digesting that makes it hard to eat much more than 100g per hour…. We’ve both managed “a tad more” than that on a refeed day during a cut 🤣

[@donwinston]

Another Oxford University video? This is a "high class" KZbin channel. This information is very cool.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

🤣 Cheers Donald 🙏 - I have to say, through Adam I’ve become addicted to the lab testing, ever time I go there it’s like 2 hours of non stop knowledge download 💯👌

[@TheSimong69]

what a great vlog. the info on numbers was great. but does our age change those numbers. just proves what the peloton helps with endurance and the help with grand domestique giving us carbs fuel through the day. you are a great man phil . thankyou for a great vlog xxxx

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Simon🙏. You are extremely generous, Sir 💯😊.You make a great point about the domestiques providing plentiful carbs and water to the protected riders - and also the draft - will make a big difference . I certainly think that as we age, preservation of muscle is helpful to help us process carbs and store glycogen, as well as helping with the production of power and general injury prevention. But I assume as we age our endurance and VO2max fitness gradually declines too. 👍

[@nickbrownbill3413]

Brilliant video mate, very informative and useful to the amateur cyclist looking to up their game. Brilliantly presented proper facts with proper science behind them, plus now I'm validated in trying to eat 200g of flapjack an hour whilst riding just to see if I can, what a dream!

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Nick 🙏- time to stock up on the compact carbs ahead of our Snowdonia adventure ! Adam is indeed eloquent, insightful and very engaging - am super fortunate to have been able to test with him 💯

[@agnesrosalinde]

Those video's in the lab are very interesting, Phill. Sorry I do not respond quickly. I have to replay them a few times to understand all the science and numbers in English.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

It’s always lovely to hear from you Agnes - and I massively appreciate you taking the time to translate this. There is a subtitle option - with the link in description should you want to turn it on and have an easier viewing 👍 I very much hope you are keeping well - Jayne and I are just getting over covid 👍

[@agnesrosalinde]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Oo Phill and Jayne, I am sorry to read that. Yes, I will rewatch with translation, thank you.

[@DJVanos1973]

Knocked that out of the Park Phillip ! The Carb burn was seriously eye opening and does explain why it’s so easy to bonk by thinking you can hold high watts for long extended periods with inadequate fuel being a mere weekend warrior with some hours in the week 😂 Seriously going to experiment with the Jessie Coyle method high volume sugar in one bottle and water in the other and as Duran Marmite Rider said Sugar ,Cadence and rim brakes for the win 😂 Great Video as always 👍🙏

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Van Northcote 🙏 Thats beyond kind of you to say so - and massively appreciated 💯. And agreed I too underfuel - so am experimenting on the big trainings and longer rides out with a lot more carbs in the bottles and also the solids etc. A lot of people speak very highly of the sugar in the bottle - and when I’ve done live stream Zwift races having first fuelled up on Durian’s cornflakes plus loads of sugar, I’ve responded well. High cadence is 🔑 😁

[@andrewharrison6690]

Fascinating.....would love a video on the effects of fasting

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Andrew 🙏 - and indeed I do train a lot first thing in the morning, fasted. I will look into this with Adam - but likely will be a month or so👍

[@andrewharrison6690]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy I fast regularly too. Its amazing how I've adapted and now able to survive quite hard sessions. Need the science now!

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@andrewharrison6690 same for me - given the carb utilisation even at low intensities I’m interested to see how it works. If I do a tempo with surge training - it will be about 90mins - and if I burn c200-250g of carbs per hour then that would be 300-325g of carb - which is about 60% of our glycogen stores - which would explain why I need to eat well after !

[@andrewharrison6690]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercysame for me with 90min smash v doable fasted. I've lost a lot of weight counting calories in and out over the last 8 months. Now feel I'm at a good racing weight so it's all about maintaining and maximising the gains .So really appreciate the detail and numbers you provide Phil. So helpful.

[@tvsa7]

thanks, very informative - top stuff Phil!

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

My pleasure, Tautvydas 💯 I’ve loved learning from Adam, and it’s a pleasure to share👍

[@Miekzz]

Very interesting stuff. We're all being told to eat more on the bike all the and still forget to do so. Cannot hear it too often 😂

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Mieke 🙏 - and without a doubt I too am guilty of hearing this, knowing it should be a good thing, and then promptly under-eating. However seeing the data on the screen puts it into perspective - so eat more on the bike it is!

[@leighgoodwin1726]

Also, for those doing gran fondo sportives, what is the most useful “threshold” to be focusing our training on? FTP and Vo2 max aren’t the limiting factors on L’Étape du tour. It’s being able to keep decent power output for six hours or more and have something in reserve for steep ramps

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

I think targeting to ride the big Gran Fondo climbs at LT1 or Low Tempo is the main objective. But I found that having done a lot of LT1 / tempo training prior to the Haute Route Swiss Alpes that the altitude had a big impact and I needed a bigger threshold. So for the Haute Route Dolomites later on the same year I still did the LT1 / Low tempo endurance training - but also built my Z2 - Z3 and Z4 thresholds by adding in x1 Threshold Training and x1 VO2 Max training each week

[@leighgoodwin1726]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy thanks for help. I’ve found that indoor zone 2 training can help with the mountains because of the need to keep power through the pedals - no freewheeling, unlike on a typical ride in Surrey - and also because of the effect of heat and sweating / dehydration and the tendency indoor not to fuel during sessions on power output

[@ajlexinicole7]

Dang gum, Phil!!! This is great information. I always felt the 20 minute test where always off....in my opinion. I started doing more and more research and came across a few different training apps...Xert is one of them and to be honest, based on it, it has my numbers where I feel they supposed to be. I haven't been able to get to lab, as you have done. However, by going off what they are giving me to do based on the numbers, I find my workouts a lot more do-able. Still hard, but not killing me. Our numbers are similar, though, I weigh 188lbs and would be telling you that I have the route once the ground starts to tilt up....LOL. Thank you ever so much for these in-depth videos and the great information that you share with us. Please, continue the great work and knowledge passing.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

That’s really lovely of you to say so Baxter💯🙏 - and for sure I have had similar frustrations. Clearly you’ve found a good training app - that delivers better thresholds and training zones. And for the LT1 / aerobic threshold, Adam was clear that this t threshold is an all day power - and you should be able to hold a good conversation at the this threshold, and also that looking at HR data and perceived exertion over the big rides (with consistent power) is a good way to find your threshold without the need to go to a lab. Am super pleased these videos resonate - and help us understand the importance of knowing these thresholds and inflexion points 👍

[@ajlexinicole7]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy I agree 100% with HR and power. I do at least 1 HR only ride per week, (staying within my Z@ Threshold HR for a 1-3 hours) just to give everything a break and to build at the same time....if that makes sense. And, I pay way more attention to my LT1 now, rather than the full zone. Training is just much more enjoyable, while getting all systems stronger. I will continue to watch and compare to stay on track. Also, I need to eat more, as you do. Again, thank you for the wonderful information and education!!

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@ajlexinicole7 your practical experience accords with what I am now doing: Basically train big chunks at or below LT1 with stable HR; For tempo train around Aerobic Threshold for blocks of 30-50mins; and for VO2 Max, train it hard - for me at the top end of where the conventional FTP zones would indicate - but for 60-180secs. And to your point, always in control of the effort - as you say simple, and much more enjoyable 💯

[@fr6652]

Very insightful cheers phil

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much fr - thats massively appreciated 🙏 Kudos to Adam 💯

[@peterwilson1831]

Great video. One query you could raise with the sports scientist regarding your results and physiology. Around the 5 min mark at what is clearly an 'all day' pace of 180 watts for a high calibre rider capable of an FTP pushing 275, how is the fuel being burned almost exclusively carbohydrates? The absolute numbers here fluctuate between 100 to 150 g/h of carbs with fat barely registering (between 0-19 g/h), that is a 10X differential in favour of carbohydrates. This is clearly an all-day chilled (zone 2) pace that we would typically classify as high fat-burning. Later when sitting at 275 watts, the sports scientist talks about the huge amount of carbohydrates being burned at such a high effort (200 g/h) and discusses how the body switches exclusively to carbohydrate for fuel as it is more efficient fuel source when oxygen becomes a limiting factor. However, there is little difference in fat being used between the 180 and 275 watts. The question is - where exactly is that switch from fat to carbs if very little fat is being burned at an easy pace of 180W with a chilled heart rate of 120 bpm? For endurance athletes, one of the predominant schools of thought is that we are to improve efficiency by training our metabolism to be more dependent on fat as a fuel source and thus reduce our dependence on limited carbohydrate stores (and our ability to replenish real time). For a rider like BRWM, where in his power curve is he burning fat in any significant quantities? There are classic carbohydrate/fat burn graphs presented online that show predominant fat burning with modest carbohydrate burn at low intensity , with these graphs eventually converging at a mid-point as intensity increases and eventually carbohydrate taking over at very high intensity. The classic Coggan model classified 'endurance/Z2' as a high fat/carbo burn type of pace and even states moderate fat/carbo burn at tempo/Z3.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks Peter - and these are great questions. I was surprised that I wasn’t burning more fat for fuel at 180W. But the point being I guess that whilst the fat was 10-12g per hour, it has 9calories per gram so 90-108cals per hour, and in turn this spares the use of glycogen. Whereas even at aerobic threshold let alone anaerobic threshold, fat burn was zero. The tests were focussed on the lactate threshold, and the blood does not lie (noting the reading of 3.8mml at 275W was consistent with my previous lab visit (c4mml). It may have been impacted a bit by my breathing and talking at points - but as Adam said, even if carbs are the primary source of fuel at and below the aerobic threshold / LT1 - the body is still working aerobically, and sustainably (low HR, easy controlled breathing and no issues clearing any lactate in the blood) - and in turn is able to continue for hours, with carb intake being the limiting factor. And when I think about it in real life, if I do a low intensity ride indoors for 3 hours fasted, I will feel pretty depleted and ready to eat at the end - indicative of 300-400g of carbs being used from my stores of c500-600g. So makes sense - but is surprising 👍

[@peterwilson1831]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy even given the energy potential for each source, there is still 5X more energy coming from the carbohydrates at that all day pace! as with everything there are individuals at either end of the spectrum, i consider myself a 'butter burner' at the opposite end from you. i use long steady distance rides to strip off fat after off season, it's very effective for me but i suspect i'm getting a much higher percentage of energy from fat vs carbs at a similar all-day pace. The important take away i believe is the importance of carbs for your aerobic performance. i.e. being well fed before the 312 and being sure to supplement periodically.

[@BulletGaming012]

I'm not currently a massively fir man but I have high hopes of competitive long distance gravel riding in the UK as it evolves so this is fascinating listening, thanks

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers BulletGaming 🙏 - and for sure on the gravel, the pacing an fuelling are critical - I definitely found the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo much more challenging - especially when on the climbs which are harder when the traction is lower ! It took more energy physically and more energy to the brain to concentrate - but worth it! Enjoy your events 💯👍

[@bikepackingadventure7913]

Long distance gravel riding in the U.K. 😂😂funny ………… You mean, long distance very muddy bridleway riding 😏😉😉

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@bikepackingadventure7913 I’m yet to sample the delights of UK gravel - South Downs Highway looks decent ?

[@BulletGaming012]

@@bikepackingadventure7913 hahahahhaha, yeah, mud more likely. We do have keilder though which manages it

[@larrytsang8149]

Excellent vlog Phil, I take drinking is just not enough to stop me from bonking 😭

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Larry 🙏 - super pleased you found this one helpful. I put about 60-80g of carbs in each bottle - but for sure we all need to eat more on our big rides 💯

[@therealhostman]

Be interested to know some of the science behind reducing that carb per hour figure and workouts (i.e. fasted?) you can do to reduce this, assuming lowering it is a desirable performance/endurance outcome.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers James - I do a lot of my strength and cycling workouts early in the AM fasted (but having eaten plenty of carbs the day before). And can happily ride 2-3 hours low intensity indoors with no carbs - but this did not make a big difference to my fat usage (just 10-12g per hour during the 180W segment of the test!). Adam said the fasted training can help the body become better at storing glycogen - which I think has helped me. But biggest takeaway was that for the big rides when you want to do well, eat a good low fat high carb breakfast, and eat plenty of east to digest carbs on the bike 👍

[@Uberpaker]

Very interesting, considering the 75% FTP "limit" for Zone 2 in the well recognized cycling Bibles... seems like it can be very individual for sure. Any tips for trying to hone in on the LT1 by oneself (apart from talk test)? Also, very eye opening in terms of how much actually we can burn vs ingest in terms of CHO.... Got the same LT2 as you and while I was vary of this, still good to see the numbers and make yet another mental note in my brain to EAT CARBS. Very informative stuff, thanks

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Uberpaker 🙏 - so pleased you found this one helpful 💯. Yes - as for the anaerobic threshold, I too was surprised by just how much the conventional training zone model determined by the 20min FTP can overstate / understate our thresholds and zones. For me the takeaway was that your aerobic threshold will vary according to both genetics and the kind of training you’ve been doing - so if pushing to build a bigger FTP, then there’s a good chance it will be overstated using 75%. One other tip from Adam was look back at the data for the rides where you’ve been riding a consistent power for 3-6 hours and look for signs of a positive split, with power trailing off in the final 25%. Also heart rate should be pretty stable over 2-3 hours and well below your anaerobic threshold (e.g. 145-155bpm for me at aerobic threshold - stable for 2-4 hours vs 165-175 at my anaerobic threshold - stable for 30-60mins) 👍. And for sure - me too -EAT MORE CARBS ON THE BIKE 🤣

[@markbentley4343]

Very enlightening deep dive, Phil 👍 My LT1 was calculated completely differently here in Frankfurt. The calculation shows that it was 0.4 mmol/l above baseline (1.55mmol/l), not calculated as 1 mmol/l above baseline, which would have been around 2.15 mmol/l. At LT1 you should be burning primarily fat, and typically less carbs than you can consume per hour

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks Mark 🙏 - my pleasure. And Adam did say that there are a number of different ways the LT1 can be calculated. But my big takeaway was the need to err the right side of the lactate threshold / LT1 for the best results. And based on my test, I know that 225W I was still stable near the at the 1.2mml base line at about 1.4mml, but it then went up to 2.4mml at 240W - so I’ll aim to keep it sub 225/230W. We are clearly pretty similar in our levels 👍

[@markbentley4343]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Yes but typically at LT1 you are burning more fat than carbs and any carb intake should more than compensate for the carbs expended

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@markbentley4343 that wasn’t what Adam was saying. I asked the question during the test in the video, to enquire why my LT1 wasn’t 180, given my carb utilisation was high even at this stage. Adam answered that whilst even at 180W, I was burning 140g carbs and 10-12g of fat per hour, the body is still using the carbs to produce the energy in an oxidative/aerobic manner, with the lactate being comfortably cleared inside the muscle and no excess in the blood as a result . And this was the case right upto and including 225W. He also said that it’s not really viable to eat enough carbs to replace what is being burned even at low intensity. But he was clear that riding at or below LT1 is good for sparing glycogen depletion. But whether we’ll below LT1 at 180W or at LT1, fat was not the primary fuel source (just 10-12g per hour at LT1). And Adam said these results were consistent with his general experience.

[@markbentley4343]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Wow that’s interesting. Classically LT1 power is known as all-day endurance. Not sure how we can go all day if we are out of carbs and unable to burn sufficient fat. But yes, you’re lactate is not apparently rising above baseline much at all until the big jump at 240W

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@markbentley4343 they way Adam articulated it to me was that it’s the max all day power where if we can ingest 80-100g of carbs per hour, we both keep topping up glycogen and spare the worst of the depletion in turn enabling us to ride at this consistent pace for a good number of hours 4-6. And if we take a cafe stop or other break, its essential to take on carbs to try and restore some of the depletion whilst nothing is being burned. But inevitably during the long rides we also spend plenty of time in low zone 1 - on the descents and during easy periods (with much reduced glycogen depletion), plus bursts into threshold on the steeper parts of a climb. So I often would find that even if on the flat and climbs I try to ride 220-240W, my average power is more like 165-185, indicative of big chunks of time where glycogen is being spared.

[@ashleyhouse9690]

Another very interesting and thought-provoking video Phill! 👍 I'm sure like a lot of people I was surprised by the amount of CHO the test showed you were burning at a relatively low wattage compared to your ultimate LT1. A lot is spoken about the "fat burning zone" but your testing shows that there is still an appreciable amount of CHO being burnt as well. It would be interesting to know just how many calories were being burnt at that time and what proportion were actually fat and CHO. As I said on your previous video I am currently training for the Marmotte this year and having done it twice before I have usually got my fueling strategy reasonably close, I haven't bonked at least! This has got me thinking a bit more though to ensure I get it even better this time and maybe get round a little faster. I did go too hard up the Glandon last time and paid for it later on. I have invested in some Favero Assioma Duo pedals this time though so hopefully I can pace things a little better. Thanks again for your time and effort in producing such an informative video.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Ashley 🙏 - and thats exactly my thinking for La Marmotte also - can I fuel and pace a bit better for a faster time 💯🤞 At 180w I was burning about 140g carbs per hour and only 10g of fat - so about 650 cals plus whatever was being taken from protein as the muscles are broken down. Hope your own training goes well. I love my Assiomas - nothing easier or more reliable to use. Connect super easy with the wahoo bolt. But clearly it’s worth seeing how the power from them matches up to the power source you are currently training with. I think I’ve gone out 10W or so too hard at times, without realising they are under-reading a tad

[@Lemond75]

Each gram of CHO contains 4kcals, and each gram of fat 9kcal, so you can calculate the total calorie expenditure from that. Hope that helps 👍

[@ashleyhouse9690]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy One thing which did occur to me Phill is if you take the extremes for LT1 and LT2 that you tested in the lab i.e. 225W and 275W that still puts your LT1 at around 82%. A fair bit higher than the 75% usually quoted for the top of Zone 2. Any thoughts?

[@ashleyhouse9690]

@@Lemond75 Thanks, I did know that but we don't know the total calorie expenditure at 180W so can't calculate the proportion of fat burnt although Phill has provided an estimate.

[@bikepackingadventure7913]

I do a fasted 30 minute ride every morning for 5 days. Don’t eat after 7pm get up, only drink water and then a 8 mile ride to work on the fixed gear.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

I too like to train fasted in the early am, Bikepacking Adventure 💯 - saves eating and digesting before, and according to Adam, creates an adaption to help the body store more glycogen . Nice regime btw 👌

[@tonystrange7224]

Dare I say it Phill but this was probably in your top 3 of informative videos of not number 1. I took some really useful information away from this one. And thank you for all your support 're the situation in the Ukraine. Very much appreciated.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

As always, thats massively appreciated, Tony 🙏 I’ve loved the lab tests with Adam, because he makes a complex subject so easy to understand, and really pleased the video will be helpful to your own progression this year 💯 Your facebook posts make me realise just how fortunate we are not to be confronted by such tyranny - and the stories of courage make us feel very impotent. Still desperately hoping for peace - for the people of Ukraine 🇺🇦🤞

[@htukmumfie]

Have you looked in to the issue with your assiomas, phil? Quite a surprising difference.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi Paul - I’ve not looked into the cause, but understand that power meters are a less precise science than the manufactures would have us believe. But I own 2 pairs of Assioma duos, and love them - and they are very very consistent with eachother, which is the main thing. I also understand that power meters can vary according to temperature etc. But for these lab tests, the conditions were exactly the same, and with the correct zero offset the variance was the same - with the Assiomas under-reading the lab bike by about 10W at 225-240W and 12W at 265-275W 👍

[@nightyas]

Hi Phil, love your content, you recommend doing a 30min around our FTP (10min below, 10min at ftp and 10min over) to gauge a more accurate FTP, what I wanted to know is if you took any rest in between those intervals?

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi nightyas - an thanks ever so much - your very kind support is hugely appreciated 🙏. You do your standard 20min ftp- to calculate your ballpark ftp - and then ideally the next day or day after do the 30min ramp 10mins @ 10W below your ballpark FTP and then 10mins at it and 10mins at 5-10W above. No rest between ramps. You are looking for elevated but stable HR and controlled breathing and no issues with lactate build up. If these markers rise over the 10mins then you’re above your physiological anaerobic threshold (ie your accurate FTP)👍

[@nightyas]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy thank you Phil really appreciate you responding so promptly looking forward to more of your content. Stay blessed

[@derx6666]

Hmm... I've never looked twice at the CHO value on my own test, but that makes perfect sense. Now to get that LT1 number up :) An LT1 around 230 is great Phil, especially at your weight. This means you'll be able to sit around 3.6wkg all day (if you eat enough 😉). This is massive for events like La Marmotte.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers, Marco 🙏 - what LT1 is and why its so important has been a massive revelation to me, Marco - and cheers for your amazing encouragement 🙏. I too was shocked about the level of carb usage at low intensity - and for sure if I can pace to LT1 and fuel correctly, then hoping to go a little faster. How are you getting on ? Any more progress ?

[@derx6666]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Slowly feeling better. Power is way down though, but seeing how Scott performed Friday I know it'll come back. I'll just have to be patient (that's the hard part 😉). I've been riding a bit, and I notice that slowly the feeling comes back, and also my avg power/avg HR is slowly getting higher, so it's definitely improving.

[@mjaynz]

That was really cool. How often do you do this test?

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks, mjaynz 🙏 - I too have loved learning about the physiology and what the FTP threshold is actually meant to be. In truth I don’t often test FTP or visit the lab - but instead monitor progression in general fitness (endurance at tempo and recovery from VO2 max efforts) 👍

[@leebaxter8654]

on a path to excruciating bonky death 😂😂. The story of my life.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

🤣 more like on a path to grinding out an infernal low cadence tempo for hours on the UK’s toughest climbs💪✊ !! How’s the training for the Giro de Wales going ?

[@leebaxter8654]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Not perfect. However, after watching this vid, I think, if we ride at an optimal power output, where we can refuel our bodies. And if we ride as a unit. I think we can achieve it. I might get in 2 good big ride’s before the big one. What about yourself?

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@leebaxter8654 agreed - pacing and eating plenty will be critical - need to save energy for the - 4-5 super steep and long climbs . Just recovering from covid - so back on the low intensity. I too will squeeze in at least one more big ride - by which I mean ….1/3 of the distance and 25% of the climbing 🤣

[@leebaxter8654]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Hope covid symptoms mild . you will be back to full strength soon

[@carlraynham8547]

Great vid Phill thanks for sharing, just out of curiosity what percentage of max heart rate would your estimate be for VT1 👍

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Carl 🙏 - my pleasure! Having ridden 2x 60mins on the rollers at 225W on Sunday, I can say that my VT1 HR is 155bpm - about 83% of my max at 185👍

[@nicksidell4797]

Really enjoyed that as penny has started to drop 😂 And for you to need 80 to 100 g an hour. Mean someone like myself being a slightly bigger lump would need quite a bit more an hour. Like you said you can quite easily go out for three hours without eating a lot as do I usually good bowl of porridge first thing a banana and Coffee and cake halfway round a hundred mile ride but I’m famished when I’m finished phill.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Nick 🙏 - and yep the penny dropped for me for sure! 140g of carbs per hour at 180W and more like 175g of carbs per hour at my aerobic threshold was a big surprise😳 And like you I am often pretty famished at the end of my longer rides. I don’t think I’ll train specifically to eat more on the bike - but will focus more for the big rides that count on having x2 bottles with 60-80g in them and eat more at breakfast and more solid food in the first half leaving gels to the end. And good news, not in the edit, but Adam was very clear on this - eat plenty of cake at the cafe stop and take sugar in your coffee - its the only time to replenish when the body is not burning carbs at the same time 💯💪

[@nicksidell4797]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Thank you for that I’ll be that in mind phill 😊 👍🍰

[@minkmoink]

Hey Phil, don't you reckon doing fasted zone 2 ride will burn your hard earn muscle? I'm trying to avoid that

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi Minkmoink - agreed there is a risk that the fasted ride with elevated cortisol will break down a bit of muscle as well as fat. But in my experience this has been very low - and I also consume high quality amino acids before the exercise to help reduce this risk 👍

[@caryblackburn4601]

Great video. Did you determine your Fatmax wattage in gms/hour during the test? Some coaches feel that training at that wattage rather than going up to LT1 is better for increasing Fat utilisation.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi Cary, we didn’t set that. But your point makes sense, because even around LT1 (225W) my fat utilisation was almost zero. Whereas at 185W I was still burning 10-12g of fat per hour. 👍

[@caryblackburn4601]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy Everyone is different but you must be really good at producing AND clearing lactate. In a test before the lockdown I was burning 48g FAT/hr @ 180W and my LT1 appeared to be nowhere near as good as yours.

[@abedfo88]

How is the endurance zone effected by doing efforts above this zone I.e. on super steep climbs or if you are too unfit or heavy to ride climbs at endurance pace?

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi Andrew - great question. This is exactly the problem we are confronted by for big rides in the Lake District, Peak District or as for me Snowdonia this coming weekend. Bottom line is that when the gradient becomes so steep that we have to go above aerobic threshold, we’ll be eating into more glycogen and need more carbs. And on the really steep gradients we’ll spend considerable time at and above our anaerobic threshold eating heavily into our anaerobic energy reserves (our w-prime) - so need to fuel even better - and also ride the climbs - and let the power drop below anaerobic threshold when the gradient drops off in order to let the body recover a bit - and replenish the wprime 👍

[@ccamire]

Very instructive video. The science of finding the equilabrium between exercise and eating carbs so you avoid bunking on a long ride. It is helpful to do these tests especially when you embark on a very long ride like the 312. I would be interested in doing the same experiments but using a different strategy: little or no carbs. I have been low carbs and fat adapted, my longer rides have been better and less gut painful. You should read the science about using more salt in your water to decrease your heart rate which could reduce carbs utilization. Thanks for the useful contant.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much ccamire🙏 - and as someone who does quite a lot of fasted training, I too am interested in understanding this subject in more detail. I don’t think I’ll go low carb to get fat adapted, because I do love the hard VO2 Max efforts and the occasional threshold climb. I’ll look at the salt point - and I do find that when I add high quality electrolytes to my bottle, with salt included, my rides outside are better for it 💯

[@MrPeperoni79]

If you want to decrease Carb usage or increase the power you have at a given Carb usage, 3x15@90% FTP, cadence below 60 - and do it on empty stomach or at least after not having eaten for 8 hours; or: 12x0:30@~180-200% FTP, 4:30 rest close (but below) your LT1 or: general any ride in the morning on empty stomach. I think the upper limit for fat consumption is slightly above ~1g Fat per kg bodyweight per hour. Triathletes are quite good at that. Jan Frodeno averages 280-290 Watts on his bike stint. Given that he only can fuel himself ~90g carbs per hour (which he wants to be quite stuffed with as there is a marathon afterwards and running has in general a higher carb demand as you produce more power running) he has to burn a lot of fat @~280 Watt. With 90g carbs you can produce around 1530KJ of energy in one hour. Unfortunately, 75-80% blows up in heat and only 20-25% you can produce power with. That means that a portion of 100-120 Watt from Jan Frodeno's power comes from carbs if he wants to stay fueled. Means he needs ~180 Watts from fat. 180 Watts for 3600s is 648 KJ. 1g fat provides for 37.7 KJ. That looks like just 17g to burn each hour. But as mentioned you blow up most energy in heat, so he needs to burn ~70g fat per hour. That is close to what is possible biologically. I read a value of ~1g fat per minute you can burn per kilo bodyweight if you train exactly for that. Most fit people are around 0,5-0,6g fat/minute/kg.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers MrP - that’s really interesting. I guess the low cadence makes it more muscular in nature - a bit more like strength training 👍

[@MrPeperoni79]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy That low cadence forces you (or rather you body) to use fast twitch (IIb) and intermediate type (IIa) muscle fibers. Intermediate type fibers can burn fat AND carbs, but they will use carbs, if available. If not, they use fat. And if you "force" them to use fat, they will adapt to that situation by building up mitochondria. Furthermore, if done regularly, Type IIb fibers can convert to Type IIa fibers. So the "overall goal" is to increase mitochondria amount/density in that muscle mass that is critical for the stuff you do (here: cycling) because the more mitochondria you have, the more fat and pyruvate (which is an intermediate product from anareobic glycolysis) you can metabolize.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@MrPeperoni79 cheers 🙏 - I massively appreciate you taking the time to explain all of this. I’ll be sure to look into it in detail - and give it a try 👍

[@heikkisanelma6625]

Interesting how the methods differ... In Finland we use as a general rule the (3min steps, mind that) they calculate the LT1 where the mmol value increases 0,3mmol/l from the baseline... i think that just tells that 3min steps are inaduequte... dr inigo san milan tells that pros should test at 10min steps as iahats starts to be enough of time to get the homeostasis in the Bla etc values on the chosen effort... san milan is podacars / UEA team coach and cancer/physiology researcher and lecturer in colorado uni... bright fellow, he has few good podcast cameos i would anyone interested on these geeky stuff to lsiten to... easy to find from spotify..

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks Heikki 🙏 And Adam was of the view that the 3min steps as per the test which we last used to establish my VO2 Max don’t allow enough time for the lactate to stabilise (like HR it is a lagging indicator). So as for Dr Inigo San Milan, Adam also chose a longer period for the ramp on this lactate test (8mins). To your point, Adam also mentioned in the video that that there are a number of different protocols for deciding where the lactate threshold (LT1) lies - and he was using 1mml. But others have said the same as you (0.3-0.4mml). And on the 0.3mml basis I would guess my LT1 is close to 225W, because my base-line was 1.2mml and it was stable 1t 1.3-1.4mml upto and including 225W but was 2.4mml at 240W. I’ll check out his podcast - thanks for the heads up 🙏

[@heikkisanelma6625]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy yes, for vo2max the shorter steps are better as less muscular fatigue is inflicted upon athlete before getting to the latter half of the test... and thus better for not so well trained atheltes too, for the same reaseon. For really pinpinting the LT1/Fatmax zones the 5-10min steps should be used im certain of that. I do 6min steps for my home benchmarking as i use dfa-a1 from hrv too and this needs 6min steps to calculate somewhat trustworthy values per step. the peter attia drive -podcast has inigo san milan and they did revisit podcast episode month or so back drom the episode and i think they are doing a follow up episode together later this year as it was advertised december-january... one of my very favorite podcasts ever all topics included - this first podcast they done... its very long and i had to listen it 3-4 times trough first 48hr to really get all the details...

[@jdawg3465]

How do you implement progressive overload into your training plan? Should you add something like 10% time to your workouts, or can you increase the %of FTP

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi JDawg -for the cycling I will gradually add in more kms at upper zone 2 and lower zone 3 (my aerobic threshold), plus for the 1 or 2 more intense trainings each week, I will seek to improve the quality and consistency of the Vo2 Max efforts and the transition into the recoveries (which I often do at upper zone 2). And when after a month or so I feel that my fitness is improving, I may add 5W-10W to the VO2 max efforts and 5W to the zone 2 and lower 3. I rarely test for FTP /anaerobic threshold or aerobic threshold - but can feel the fitness coming and react accordingly👍

[@drewlaventure9735]

100 grams an hour carbs …had no idea that you basically cannot fuel that much in an hour so eating into your glycogen (depletion)

[@jlwong92]

how did you find your lt1 translated to hr? relative to zone 2 vs hr at lt1?

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi Justin - about 145-155bpm depending on fatigue and heat. Very stable. My anaerobic threshold is c165

[@keithrobertson3713]

Very Very Interesting Phill, especially the carb burning 👀........I definitely think the fasted rides pretty much make you Bonkproof 😁......at least for me 👌

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers Kieth 🙏 - hope all well! Agreed I keep in the fasted training. Adam was saying it helps the body to adapt - and store greater levels of carbs in the muscles. I reckon that and the strength training have benefited me. Plus like you I eat loads of carbs the day before 👍

[@foundfoundfound1]

another day, another jersey. because you train like danger mouse-zwift races, manic things like the gorby, hill repeats-a high vlaxmax is inevitable. zone 4/5/6 training begets a preference for cho (even at low intensities). you can improve fat consumption by doing less intensity and more long+slow. but is it worth it? most would pass. pointless detail: watched this while digging the arils out of the first ripe pog (pomegranate) from the tree.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Cheers FFF 🙏 - I do keep in 1-2 bits of intensity per week - but quite a lot is just big blocks of 200-240W. And agreed - time is too short to spend loads of time on the long slow rides, but was also interesting to understand that fasted training can create an adaption where the body is able to increase it’s stores of carbs. Hope you next pog produced succulent sweetness 💯

[@DavidRaynham85]

Time to invest in a Rice Cake company Phill.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

🤣 as we know, the Master, is never knowingly without ! 💪

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

All my rides are fasted.. I cant ride with food in my gut .. I started this when i was very young, at work eating would make me very lazy.. So i stopped eating at work.. I feel my body works better this way. When i would say this to people they would look at me like i was nuts. Even at work they would think i was nuts for not eating. Now everyone is fasting ha ha ha .. Including All the youtubers.. They would laugh at me like Tyler ... but they would never mention a word of our arguing about that topic and how wrong they were. am i an asshole when im trying to make a point? Absolutely, i guess that's why.. by the way i have repeated this over 100 times... There was one of them that i argued about fasting and later on he even went on saying he stopped eating at work because bla bla bla made me lazy .... I was like WTF ha ha ha 🤦‍♀️🤣 i just let it go.. I am sick of people really i am. But you are a great guy 100%

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Thanks ever so much Harry - thats massively kind of you to say so 🙏. As you know I too have been a massive advocate of fasted training - and indeed used intermittent fasting with a 6 hour eating window from 2015-2017, and got on really well with it. The body adapts, and you are alert at work, and I believe it creates a better hormonal environment for fat loss and body composition (fewer spikes in insulin, and training when fasted creates more cortisol and adrenaline which helps break down fat for fuel). As such I’ll do minimum 3 of my 5 training days fasted - and only break the fast at about 11.00am. Adam also said this helps the body become better at storing carbs. The only reason I no longer practice intermittent fasting is because I decided I wanted to eat breakfast - but to your point, the moment the fast is broken, the more prone I am to snacking….. speaking of which time for a rice cake 🤣

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

Why can't I write another comment?

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

Cake is good. I ate three pieces last night 🤦 Fasting for me is not only for fitness. I believe it keeps you young. The only true fountain of youth is pushing yourself during fasted

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

When arguing with them I would tell them this saying I always say is hungry Wolves run faster. Later on one of those KZbinrs use those exact words in their video ha ha ha ha 🤦 🤣

[@alexmorgan3435]

This is where PEDs come in handy.

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

🤣 Alex ! And yep - they’d help considerably !

[@Richz2]

Eat more carbs!! 😋

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

🤣 Eat more carbs indeed, Richard ! 💯 Adam’s given us the green light !

[@Richz2]

@@BikeRacingWithoutMercy I think you will feel a lot better if you started fuelling your training. As the tests shows you aren't really using any fat and although fasted rides do have their place using carbs in all your workouts would really help you push you on to the next level. ..

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

@@Richz2 cheers Richard - and these results certainly support your rationale. Over the last couple of months I have started eating oats ahead of x2 of my x5 training days (I have min x2 full rest days), and to your point I will continue to refine and experiment to see how this helps. The fasted training is something I have kept doing - in part because I enjoy it (I did intermittent fasting for 3 years) and in part because it does help keep the waistline in check - through creating a calorie deficit and helping the body burn fat. For these lab tests, I had eaten oats and honey ahead of the session, as I would ahead of a big sportive or Gran Fondo or a Zwift race etc - in order to make the results more applicable to the events I train for (and more applicable to the majority of riders who fuel before training or riding) 👍.