lab case study
a case study of a cyclist on a votwo coaching programme and an example of their test results and training through winter, spring and summer
John, a 55-year-old cyclist, came to votwo for lab testing and coaching in November 2006. He felt that despite training hard in the previous seasons, his performances were starting to slip year on year. He hoped that a lab test would give him the information he needed to train more effectively, and hence start to see some improvement in his performances.
At the first lab test we discussed John's background in cycling, his training schedule and his goals as a cyclist. We then measured John's height, weight and body-fat, and then asked him to perform a lactate threshold test on a static SRM power measuring cycle ergometer. During the lactate threshold test, we measured John's heart rate, cycling power, cadence, perceived exertion and blood lactate. We also made notes on his cycling technique.
John's test (see figure1 below) indicated that his lactate threshold occurred between 200 and 225 watts at a heart rate of 157 to 168 bpm. He managed to complete a further 2 stages (50 watts) past his lactate threshold, before exhaustion.
Figure 1. John's initial test in November 2006
The results of John's test allowed us to work out his training zones based around his lactate threshold (see table 1 below).
Table 1: John's training zones. Initial test. Spring 2006.
| Low Heart Rate (bpm) | High Heart Rate (bpm) | Low Power (watts) | High Power (watts) | ||
| Recovery (Rec) | 115 | 125 | 130 | 150 | |
| Base Endurance (BE) | 126 | 140 | 150 | 175 | |
| Tempo (T) | 141 | 156 | 175 | 200 | |
| Lactate Threshold (LT) | 157 | 168 | 200 | 225 | |
| Race tempo (RT) | 169 | 175 | 225 | 250 | |
| Maximum efforts (Max) | 176 | 190 | 250 | + |
This meant that John was then able to train at specific intensities, hence enabling him to work on the areas of his physiology that we felt needed improving most. For example, John had said that he tended to train long and slow through the winter, and then race himself into fitness during the Summer. We felt that there were two main areas he could concentrate on through the winter:
1. Training in the Base Endurance and Tempo zones for the longer rides. We were concerned that he was riding too slowly on his longer rides, and hence missing some of the benefit.
2. Incorporating some longer reps at his lactate threshold. We felt that this was something he'd never done, and yet we know that progressive training at lactate threshold can lead to significant improvements in performance.
Based on what was learnt from the lab test, John altered his training over the next 4 months and returned for a re-test in early April 2007. Again, we discussed his training and objectives, before undergoing body fat and lactate threshold tests.
John's re-test (see figure 2 below) indicated that his lactate threshold still occurred within a similar heart rate range (162 to 171 bpm), although his power output at lactate threshold was 25 watts higher. He still managed a further two stages past his lactate threshold (50 watts), but his power output at exhaustion was now 300 watts, compared to 275 watts 4 months ago. Further to this, John's body fat and body weight had dropped slightly, meaning that his power to weight ratio had improved on two fronts.
We felt that at this stage of the season, John's next goal in training should be to concentrate on incorporating some progressive reps at race pace, and to use the rest of his training to maintain his current lactate threshold and base endurance. We would measure the success of this approach at his next test, by seeing how many stages he progressed past his lactate threshold. At the moment he has managed 2 stages (50 watts), but we would hope to see an improvement of around 25 watts on this, in 4 months of specific training.
