Anaerobic Zone?
mrron2u
Posts: 919 Member
So I've been sick with a respiratory infection and today I decided I felt good enough to try to get back on my bike. Well it was probably not my best idea as it was about 95 degrees out and I had to turn around at the 2 mile marker and head back. I was only out 32 minutes, but they were the hardest 32 minutes of my exercising career! According to Endomondo and my heart rate sensor 54% of my workout was in the anaerobic zone which I now now means "living without air"! I had to stop a few times on the way back and at one point I was dry heaving. Has anyone ever experienced this? I'm researching and I think the anaerobic zone is really more for weight lifting and other short duration high intensity type exercising. It took a while to recover and I never want to have that happen again. It was a bad trip!
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No, anaerobic applies to endurance exercise as well. What it means is that you are working hard enough that your respiratory system can't supply oxygen to your muscles fast enough for your aerobic energy system to handle the load so your body switches to the anaerobic system. It is by definition something you can't do all day, but you can for a while. The energy system that handles very short, very high-intensity work (think short, hard all-out sprint) is your VO2 Max. Another way to to think about it is, generally speaking, aerobic is below lactate threshold, anaerobic is above, and VO2 Max is flat-out. It's not that clearly defined, more of a gradient, but that's kinda how it breaks down.0
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+1.
next time tho would do a casual ride about 1/4-1/3 usual pace. You could get light-headed going out like that & probably dehydrate too. (& yea I've prob been where you were out minus the dry heaves)0 -
I'm not sure where some of this information above comes from, but simply put:
Aerobic means with oxygen and Anaerobic means without oxygen. You were not anaerobic for 32 minutes.
Another very good benchmark to work off, your sick, then start feeling good, wait another day.
So, feel good plus one.0 -
So I don't know if this graphic helps, but you are right. I was not in the Anaerobic zone the entire 32 minutes. From looking at the chart I would reach that zone and then you can see I stop riding and my HR comes back down. I really did feel like I could not breathe at the anaerobic zone! Lessons learned for sure. I was hoping the level grade would be easier for my recovering condition, but I think the heat and the fact that my lungs were not ready for this level of exertion were against me. I like having the data to analyze later though!
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I don't know if this would have helped you with your last ride (with the variety of other factors), but in general I try to use heart rate and/or effort to guide my rides. I feel that I'm progressing if I can go further and faster while knowing that my body's effort has remained constant.
I normally take one long ride per week at just below my approximated lactate threshold (breathing hard enough to not be able to speak full sentences, and/or calculated with a variety of methods); then add a hill and/or speed ride with high heart rate. If it's hot my speed drops (because I ride based on effort/heart rate), and when it's cooler my speed improves; likewise if I'm otherwise impaired (tired from previous rides, runs, sick, etc.) my speed would be lower but my heart rate would be in the right area.
Exercise is always harder when you're sick, I wouldn't feel bad about a shorter ride (especially for your heart rate being in an the anaerobic range).
I found a few good articles on heart rate training in running magazines, then used those formulas to double check my targets in Garmin Connect & Wahoo. I also tried to blend in perceived exertion to make sure the numbers make sense; and double check heart rate zones frequently if you are starting from near scratch (where I've been working from).
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Thanks for the info ScrAgnX! I will take a look at those links!
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The ride summary shows several things to explain your ride issues:
1) You were still sick
2) Your HR was high due to combination of heat and sickness
3) Breathing in hot weather is no fun regardless of ones condition
4) Concern that your HRM drops signal 4 times in 30 min and only 4 miles
5) Don't know how the "zones" were established but I would question them.
6) Keep going you will improve !!0
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