From bicycling.com. The information is out there for any rowing coach to use.

Lactate Threshold 101

When it comes to training, LT is the new max heart rate. Understand it, find where yours is, then raise it for better performance.

By Selene Yeager



Lactate threshold is the glass ceiling of cycling performance-it's an invisible barrier that keeps you down. When you do crack through, the rewards are sweet.


"For the longest time, everyone focused his or her training around max heart rate,"says USA Cycling expert coach Margaret Kadlick. "Now we know lactate threshold is much more important. When you raise your LT, you can produce more power at a comfortable heart rate, and that makes you a better rider and racer in every situation." Here's everything you need to know about lactate threshold-including how to raise yours to be the best rider you can be.


What Is Lactate Threshold?


Lactate, your body's buffering agent, neutralizes the acid that builds up in your legs and makes them burn during heavy exertion. The harder you turn the cranks, the faster acid accumulates. Eventually, your muscles generate more acid than you can neutralize and your searing muscles force you to ease up. The point at which you begin to accumulate acid more quickly than you can dissipate it is your LT, or, in riding terms, the fastest pace you can maintain for 30 minutes without feeling like your legs are on fire.


How To Find Your LT


Most likely, you won't find yourself hangin' with the pros in a lab, where they pedal against ever-increasing resistance while technicians take blood samples to measure the increasing lactate levels. But you can find your LT with a do-it-yourself time trial.


Map a 3-mile route that you can ride without stopping. Strap on a heart rate monitor, warm up for 20 minutes, then ride the route at the fastest pace you can sustain. Recover for 10-20 minutes (ride back to the start of your route at an easy pace). Repeat the test. Your LT is approximately the average heart rate of the two efforts. (More accurately, it's 103 percent of that figure.) Jot down your times and average paces; repeat the test in eight weeks to see your progress.


How To Raise Your LT


Like most things body-related, LT is partially genetic. But it's also quite trainable. By systematically pushing your limits, you can help your body become more efficient at clearing and buffering lactic acid.


The trick is riding that razor-thin edge between the point where you can ride comfortably for hours and where you can sustain only a few minutes before frying. "It's important that you have plenty of base miles and some speedwork under your belt before you start LT training,"says Kadlick. The bigger your aerobic engine when you begin, the better your results will be. The following drills are designed to raise your LT. Choose one drill per workout, and do LT training no more than two days a week, preferably not on consecutive days.


Steady State Intervals


After a good warm-up, ride 10 minutes at a steady effort, keeping your heart rate three to five beats below your LT heart rate. Recover for 10 minutes, then repeat two more times. "Once you're comfortable at this level, do two 20-minute steady-state efforts, recovering for 20 minutes between. Eventually, work up to one 30-minute effort,"suggests Kadlick. "This is the most effective way to increase power at LT."


Up And Down Intervals


These intervals blend LT and VO2 max (your body's ability to process oxygen) training to simulate the effort you need when racing on a hilly course, where you have to push beyond your lactate threshold for short surges then clear the acid and recover quickly. First, warm up. Then pick up the pace to your LT heart rate and hold that intensity for five minutes. Push it to about three to five beats above LT for one to two minutes, then drop it back down to LT. Continue for a total of three cycles, or about 18 to 20 minutes.


LT Tolerance Intervals


Crit and mountain bike racers need to elevate their ST (suffering threshold) as well as their LT, because those situations demand pushing past LT and holding it there for extended bursts over and over. By training at an intensity where your body can't clear the lactate, you'll boost your ability to keep riding hard in the face of high lactate levels. After a thorough warm-up, increase your effort to about five beats above your LT heart rate. Hold it there for two to three minutes. Reduce your effort for 60 to 90 seconds, just long enough so you feel partially recovered, but not quite ready to go again. Repeat three times.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

ROWING AND BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

Over 150 Rowers to Fight Breast Cancer


Mike McQuaid, George Pocock Rowing Foundation September 16, 2004

SEATTLE, Sept. 15, 2004 - Over 150 rowers from Western Washington, California and British Columbia will take to the waters of Lake Union Sunday morning for the annual Row4Health regatta benefiting the Puget Sound affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation www.komenseattle.org. The 4.5k head race is the first regatta of the fall season for Northwest rowers and since 2000 has raised over $77,000 to help eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease.


Rowers ranging in age from 14 to 75, many of whom have been affected by breast cancer, are expected to participate in 14 separate races beginning near the Fremont Bridge and following the southern shore of Lake Union to the finish near the Lake Union Crew boathouse on East Allison Street. Spectators can view the regatta from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. near its midpoint at South Lake Union Park or Chandler's Cove.


"Row4Health is one of the many important fundraisers and efforts of individual donors that help raise more than $2 million annually for our local affiliate,"said Cherie Skager, Director of Grants and Education for the Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. "Seventy five percent of contributions to the Komen Foundation from events like Row4Health are invested back into the community to help medically underserved women get breast cancer education, no-cost screening and treatment or treatment support. The other twenty-five percent goes toward breast cancer research."


Row4Health will bring together rowers spanning five decades in the fight against breast cancer. The regatta's youngest competitor is 14-year-old Maddie Olanie of Poulsbo who will row with sisters Kate, 17 and Allison, 21 for the Bainbridge Island Rowing Club in support of their mother Marian who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003.


"We definitely want to support our mom and our club," said Olanie, whose team is sponsored by Dr. Craig Hanson, Medical Director of the Seattle Breast Center at Northwest Hospital. "Last year our mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's clear now but we want to help raise awareness. It's important for athletic women like our mom to be aware of the disease because early detection is so important."


The regatta's most experienced competitor is Chrissie Marshall, 75, of Madison Park and the Martha's Moms Rowing Club. For Marshall, an active rower who successfully competes with women twenty years younger in rowing competitions, breast cancer awareness is important as several of her family members have been affected by the disease.


"My late mother had a mastectomy and both my sisters are breast cancer survivors," said Marshall, whose daughter at age 46 was also diagnosed with the disease. "Breast cancer can affect you at any age ˆ awareness is important."


Additionally, eighteen rowers from the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center on Lake Washington will honor their teammate Dr. Dena Brownstein, 51, an attending physician in emergency services at Children‚s Hospital and Regional Medical Center. Brownstein completed treatment for breast cancer in June and will be in the boat with her fellow Mount Baker rowers during the regatta.


"Rowing has been a real source of inspiration and support," said Brownstein, a resident of Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood who returned to competitive rowing nearly a month before completing chemotherapy treatment. "When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was more fit than at any point in my life. Rowing has been a real source of inspiration and community to help me get through the very painstaking process of cancer treatment."


Individuals interested in making donations to the Komen Foundation on behalf of the rowing community should visit www.pocockrowing.org www.pocockrowing.org


About the Row4Health Regatta - The Row4Health Regatta at Seattle's Pocock Rowing Center annually attracts over 150 rowers from the Pacific Northwest to Seattle‚s Lake Union for a 4.5k head race to raise awareness for the eradication of breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. Since 2000 Row4Health has raised over $77,000 for its primary beneficiary, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. For more information please visit www.pocockrowing.org.


The following sponsors have made significant contributions to the 2004 Row4Health Regatta: ZymoGenetics, Pocock Racing Shells, Ryan Swanson & Cleveland PLLC, Concept2 Rowing, Regatta Central and the George Pocock Rowing Foundation.


About the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised nearly $600 million for the fight against breast cancer.


About the George Pocock Rowing Foundation - Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the George Pocock Rowing Foundation serves as a catalyst and a national model for the development and growth of rowing for all ages and abilities. The foundation was founded in 1984 and is named for the late world-renowned shell-builder George Pocock. Its facility, The Pocock Rowing Center on Seattle's Portage Bay, is home to over 400 Seattle rowers and six rowing clubs. The George Pocock Rowing Foundation provides public learn-to-row classes, rowing opportunities for at risk children in the community, meeting space for community events, and sponsors men and women training for the U.S. National Rowing Team.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

From roadcycling.com. It is always good to learn from other sports!

Training - When it comes to getting ready for the big events, proper training can be counter intuitive. Let’s face it, most endurance athletes are not lazy. When given the choice, most will over train rather than under train.


As the big races loom on the horizon, here are some guidelines to keep in mind as you prepare your training.


1. More is not better. Train less, but do more at or slightly below your lactate threshold. This can include steady state intervals at an intensity 3-5 beats below threshold. Total volume can be up to an hour, such as 4x 15 minutes, or 3x 20 minutes.

2. Race simulation- Ideally, you will have access to bike trails that closely resemble those you will race on. In training, you can experiment with different race tactics to find what will work best for you. By using a downloadable heart rate monitor in these sessions, you can use the data to decide how best to plan your race strategy.

3. Block training- This training concept is quite popular for elite cyclist and multi sport athletes. Simplified, block training combines several (usually 2-3) quality training days, followed by an equal amount or more days of recovery. Hard training on Saturday and Sunday can be followed by 2 days of recovery. Another 1 or 2 quality days mid week can round out the training week. This is an effective method of increasing the total minutes of quality training in the week without over reaching or over training.

4. Power Intervals- PI’s for short, are high intensity intervals lasting from 2-4 minutes at a very high power output. You will be anaerobic before the end of the interval. A 1:1 work to rest ratio is required between intervals. Search for hills that are similar in grade and length to those you will encounter in your key events. A total of 12-20 min of PI’s is sufficient.

Rest - This is a four-letter word for many athletes. But remember, it’s during the recovery phase that the body supercompensates and gets stronger. You are better off entering your big events slightly under trained, than any amount over trained.


As you begin planning those “A” races, it may be wise to plan some on consecutive weekends. This means that in the event of a family emergency, illness or a miss timed taper or just plain old bad luck, all is not lost. I have found that having several chances at a peak performance will aid in lowering the anxiety level of most athletes.


Successful races are earned through hard work and proper preparation. So let your training partners scratch their heads and wonder how you got so fast.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Cardiac health and the importance of staying active:

Heart of the matter

Friday June 24 2005 14:22 IST


Dr Uday Khanolkar






Over one million people suffer serious heart attacks every year in our country. Studies show that Indians are more prone, both by genetic disposition and dietary habits, to problems of the heart. As if in confirmation, more and more Indians are becoming victims of Cardio Vascular diseases (CVD) and worse, the average age of the victims is getting younger. Estimates show that in India, 1990 saw 2.4 million deaths due to CVD or heart attacks. By 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that heart attack will be the single largest ‘killer’ in India.


In metros, 10 percent of the population is above 35 years and has heart problems. There are at least 50 million people in India suffering from heart problems. This number will double in the next six years, as heart problems are expected to rise by 103 percent in men and 90 percent in women. At this rate, by 2020, India will have the largest CVD burden in the world and it would account for one-third of all deaths. Unfortunately, many of these will be young victims.


Prevention is better than cure, and it therefore becomes necessary to wipe out the myths associated with heart disease and explain the facts.


Heart disease is an old person’s problem.


Heart disease comes in many forms such as an irregular heartbeat, problem valve, or coronary artery disease. Symptoms vary but people of any age can be affected. The American Heart Association (AHA) now recommends a “risk factor screening” including blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference and pulse recorded at least every two years and cholesterol profile and glucose testing at least every five years starting from age 20. In addition, the AHA recommends a “global risk estimation” combining information from all existing risk factors to determine a person’s percentage risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. Multiple areas of slight risk can be more important than one area of very high risk. This estimation is recommended every five years for people aged 40 or older, or for anyone with two or more risk factors.


Women have an innate protection against heart attacks.


As a rule, women have higher HDL (“good cholesterol”) levels than men. The female sex hormone, estrogen, tends to raise HDL, which may help explain why premenopausal women are usually protected from developing heart disease. Estrogen production is highest during the childbearing years. However, while it is true that women aged 20 and over tend to have lower cholesterol levels than men of the same age, things change as they approach menopause. Then, LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and total cholesterol levels in most women start to rise. Loss of estrogen appears to be a significant contributor to the risk of cardiovascular disease after menopause.


If a heart attack does not kill you, you are safe.


More men have heart attacks than women, and have them earlier in life. But women have lower chances of surviving them. Studies show that 44 per cent of women die within a year compared to 27 per cent of men. During the first six years following a heart attack, the rate of having a second attack is 31 per cent for women compared to 23 per cent for men.


To get cardiac benefit from exercise, you need to get sweaty and out of breath.


Many sedentary individuals (and, indeed, many exercisers!) share the myth that you have to exercise at a fairly intense level to achieve cardiac benefits. Without question, this advice is excellent if your only goal is improving your aerobic capacity. However, if your goal is lowering your risk of heart disease, different rules apply. You simply need to become more active. Accumulating 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, if not all, days should be a solid goal. Don’t let the myth that you have to sweat like crazy for 30 minutes straight to keep you and your heart declining….uh, reclining on the couch.


If you have chest pain, the best thing you can do is wait and see whether it goes away.


Ignoring the symptoms of acute heart disease is a bad idea. The longer the delay before treatment of a heart attack begins, the greater the potential heart damage.


Having a heart attack means there is a greater risk of having another.


Not necessarily. About 30 per cent of all patients who survive a heart attack fall into a lower risk category and are unlikely to suffer another heart attack. Ideally, each person should be assessed individually and many positive steps can be taken to avoid further heart trouble.


A heart attack will change my whole life. I will never be back to normal.


Wrong! The heart can recover quickly. Heart attack victims do not have to become “cardiac cripples” and with the right lifestyle modifications, they can enjoy a better quality of life than before the attack.


A heart attack will have a really negative effect on my sex life.


Wrong again! The average amount of energy expended during sex is equivalent to walking up a flight of stairs and sexual intercourse, contrary to popular belief, is a rare cause of sudden death.


In my youth I always exercised regularly, and this will protect me.


Absolutely not! Even professional sportspersons have suffered from heart disease, thanks to a sedentary lifestyle later on their lives. Exercise is like a current account, and you cannot hope to bank on what you deposited years ago. You need to exercise sensibly and regularly, at least three times a week for 20-30 minutes. The exercise should make you breathe harder, while still being able to talk. There is convincing evidence that regular, sensible exercise training can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease, even after a heart attack.


Heart disease runs in my family, so there is little I can do to avoid heart problems.


Not necessarily so! It may be the bad habits that are the culprits. They may have been followed for many years within a family.


I will know when my heart condition gets worse - I will have chest pains.


This is not necessarily the case. Studies have shown that up to 10 per cent of all middle-aged men can suffer from a condition called silent ischaemia. This means that your heart is not getting enough oxygen, but you are not aware of it. So it is best to keep in touch with your doctor, and to keep a check on your cardiac health.


Worries about heart diseases are over after undergoing a heart surgery (angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery).


Definitely not true! If you follow the same bad habits that originally allowed you to develop heart disease, then you may damage the heart again.


The author is a cardiologist and Director, Cardiovascular and the Sciences, at the Apollo Hospital, Margao

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Conconi Test explanation

Conconi test


Conconi test (1976) is a greatly useful test made during sport, which allows to measure athlete’s aerobic power, even though it doesn’t give information about their aerobic capacity. It might be helpful in the choice of the most profitable competition and training rhythm and in order to estimate changings due to the training itself. The test is based on the following elements: during an exercise O2 consumption increases proportionally to the performance; once the limit of one’s aerobic power is achieved, O2 consumption curve flattens.

This value is the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) Once achieved the VO2max, working muscles consume nearly 90% of the inhaled oxygen which, at such effort levels, might be even 1000 times more than that used by muscles at rest.


Conconi test is used mainly in endurance sports to establish the capability of making an effort without accumulating lactic acid (aerobic power). Identifying when an athlete starts to accumulate lactic acid is useful for many sports. From a practical point of view, it consists in subjecting the athlete to progressively increasing efforts while measuring their heart beats. Athlete’s speed is also measured by the formula speed= space/time. Obtained data are plotted in a Cartesian graph with the achieved speed on the ascissa and the value of the heart rate at different speeds on the ordinate. Joining the points an ascending line is obtained, rising up to the deflection point. This point indicates the running speed that an athlete can achieve without going into acidosis. A trained athlete will be able to keep such speed even for an hour. The test also gives information about which should be the rhythm of athlete’s training to improve their aerobic power. Passing the speed indicated by the deflection point means passing the aerobic threshold and entering the anaerobic one. That is, when lactic acid production is such that the draining system turns ineffective and accumulation follows. During training these data might be useful depending on the type of effort generally made:


- in case of fast short race (1000m x 10-12; 2000m x 5-6) recommended speed is that included between the anaerobic threshold and a 3% inferior speed (e.g. threshold=20 km/h, training between 20 and 19.4);


- in case of non-stop race at medium rhythm (45-90 minutes) speed should be included between 85% and 90% of anaerobic threshold (according to the previous example, speed should be between 17 and 18 km/h).


Traslated by Manuela Mercurio

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Xeno in the News, congratulations to Juliana Strarcevich

Cal recruits Lassen High grad

Posted on Monday, June 20 @ 15:18:10 PDT

It isn't everyday that a gal from Lassen County has the opportunity to be recruited by a PAC 10 team in a sport that is not even on the high school roster or even part of the community's sports world.


By Barbara France

News Editor

But Juliana Starcevich, who graduated Friday, June 10, sharing class valedictorian status with Stevie Hodge and Allison Beckwith, will row for University of California Berkeley. A newcomer to the sport, her rowing ability began as a member of the Lassen Aquatics Swim Team under the tutelage of Tony Jonas.


Starcevich credits Jonas with building her mental toughness. Xeno Muller, an Olympic gold and silver medallist in rowing, evaluated Starcevich as a potential rower last fall and commented to Cal's head coach of the women's rowing team Dave O'Neill that Starcevich is "mentally tough and looking for challenges."


Starcevich commended Jonas, "Tony is a great coach. He demanded that I work hard on becoming a better swimmer but was also helping me to improve as a competitor in every area of my life."


Starcevich was recruited by seven Division I colleges and universities to be a member of their women's rowing teams but she said she was impressed by their coaching staff, academic standing and the chance to be on an NCAA champion team.


She said she attended a rowing camp last year and was told she had natural talent.


For the full story, see the June 14 Lassen County Times.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

UK indoor rowing fund raiser

FUNDRAISER TACKLES MILLION METRE ROW
By Ben Pindar, Community Newswire
SPORT Million Sheffield, Today, 12:39pm
A dedicated fundraiser was today celebrating after completing a gruelling bid to row a million metres in aid of the Sheffield Children's Hospital charity.

Charles Bradley-Smith, from Sothall, has raised more than £5,000 by rowing a million metres during May on an indoor rowing machine.

The money, which is still being collected through sponsorship, will be used to pay for two rehabilitation chairs in the neurology department, costing £2,500 each.

A donation will also be made to Cancer Research UK at the Weston Park Hospital on Whitham Road.

Charles started the challenge on May 1 and completed an average of 32,000 metres a day at a range of venues, including the Sam Jones Gym, Ponds Forge and Eckington Leisure Centre, to reach his target on May 31.

Charles, team manager at Sheffield company Outokumpo Stainless, said: "I am absolutely delighted to have completed the Million Metre Challenge and raised such a substantial amount for two very worthwhile charities.

"It is something I have wanted to do for many years now and have been in training since January to make sure I was fit enough to succeed."

Julie Harrington, director of Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity, said :``We are thrilled that Charles decided to support us by completing the Million Metre Challenge.

"It is a fantastic achievement and the new rehabilitation chairs will make a massive difference to our young patients."

Donations can still be made towards the Million Metre Challenge online at www.justgiving.com/millionmetrerow

Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity exists to support and enhance the services of Sheffield Children's NHS Trust and its reputation as a centre of excellence for the research, prevention, care and cure of childhood illnesses.

If you would like to raise money for the charity call 0114 2717203. To find out more visit www.sheffieldchildrenshospital.org.uk









"

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

NEW WEBCAM

Hi Check this out:
Our LIVE WEBCAM on www.GoRow.com
XENO

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

A mom tells us about her discovery of Indoor Rowing.

Somewhere around 54 years old and 54 pounds too heavy I thought it

would be a good idea to erg just for some extra exercise. Actually just

bending over and tying my shoelaces before erging was enough to make me

want to sit down. For months I'd been hearing the spinning of the

Concept2 and the beat of the music as my son worked out in the

evenings. Xeno had mentioned the online competition but that really

didn't mean anything to me. Not then anyway. I took my first spin

during the day when nobody was around. A whole 500 meters later I was

exhausted. While logging on for the first time I slightly edged out

Christopher, Xeno's 3-year-old son. A girlfriend of mine had been

logging her mileage with the Iron Oarsman team and she was thousands of

meters ahead. For the next couple days I kept up the 500 meter pace

until my son came in and wryly observed my technique. After a few

helpful pointers, and a few more, he helped me balance what I was

doing. (Now I see him coming and automatically sit up straighter.) By

then I was becoming competitive - just for fun I wanted to catch up

with my friend. So I started erging in the early morning, at lunch,

during television commercials, and before I went to bed. The dog

couldn't understand why I wasn't throwing the ball as much for him

anymore, the dishes didn't always get done, and the wash kept piling

up. Every time I logged on my miles, I checked to see how far my friend

had gone. If she went 2000 meters, I went 1999 meters. A month later I

had logged on 186,000 meters and driven my friend crazy - she's even

more competitive than I am. One evening while she was on the erg at

their home, her son came in around 7:30 p.m. and said he was hungry.

Through gritted teeth she said "Not until I'm done!" It was then she

realized we had become obsessive about our exercise rivalry. So we're

back to erging for our own personal best. I figure by next May 1st

we're going to be in way better shape than we are right now. I'd like

to be able to say then that I'm 55 and 55 pounds lighter...

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Indoor Rowing Fundraiser Pittsburgh Gazette

News briefs

Monday, January 22, 2001




CITY

DOWNTOWN
Rowing fund-raiser set

On Jan. 31, one man will challenge teams of four people in a one-hour rowing fund-raiser to benefit the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The 10th annual Indoor Rowing Challenge, sponsored by the Executive Fitness Center at the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh (formerly Doubletree Hotel), will begin at noon in the hotel lobby.

Chris Gibson, founder of the event and manager of the Executive Fitness Center, will compete against the four-person teams. Gibson held the world record from 1994 to 1999 of 16,623 meters in one hour for the over-40 lightweight male division.

Rowers will use rowing machines, with each team member rowing for 15-minute segments for a total of one hour. At the conclusion, the total number of meters rowed by each team will be measured and compared.

Last year's Challenge drew 66 rowers from companies, fitness centers, rowing clubs, and high schools.

More than $10,000 was raised last year, bringing the total fund raising of the event up to $43,000 since its inception.

The entry fee is $250. Participants will receive a T-shirt and both individual and team prizes will be presented.

Call Joe Natoli at 412-288-6957 or Gibson at 412-560-6406 for details.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

VO2max article I thought was interesting to post

The Bike Doc: The ins and outs of VO2max

By By Shannon Sovndal, M.D. and Owen Murphy, M.S.

This report filed June 6, 2005

Riding fast is a matter of natural ability, training and desire. All three factors play an important role in keeping the big ring spinning. When discussing natural ability, many people throw around the term "VO2max," which means maximum oxygen consumption. Many of our clients can recite the definition of VO2max, but few have a good grasp of what VO2max really means. To help clarify things, we will be writing a two part series of basic exercise physiology articles. Today is the first installment and will cover VO2max. Next week, we'll jump into the world of lactate threshold (LT).


VO2max?

Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be used by the body for maximal sustained power output (exercise). Since the body uses oxygen to convert food into energy (ATP), the more oxygen you can consume, the more energy, power, or speed you can produce. VO2max defines an endurance athlete's performance ceiling, or the size of his or her "engine." Research has shown that VO2max significantly determines performance in endurance-based events such as cycling, triathlon, running, and Nordic skiing.


Remember, however, that VO2max is only one piece of the rider's performance puzzle. Ability to perform in a race also depends on lactate threshold, appropriate peaking, nutrition and tactics (to name just a few).


Let's return to the "engine" analogy. If we were to race two cars, one a dragster with a large engine and the second a stock car with a much smaller engine, which one would win? You can't say. If we raced them a quarter mile down a drag strip, the dragster with a larger engine would win. However, if we raced them 400 miles, the stock car would win even with a smaller engine. Why? The dragster may be fast for short bursts, but it can't maintain its speed for an extended period of time. The same is true with two cyclists. If Bill had a high VO2max but a moderate LT, and Tom had a moderate VO2max but a ridiculously high LT, Tom would likely find himself victorious in a head to head race up L'Alpe d'Huez. Although Bill has a higher VO2max, Tom can maintain a higher workload for a longer period of time. We'll elaborate on this more next week when we discuss lactate threshold.


How is VO2 Max measured?

Many endurance athletes already have some idea of what a VO2max test entails: an incremental increase in exercise effort until the participant is unable to continue increasing his or her workload. The athlete can perform the test using any number of exercises: running, cycling, rowing, and even swimming. Because VO2max will vary between sports for various individuals, athletes will generally perform the test in his or her preferred sport. Regardless of the testing modality used, all the tests do the same thing. They take a happy-go-lucky individual and turn him or her into a grimacing, suffering, and most importantly, gasping test subject. As exercise intensity increases, a machine calculates oxygen consumption (VO2) by collecting and analyzing the test subject's inspired and expired air. With each incremental increase in power output by the athlete, more muscle mass is employed and more oxygen consumed. VO2 will thus increase linearly with exercise intensity until the body reaches its maximum ability to consume oxygen. At this point, oxygen consumption will level off, or plateau, when the subject reaches his or her VO2max.


Once the test analyzes the data, the athlete is given a numerical value of his or her VO2max. This number can be expressed in two forms. The first is called your absolute VO2max (liters O2/minute) and will likely fall between 3.0-6.0 l/min if you're male, and 2.5-4.5 l/min if you're female. The second is called your relative VO2max (milliliters O2/kilogram body weight/minute). For those who recall their science classes, the difference is in the units that follow the number. The relative VO2max takes into account the athlete's body weight, whereas absolute VO2max does not. You can, therefore, impress you friends by quickly increasing your relative VO2max by merely losing some weight!


There are a few requirements to have a useful and representative VO2max test:

The test must employ at least 50 percent of the test subject's total muscle mass. Sports such as cycling, running, swimming and Nordic skiing all qualify. (Note that VO2max values for cyclists are generally 5-10 percent lower than those of runners or Nordic skiers due to less active muscle mass being utilized.)

The test must be of sufficient duration to maximize cardiovascular responses. The length of suffering is usually 6-15 min.

Finally, a highly motivated individual must perform the test. (The more pain and suffering during the test, the better the data).


How do you measure up?

The following are examples of absolute and relative VO2max values of untrained, moderately trained, and elite aerobic individuals.


FEMALE

Training Status Untrained Trained Elite

Absolute(l/min) < 3.0 3.0- >3.0

Relative 26-42 40-60 55+


MALE

Training Status Untrained Trained Elite

Absolute(l/min) < 3.0 3.5- >4.0

Relative 36-52 50-70 60+

Source: Costill, D.L. and Wilmore, J.H. (1994). Cardiorespiratory Function and Performance. Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.




Factors affecting VO2max

There are three primary factors that can affect VO2max: altitude, age and gender.


Altitude: An increase in altitude results in a decrease in air density and the partial pressure (or amount) of oxygen in the air. Therefore, you can expect a 5-7 percent loss in VO2max from sea level to 5,000 feet.

Age: Peak physiological function occurs at about 30 years of age. VO2max decreases approximately 30 percent between the ages of 20 and 65, with the greatest decline after age 40. However, decreases in VO2max can be extremely variable and can - at least partially - be offset by training.

Gender: In general, females tend to have lower VO2max values than males (15 percent to 20 percent less). This is primarily due to differences in body composition, hemoglobin content in the blood, and heart size. Females, on average, have a higher percentage of body fat, lower content of hemoglobin in their blood, and have a smaller adaptation of heart size in response to endurance and resistance training. It is important to note that these differences are "in general" - there are always exceptions.


What does it all mean?

Well, it depends on who you are and how much your have already been training when you take your VO2max test. Research has determined that approximately 80 percent of an individual's VO2max is genetically determined. Depending on your current training level, VO2max may be enhanced through progressive endurance training. Untrained individuals have the potential to increase their VO2max by 15-20 percent, but well-trained athletes are unlikely to realize an increase in VO2max of greater than 3-5 percent. So, if you've been training well for the past year and your VO2max is in the 50's, don't hold your breath to be the next Lance. The good news is that your lactate threshold is highly trainable, and elevating your LT will put the hurt on your friends or fellow racers. Since many elite athletes share comparable VO2max values, lactate threshold is often a better measure of fitness and endurance performance. And that is a perfect segue into our discussion next week....

Dr. Shannon Sovndal is a physician and coach with Thrive Health Fitness Medicine (www.thivehfm.com). He attended medical school at Columbia University in New York and completed his residency at Stanford University. Owen Murphy is a nutritionist and personal coach with Thrive HFM. He also teaches nutrition at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology and a passion for all things related to health and performance. Dr. Sovndal and Owen Murphy are available for any questions or comments at Shannon@thrivehfm.com and Owen@thrivehfm.com.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

The DVD Indoor Rowing workouts work!

Hi Xeno,

I received the DVDs yesterday and just had time to view
the first one "Rowing with Xeno". I must say it's a great
workout DVD for indoor rowing users. You have made
a great contribution to the rowing user community. Thank you
very much for making such fabulous DVDs. I look forward to
see more DVDs from you.

Best Regards,

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.