Improve your performance!
A few months back, I posted a story I did on the Human Performance Lab at Meredith College.
The tests conducted in this lab help athletes train more efficiently. 
It’s all the tests you might have seen Lance endure in those cool Discovery Channel specials. Sorry, this one doesn’t include the wind tunnel. Dr. Chris Eschbach, a former fast athlete, runs the lab. Eschbach is also an associate professor of health, exercise and sports science at Meredith College. He competed in his first race in 5 years in October at the Lake Royale Tri and he’s now training for the Umstead Trail Marathon in Raleigh, NC. 
I’ve attached the video link of my story as I go through testing in the lab with Chris. Here’s the link:Human Performance Lab
So now, I’ll be posting some helpful information from Chris (I’m calling him Chris because he feels Dr. is rather formal) on training, nutrition and other goodies. Here’s the first exchange… hope it helps you too!
Question: If you take a break from the bike… say about three weeks… do you lose all your fitness? If so, how long does it take to get back to where you were if you train again at the same level?
Chris Eschbach, Ph.D., HFI
Director of the Human Performance Laboratory:
“A break of three weeks can definitely affect your fitness level. There are some very specific components of fitness that begin to decrease within 48-72 hours with no training. You will not lose everything over three weeks but it may take about the same amount of time (or more) to get back to that level of fitness. The key to maintaining fitness is to perform a short intense session every once in a while as opposed to no training at all. If you can do relatively short sessions 2 or 3 times per week even if you have significant reductions in your volume and/or duration… your fitness will be maintained. If you get rid of intensity, you will almost always lose fitness even if you maintain duration and frequency of training. By intensity, I am referring to intensity that you have already been performing at in training and not a new higher intensity.”
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Comments
This makes me feel even more guilty for not making it to the gym as of late. Need to get back on track!
Hello Donald,
Wow red shower caps really suit you 
— fun video!
I am the poster child for someone that ride a LOT without knowing what they are doing.
as you know I often do long, hard uphill rides – where pacing is essential. I need to fit more interval, full effort work-outs to complement this (I think).
Question for your expert. Define “intense” – above lactic threshhold, 90% of MHR, or something else?
I do worry that although I work really hard on these long climbs it is “fairly intense” for a long, long time and not “really intense” for a few minutes.
Will,
You are certainly not alone with training in the “middle ground”…
I would define intense as at and above lactate threshold (LT). LT is generally going to occur at about 75-90% Max HR depending on fitness level (perhaps equivalent to about a 1-hr time trial, if you are motivated during that trial). I believe the key is to work hard on the quality (hard) days and go extra easy on other days. This will not only help minimize overtraining but help you get the most out of those quality days.
The problem may become that going up hills like that is always going to be a quality ride, which is fine unless you want (or have to) do it too often. I would defiantly recommend more higher intensity days and then some low intensity days over everything at “fairly intense”. But, like I said, perhaps easier said than done in the Alps!”
Chris
That is very kind of you to take the time answer.
Yes, the answer, corresponds to what I have been thinking. I am going to try and get a ride a week that is geared at HIGH intensity intervals (fractionée in French I have learned) – and make sure my recovery days are VERY low intensity.
I just enjoy the big climbs more than rest days or focused training days …… It definitely burned me (my legs) out a couple of times last year.
Again very kind,
Will,
I understand its a challenge living in a too hilly area. As much as we like hills and love to drill it everyday, a point comes where we got to “defiantly” take the time off whether we feel our body doesn’t like it or not, because recovery (as well as warm up and cool down) is as much a big element of training as the quality days. No recovery means no favorable time for renewal and adaptation which only means quality days are going to topple like a deck of cards.
My opinion in this regard is :
For recovery days, get on an indoor training and stick to your recovery range for HR. I don’t know how else you can get that recovery, I mean if you can find a 20 mile downhill section (you might) that’d be great. (But if that means you have to climb back up after 20 miles, errr… not so good! )
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That is good stuff to know. We all end up missing training for some reason or other.
I had my VO2 max and LT measured last year. That mask takes some getting used to. It kind of freaked me out a little. It was making my lip twitch.