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Aerobic Test
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Hello,
Excited to be starting the Ski Touring Program and just completed the Aerobic Threshold test. I warmed up for 15 minutes and found I balanced out around 105 at 15% incline 1.7 MPH. I struggled to only breath through my nose any higher. I completed the hour test only nose breathing and I stayed at 105 average for the entire hour which according to My Garmin was all Zone 1. Is it required to breath through your nose the entire hour? My Garmin data from years of historical activities has had my zone 2 at 136. Should i go off the historical Garmin Data and use the 136 or re do the test?
Luke
Nose breathing is a way to absolutely ensure athletes are zone 2 however if someone does not have experience with nose breathing or something that prevents them from nose breathing (deviated septum, etc) it could be they need to mouth breathe.
What was the Pa:HR value for the 60 minutes of the test where you were not changing the incline or speed? How old are you?
I have 0 experience with nose breathing so it was definitely unusual and I felt much less efficient than when I breathe normally. The average for first 30 mins was 105 and last 30 was 105 as well. The Pa:hr according to training peaks was -28% with the speed and incline constant.
Luke:
The reason we have you conduct this test so you can determine your actual metabolic response to exercise. Garmin’s algorithm uses a formula based on age. The HR drift test you conducted will help you define your aerobic threshold, where we set the top of Z2.
You do not need to breathe through your nose for the entire test, and that no doubt impacted your HR/intensity if you felt uncomfortable since you are not used to nose breathing. We recommend that for people who have no idea how hard to push in this test. It sounds like you did the test correctly and found the avg HR for both halves to be 105. That means you had zero upward drift. You did this indoors, and TP needs a GPS signal to know your pace. GPS does not work indoors hence the wonky Pa:Hr. Forget that metric, as it is meaningless unless you are outside. Because you have zero upward drift in HR you were below your AeT (top of Z2). Now you have an idea of what speed or HR you might start at. I suggest redoing the test.
Next test after the warm-up, find a speed that results in a pretty stable HR of 115. Once you do, push start and go doe an hour. More detailed info is available in this article.
You’re close to being able to individualize your training and not having to rely on a formula that may or may not apply to you.
Scott
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