Lon Haldeman's
'90% Rule'
for Indoor Training

Also see "Tips from an Indoor Instructor"

We’d like to share an enlightening e-mail about indoor training from ultramarathon cycling legend Lon Haldeman of Sharon, WI -- followed by Coach Fred Matheny's response.

Lon won the first two Races Across America in the early 1980s and set numerous endurance records. Now he operates PAC Tour, which has given thousands of riders the chance to cross the U.S. at a pace of 125-140 miles per day.

PAC Tour also holds several week-long training camps every March in southern Arizona. It’s the process of getting in shape for camp while in cold, snowy Wisconsin that prompted Lon to explain how he goes about it.
 

LON HALDEMAN WRITES:

Now that the indoor season has started, I’m back riding the old Monark ergometer I’ve been using since 1982. It has a belt hitched to a furnace fan to add pedaling resistance and make a cooling breeze.

To help keep my heart rate up, I made a couple of other modifications, too. I replaced the handlebar with chrome high-rise bars from a kid’s String Ray. Then I took off the seat so I have to stand for entire workouts.

The handlebar is high enough so I can’t lean on it and cheat the weight off the pedals. I push a big gear at about 60 rpm. The position isn’t very efficient, but it raises my heart rate 10-15 bpm over what it would be sitting and spinning the same wattage output.

One thing I’ve realized over the years is a basic formula for maintaining fitness. It seems if I can accumulate at least one hour per week within 90% of my max HR, then I have had a good training week.

Years ago, my max HR was 200 bpm, so 90% was a goal of 180. If I did 3 workouts per week with my heart above 180 for 20 minutes, I felt I had a good week. Same thing for 6 workouts at 10 minutes each above 180 bpm.

Doing 2 workouts with 30 minutes above 180 bpm was tough. Doing one workout with 60 minutes above 180 bpm was impossible.

Now that I’m 20 years older, my max HR is about 190 bpm. My training goal of 90% is 171 bpm. I’ve been using the goal formula of 60 minutes per week at over 90%. I think it’s still pretty effective.

Including warm-up, cool down and steady riding while watching TV, sometimes I only ride 3 hours per week. But I still seem to get in okay shape for Desert Camp. I realize it would be much better to be riding up to 3 hours on several days to maintain or improve my endurance.

For many years, I rode all winter for 3-4 hours per day and my heart rate probably never got over 160. I wasted a lot of training time, but I learned how to stay on the bike!

I just wanted to report my "One Hour per Week Over 90%" rule. I'm not sure how much scientific sense it makes, but it is a good rule of thumb that seems to work for me and is easy to calculate and remember. Maybe other riders will find it effective, too.


COACH FRED REPLIES:

Your training formula makes plenty of sense, Lon. Lots of studies show that high intensity is the most potent producer of fitness. These experts often advocate 3 interval sessions per week with heart rates in the 90% of max range. It looks like you've discovered by trial and error what the lab folks figured out through experimentation.

As you pointed out, it's hard to ride long with your HR at 90% of max. That's time trial pace. Doing it indoors, without distractions, is brutal. For me, it’s much "easier" to ride at that intensity outside.

Past the 20-minute mark (or so), you'll experience a rise in heart rate even though you're pedaling at the same intensity. This is called cardiac drift and is almost impossible to prevent even if you keep downing sports drink as you ride.

If you have a trainer like the CompuTrainer that displays wattage, the newest research shows that great gains are possible with only 2 interval sessions per week. You do 5 repeats of 3 minutes each, with 3 minutes of easy spinning between each one.

The intensity is the key. You need to do the hard parts at a wattage equal to the average wattage you can maintain for 6 minutes all-out. This is what exercise physiologists call "velocity at VO2 max" or vVO2 max. It will create heart rate above 90% of max by the end of the 3 minutes.

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Tips from an Indoor Instructor

 By Chad Schoenauer

(In winter, Chad Schoenauer of Asheville, NC, leads indoor cycling classes at his local YMCA. In summer, he races with the Cane Creek-Subaru Elite Team. Here, he shares his tips for getting the most benefit from riding inside.

Class Tactics

• Follow the class workout. There's nothing more annoying to an instructor or the other participants than people who come to class and do their own thing. A good instructor puts careful planning and energy into each workout. If you don't like what you're getting, ride at home, change classes (or arrange to teach your own!).
   

• Enjoy the benefits of a fixed-gear bike. Most indoor trainers do not freewheel. You can’t coast. This eliminates lazy legs. Almost all old-school training plans incorporated fixed-gear riding in the winter. You're following tradition and you didn't even know it! The quality of workouts is increased because you must keep pedaling.
   

• Do the warmup. Avoid injury. Your body needs a chance to get blood to the right muscles.
   

• Make leg speed your initial focus. Most indoor trainers are outfitted with 170-mm crankarms. This may be shorter than the cranks on your road bike, but it shouldn't be a problem. In fact, shorter cranks will turn over faster and force your legs to keep a more fluid cadence. This will transfer directly to your road bike. You’ll wow your friends with your new fast feet!
   

• Mimic your outdoor position. If you're doing a “climbing” interval, assume the same posture that you’d have on your road bike -- semi upright, loose grip on the bar top near the stem. If doing a “flat road “ interval, get low and imagine slicing through the wind.
   

• Keep your head up. If you look at your feet or the floor, you shut down your breathing and can tense up. You can’t ride this way outside or you might hit something. Focus on an imaginary road in the distance.
   

• Do the cool down. This removes waste products from muscles to aid recovery.
   

• Stretch. Is this included at the end of class? If not, make the time to do at least five minutes of quality stretching for the entire body, not just the legs. The flexibility you gain will enhance your outdoor riding and help remedy that telltale cyclist posture.

Proper Pedaling Techniques

How do some riders pedal so darn well? Have you been on rides where the guy in front seems to have the same gear and cadence but mysteriously goes faster? You guessed it, technique.

Here it is, broken into four segments (looked at from the perspective of the right leg):

• 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock: Push your foot forward.

• 2 to 5 o'clock: Push down as you drive through the powerful part of the stroke.

• 5 to 7 o'clock: Pull the foot back as if you were scraping mud off your shoe.

• 7 to 12 o'clock: Lift the leg like you’re trying to throw your knee over the handlebar.

To work on your technique, do the following pedaling drill before or after class if it isn’t part of the workout.

1. Increase the resistance slightly to slow your cadence and increase muscle activation.

2. Unclip one foot and hold it to the side, out of the path of the crank.

3. Pedal with one leg for 1-2 minutes. Focus on the above technique.

4. Switch feet and do the same amount.

Now put both of your enlightened feet together and enjoy the sensation. Rock around the clock!

Riding Form

The fixed position of an indoor bike presents a challenge. You have to compensate for its lack of motion, especially when pedaling out of the saddle. If you were climbing outside, the bike would sway naturally from side to side.

Indoors, it can’t move this way. So you need a slight side-to-side motion with your body to ensure your hip, knee and foot are aligned on each down stroke. Don't be too exaggerated. Keep it fluid.

When standing, avoid being rigid on the bike. Allow a moderate, rhythmic sway of the torso over the driving leg.

Training Schedule

To make sure my indoor riders are getting the maximum benefit but not overdoing it, I put them on the following schedule. It should work as well for you if you’re seeking good all-round fitness this winter.

Monday: Off bike recovery day. Light weight workout or calisthenics.

Tuesday: Cycling class.

Wednesday: Off bike. Do something different like hiking, swimming, or more weight training.

Thursday: Cycling class.

Friday: Off bike. Stretch or do abdominal work.

Saturday: Ride outside with the gang. Be careful to save competition for the proper time -- spring!

Sunday: Ride outside. If you went short on Saturday, go longer today. And vice versa. Vary the duration and route to keep rides interesting.

As with any winter fitness activity, emphasize recovery and variety. With the right amount of work, you will retain at least some of the fitness from last season. Just as important, you’ll avoid going into next season flat and unmotivated. Good luck and good health!

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Attention nowhere riders: Check Chris Kostman's Adventure Corps website for an extensive section on trainer workouts. Chris started indoor training in '93 with Johnny G, the founder of Spinning. Since then, he has led more than 1,200 classes and dozens of instructor workshops.

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