Training Smarter is NOT a Guessing Game Anymore! 

Thanks for the idea!

Glad you enjoyed it

🙏

Oh wow. 😮. Thanks.

Thanks Chris. Would be interesting to meet you if you are local. Do you do much physio type work?

@@Mapdec I am a good 6-7 hrs away from Kendal, so def not trivial to stop by unfortunately. It's going to be impossible to fully elaborate on everything in youtube comments, but maybe I can summarise some things, I'll have to split it over several replies though... EDIT: not sure if all replies are showing correctly or got deleted, or sent to the moderator queue!?

@@Mapdec To clarify, I'm not a physio or PT or anything. I have fibromyalgia + spine/back issues, only recently officially diagnosed, but fibromyalgia probably since I was teen/early 20s. Back issue for the last 10-15 years. While my specific combination of symptoms might be unique, suffering from multiple diagnosed + undiagnosed conditions and injuries is very far from unique. I talk to anyone who wants to chat in the gym, pool, sauna etc. and my perception is 1 in 4 people over 30 are either suffering with one or more chronic conditions, or they have a family member or close friend who is suffering. Obviously chronic back pain affects a huge portion of the population, but conditions like fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis, multiple sclerosis seem to be relatively common, and maybe there's more of it since covid? Even one my current gym instructors has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Many conditions are currently impossible or extremely hard to accurately diagnose, and are untreatable, especially if they are neuropathic. NHS 'help' lives up to stereotype: _"we can't do anything so go away, take paracetamol and ibuprofen, exercise, lose weight"_ Fitness and leanness is obviously beneficial, but when your condition means you suffer from chronic pain and chronic fatigue, things get absurd. This is the exercise advice for fibromyalgia: _"do no more than 15-20 minutes exercise at a time, on non-consecutive days"_ but also: _"endurance training is important to help manage fatigue"_ As I understand it, for training adaptations we need minimums per session: • 45 minutes zone 2 for a beginner, much more for a trained athlete • 30-40 minutes accumulated above threshold to raise power/FTP • 15-16 minutes accumulated during sprints/hard efforts to raise VO2max People are failing to get through 45 minute of light aquafit class, I don't know how they are supposed to build endurance from that level!? Also really common is for people to their exercise session in the morning, and then that's it for the day, home to bed or the armchair for and total rest and recovery.

@@Mapdec For myself, I think because I was already able to do 5-6 hr hikes or 5-6 hr mixed zone cardio before my pain issues spiralled out of control, I have at least been able to push back against some of the fatigue and with careful exercise retrain my endurance even after a few months out. That said, even with good cardio fitness and endurance training, fatigue does tend to build up all the time, so at best I can train at a moderate amateur level, ~10hrs/week, for 3-4 weeks, but then I get _deeply_ exhausted and need a few days to a few weeks off. Injuries and triggering the worse pain flair ups are the real killer for me though, especially if the low back is hurt. For 2023 I lost 5-6 months with no training whatsoever due to intense pain and restricted movement, and another 3-4 months just limited to very light cycling, which was only possible with 1-1½ hrs relaxation in the sauna beforehand, and then needing 2-4 days to recover before trying again. What makes me keep going is: i) I gain weight very fast if I stop, and weight gain = increases in pain and even less ability to exercise, a very vicious cycle. ii) I want to lose more fat, a lot really because there is a small chance it might help my condition but it's proving impossible to be consistent (food and fuelling exercise and recovery with chronic fatigue is a whole other problem.) iii) I do notice higher energy/better resistance to fatigue and tiredness with higher fitness.

@@Mapdec In the 2-3 years since the gyms reopened after covid, I've tried to really focus on exercise to mitigate some of my problems, so I have spent a lot of time in the gym, going to Pilates, aquafit classes, and swimming. It was a running joke in 2022 that I was at the leisure centre more than the instructors, quite literally for longer than their shifts sometimes. Not quite as impressive as it sounds because I am extremely slow to work through everything - low weights, high reps and sets, time under tension etc. because any strain on the back can mean 2-4 months out of action. I had a very comprehensive weight training programme (had to abandon it last year) but I still do as much low impact cardio as I can manage. For the moment it's mainly just the gym bike and hiking as any mild twisting action on my body is quite pain triggering, so I'm forced to break from swimming and cross trainers etc. I like rowing, but now I only do it sparingly and mostly only pull 80W-100W and stay in low zone 1. Cycling is okay for now, but the gym bike is a horrible upright thing with a ridiculous seat, so I'm still adapting to that and trying to figure out the least bad position :/ This is pretty typical really, having to either chop and change between types of exercise, or break entirely. Net result is my cardio health is still pretty decent, but muscle conditioning and strength is relatively low and quite far behind. 90 minute zone 2 on the gym bike is ultra easy cardio, but painful and exhausting on the quads and hamstrings. EDIT: (because the last reply won't show) I have been lucky to have had a tremendous amount of support from some of the amazing gym instructors who I've gotten close to, and learned a lot working out under their supervision. I think everyone in the UK is acutely aware of the strain on NHS GP services, they're pushing patients off to other services like physiotherapists as much as possible, and the physiotherapy services are also overwhelmed. Net result is the gym instructors, especially at public facilities, are effectively becoming surrogate physiotherapy services. There is quite literally a instructor qualification that allows gym staff and personal trainers to take referrals directly from the NHS. I said it earlier, my symptoms may be specific to me, but the situation is not unique. I've talked to many people suffering from chronic issues like mine and compared notes on training, noticed when they disappear for weeks and months at a time, wondered if they chose to end things etc. I'd assume most, if not all, local council gyms and leisure centres are full of people training for the primary purpose of managing health conditions. If you did want to explore using the tech to see if it could help, I'd wager a shiny button you would be able to find people in or near Kendal. A proper university backed study is probably what's needed, but I do wonder if a small investigation might give some clues as to what level of exercise might trigger either a pain flair up, or just a higher level of fatigue/exhaustion.

I think they were a bit too ahead of their time and forgot those kind of details. Shame

I’m totally with you on that. A close coach and athlete relationship is critical. Not managing athletes are disciplined enough to precisely follow a programme, and not many coaches are patient enough to work with the whims of multiple athletes and constantly adapt the programmes. I coach in an educational way. I like to teach athletes to make good decisions and establish goals.

There is still nothing better than a close relationship with a coach and an athlete in tune with their body.

Totally 💯

Oh hey. Been a while since I’ve seen you in the comments. Thanks. 🙏

Thank you

Thank you. Next steps is to fine tune. In this case it shows Jake is ready to take a longer interval, with the same rest. Would increase by 30s. Probably add another interval too.

Progress 🤷‍♂️

Umm. Probably the point I am trying to convey is that this new tech does away with arithmetic predictions and provides minute by minute information instead. More to come on this. Great question

It’s similar, you just have multiple dynamic capacities to juggle. Get strong. 💪

@Mapdec thanks. Early days in the training so I'm just trying to figure out what works load wise and how much recovery to factor in.

Early days yet.

@@Mapdec I have one since start of year. I love it, but really hope it outlasts the warranty period, otherwise that is one expensive disposable bike! Yikes!

It’s a NIRS sensor. Lots and lots of research online about validity etc.

Just an oversight. We don’t really use trainer road here. We don’t use the wahoo training system either.

Use your local bike shop and ask them to price match. Shimano give us discounts to allow us to compete. Your bike shop will take responsibility for making sure you have all the right bits.

@@Mapdec Thank you. Will do.

True. It would be more useful than the 167.5mm hole

My Wahoo KICKR SHIFT BIKE has 165 mm setting. 160 mm is very short.

Speed is the ultimate metric for sure. Your method has merit, but it would be a longer bumpy road to the result.

@@tednruth453 odd question

How do you get RU-vid to work in the 19th century?@Chris-jc3lr

​@@paddymurphy-oconnor8255for the o.p. who has his auto reply switched off.