LT testing at Endurance PTC

On Saturday some teammates & I went for body composition analysis and lactate threshold testing at Endurance Performance Training Center in San Francisco.

We started out with a body composition analysis, where we stood on a scale-like contraption which used electrical impedance to determine the amounts of lean body mass and body fat we're carrying (or, in my case, lugging) about.

I found out that my body fat percentage is 33.9. Lovely. Now, the good news is, my muscle mass is appropriate for my height, so at least I'm doing something right. I just need to loose the flab ... surprise.

After that exercise in self-loathing, we hooked our bikes onto Computrainers and rode a long steady state interval, where the initial intensity was set at 50 watts and was increased by 30 watts every 4 minutes. Near the end of every four minutes, a vampire disguised as a trainer came to draw a bit of blood from our earlobes to test for the amount of lacate. It was pretty easy going at first but at the intensity approached 200 watts the pedalling got tough! I got 230 watts but I cried uncle soon after and I didn't complete the full four minutes, so my last reading was at 200 watts.

Then one of the trainers took us through a brief on-bike seminar on pedaling technique. He showed us the importance of a smooth, round pedal stroke, and how to isolate and work on the various parts of the stroke. After some one-legged drills he also showed us how to improve our pedalling techinque while standing.

After a brief break to freshen up, we then had a discussion about our test results and how we can use them for our own training.

All in all a fun and worthwhile experience! I'm going to do this again in a few months to see what effect the Death Ride training had on my LT and my body composition.