VO2 intensity blocks - full info from usst

Hello ski fans,

There is a complete write up and several shorter write ups on the
interval blocks that we are doing posted at www.teamtoday.org. You
will find all the "rules" we go by as well as a lot of testimony as to
how it is working, what we have learned a long the way... just looking
at what I have read here at rsn most people are looking at these as
killer workouts. That is NOT the case. For more info please read
"VO2 Training" posted at www.teamtoday.org as well as "usst training",
two "VO2 journals" articles, "Hard training at it's finest", and any
of the articles about San Diego ("News from San Diego".)
I think this will be helpful.

While you are at teamtoday check out every thing else we've been up to
("What we're all about - a series" is a good place to start).

Trond is already in Europe and I leave on Thursday. From there Trond
and I drive two vans from Munich to Muonio, Finland where we will meet
most of the distance team who travel over this weekend.
We did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to. Again:
we did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to.
This is the US Ski Team. That is YOUR team.
Help support us at www.teamtoday.org

Train hard
Rest well
There is no other way

Pete

(Pete Vordenberg) wrote in message . com...
Hello ski fans,


Hi Pete, thanks for the info.

There is a complete write up and several shorter write ups on the
interval blocks that we are doing posted at www.teamtoday.org. You
will find all the "rules" we go by as well as a lot of testimony as to
how it is working, what we have learned a long the way... just looking
at what I have read here at rsn most people are looking at these as
killer workouts. That is NOT the case.

Hmm... I guess that depends on your definition of Killer. Considering
L4 is typically ascribed to be maximal lactate steady state, which
occurs about 80-90 % max HR (75-80 % VO2max), but not necessarily 4 mM
lactate, and you are supposed to be above that level, most would
consider that definitely tough. The intervals should be approximately
90+% max HR (90 % VO2max), which is above the ventilatory threshold,
where most people start huffing and puffing. If you are fit, you
won't be dying at this intensity, but without a solid base, you would
have a hard time finishing them, as evidenced by one of the journal
entries you cite on the Team Today website. Further, most citizen
skiers don't train at L4 very much (I know, generalization, but I did
say "most"), so, if they tried to go above that, they would definitely
be hurting. So, for most recreational skiers, these might not be
"Killer" workouts, but they are going to be hard. If you undershoot
the intensity, you won't get a whole lot of benefit out of 4 x 4 min
at low L4 intensity. As we have discussed before though, you also
don't want to overshoot the intensity either.

For more info please read
"VO2 Training" posted at www.teamtoday.org as well as "usst training",
two "VO2 journals" articles, "Hard training at it's finest", and any
of the articles about San Diego ("News from San Diego".)
I think this will be helpful.

While you are at teamtoday check out every thing else we've been up to
("What we're all about - a series" is a good place to start).

Trond is already in Europe and I leave on Thursday. From there Trond
and I drive two vans from Munich to Muonio, Finland where we will meet
most of the distance team who travel over this weekend.
We did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to. Again:
we did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to.
This is the US Ski Team. That is YOUR team.

Unfortunately, I cannot afford to go either. Not to be too
undelicate, but it's a bit presumptuous to assume that everyone
reading this newsgroup is American and therefore your team is their
team.


Help support us at www.teamtoday.org

Train hard
Rest well
There is no other way

Pete

You too,
Steve

Steve McGregor wrote:
(Pete Vordenberg) wrote in message . com...
Trond is already in Europe and I leave on Thursday. From there Trond
and I drive two vans from Munich to Muonio, Finland where we will meet
most of the distance team who travel over this weekend.
We did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to. Again:
we did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to.
This is the US Ski Team. That is YOUR team.


Unfortunately, I cannot afford to go either. Not to be too
undelicate, but it's a bit presumptuous to assume that everyone
reading this newsgroup is American and therefore your team is their
team.

Thanks Steve.

As a non-American I have to say I don't resent Pete's posting. People
in this newsgroup are intelligent enough to filter the message
appropriately. I think of the nordic community as a virtual one.
Besides, our Canadian national group seems to do virtually no outreach
to the skiing public so I am very grateful for the information he
presents.

Chris


(Steve McGregor) wrote in message . com...
(Pete Vordenberg) wrote in message . com...
Hello ski fans,


Hi Pete, thanks for the info.

There is a complete write up and several shorter write ups on the
interval blocks that we are doing posted at www.teamtoday.org. You
will find all the "rules" we go by as well as a lot of testimony as to
how it is working, what we have learned a long the way... just looking
at what I have read here at rsn most people are looking at these as
killer workouts. That is NOT the case.

Hmm... I guess that depends on your definition of Killer. Considering
L4 is typically ascribed to be maximal lactate steady state, which
occurs about 80-90 % max HR (75-80 % VO2max), but not necessarily 4 mM
lactate, and you are supposed to be above that level, most would
consider that definitely tough. The intervals should be approximately
90+% max HR (90 % VO2max), which is above the ventilatory threshold,
where most people start huffing and puffing. If you are fit, you
won't be dying at this intensity, but without a solid base, you would
have a hard time finishing them, as evidenced by one of the journal
entries you cite on the Team Today website. Further, most citizen
skiers don't train at L4 very much (I know, generalization, but I did
say "most"), so, if they tried to go above that, they would definitely
be hurting. So, for most recreational skiers, these might not be
"Killer" workouts, but they are going to be hard. If you undershoot
the intensity, you won't get a whole lot of benefit out of 4 x 4 min
at low L4 intensity. As we have discussed before though, you also
don't want to overshoot the intensity either.

For more info please read
"VO2 Training" posted at www.teamtoday.org as well as "usst training",
two "VO2 journals" articles, "Hard training at it's finest", and any
of the articles about San Diego ("News from San Diego".)
I think this will be helpful.

While you are at teamtoday check out every thing else we've been up to
("What we're all about - a series" is a good place to start).

Trond is already in Europe and I leave on Thursday. From there Trond
and I drive two vans from Munich to Muonio, Finland where we will meet
most of the distance team who travel over this weekend.
We did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to. Again:
we did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to.
This is the US Ski Team. That is YOUR team.

Unfortunately, I cannot afford to go either. Not to be too
undelicate, but it's a bit presumptuous to assume that everyone
reading this newsgroup is American and therefore your team is their
team.


Help support us at www.teamtoday.org

Train hard
Rest well
There is no other way

Pete

You too,
Steve

Janne G wrote in message ...
Steve McGregor wrote:
(Pete Vordenberg) wrote in message . com...
Trond is already in Europe and I leave on Thursday. From there Trond
and I drive two vans from Munich to Muonio, Finland where we will meet
most of the distance team who travel over this weekend.
We did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to. Again:
we did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to.
This is the US Ski Team. That is YOUR team.


Unfortunately, I cannot afford to go either. Not to be too
undelicate, but it's a bit presumptuous to assume that everyone
reading this newsgroup is American and therefore your team is their
team.

Thanks Steve.


Hello again,

I know that this is the world wide web and that not all posters are
from the US. As far as who's team this is my experience is that our
athletes have more fans in Europe than in the USA. My aim is not to
exclude anyone but to include everyone. To say we are a US only team
or that our support network is only American is wrong. Our head coach
is Norwegian, our sprint coach is Norwegian as is one of our waxers
and ski grinders. This is certainly their team and I welcome anyone
who takes pride in the US athletes doing well, who gets joy from
watching the US athletes doing well, who is a fan of ski racing, of
the under-dog, of seeing skiing broaden into a more truely
international sport, to join us, to support us, to cheer for us
wherever you come from.
If you don't want to come aboard that is fine. If you do, welcome and
thank you.

As for the L4 workouts being killer. They are not killer. No matter
what shape you are in they must be done just over YOUR threshold.
Case in point these intervals are prescribed to heart patients post
open heart surgery (I don't think they prescribe this in the US).
They don't use the word killer when talking open heart surgery. One
of the papers we read in our investigations of this method of training
was about this practice... that paper is out there... I don't remember
where we found it - but it was on the www somewhere.
Yes it's tough. Yes it can be hard to complete. Level 1 can be hard
to complete too if you are tired. But if you want killer you're
looking for level 5. That's puke on your boots killer. Level 4 VO2
intervals are controled.
As for any advice or info take what you will. I post to be helpful
not argumentative.

I wish you all a great ski season,

Pete

(Pete Vordenberg) wrote in message . com...
Janne G wrote in message ...
Steve McGregor wrote:
(Pete Vordenberg) wrote in message . com...
Trond is already in Europe and I leave on Thursday. From there Trond
and I drive two vans from Munich to Muonio, Finland where we will meet
most of the distance team who travel over this weekend.
We did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to. Again:
we did not bring the whole team because we cannot afford to.
This is the US Ski Team. That is YOUR team.


Unfortunately, I cannot afford to go either. Not to be too
undelicate, but it's a bit presumptuous to assume that everyone
reading this newsgroup is American and therefore your team is their
team.

Thanks Steve.


Hello again,

I know that this is the world wide web and that not all posters are
from the US. As far as who's team this is my experience is that our
athletes have more fans in Europe than in the USA. My aim is not to
exclude anyone but to include everyone. To say we are a US only team
or that our support network is only American is wrong. Our head coach
is Norwegian, our sprint coach is Norwegian as is one of our waxers
and ski grinders. This is certainly their team and I welcome anyone
who takes pride in the US athletes doing well, who gets joy from
watching the US athletes doing well, who is a fan of ski racing, of
the under-dog, of seeing skiing broaden into a more truely
international sport, to join us, to support us, to cheer for us
wherever you come from.
If you don't want to come aboard that is fine. If you do, welcome and
thank you.

No problem. There are always contextual issues when communicating via
the web. The impression I got from the last line was more the finger
wagging in my/our face more than the American centric sentiment. I'm
sure everyone on the group appreciates the acccess being provided to
all of us by your Team Today site, myself included. That being said,
scolding us because you cannot afford to send the entire squad to
Europe doesn't come off well to alot of people. Times are tough
everywhere, and we'd all like to go to Europe and ski our brains out.
I'm sure you're just trying to drum up interest and support, it's just
that that particular sentence or two came off a bit rough, at least to
me. From the comments I have received off list from others, I was not
the only one.

As for the L4 workouts being killer. They are not killer. No matter
what shape you are in they must be done just over YOUR threshold.
Case in point these intervals are prescribed to heart patients post
open heart surgery (I don't think they prescribe this in the US).
They don't use the word killer when talking open heart surgery. One
of the papers we read in our investigations of this method of training
was about this practice... that paper is out there... I don't remember
where we found it - but it was on the www somewhere.
Yes it's tough. Yes it can be hard to complete. Level 1 can be hard
to complete too if you are tired. But if you want killer you're
looking for level 5. That's puke on your boots killer. Level 4 VO2
intervals are controled.
As for any advice or info take what you will. I post to be helpful
not argumentative.


Same here. I don't think I was argumentative in my post, other than
maybe my remark about "your team". I really dig talking/debating
about the physiology of training and get into these detailed
discussions all the time. I'm pretty familiar with the literature
regarding VO2max intervals, and I was just clarifying my position. If
I came off as being argumentative, apologies. I was just pointing out
that many recreational skiers will think these are killer workouts. I
don't want to rehash the discussion, but many recreational athletes
feel that an L4 workout is tough. Since hitting the right intensity
on these intervals is so crucial, I was simply trying to point out
that some might think it was a tough workout, and not to do them too
easy as a result. We have previously had the debate about how to hit
the correct intensity for the various activities, and I don't think
anyone got offended on that one. I dunno, maybe I was wrong.

I wish you all a great ski season,

Pete

You too. Have fun in Europe.
Steve