Q&A 9.24.20

I would have joined this study but didn’t see it when you called for lab rats.

Really enjoy reading your articles, and at times implementing some of your modalities.

My question on this study is twofold.

1. Wouldn’t the comparison have been better if the cyclist were doing uphill training or sprints rather than just a steady state cardio ride? Especially since you were simulating uphill climbing.
2. I understand the concept of keeping the study even , but as someone who cycles I can say that riding uphill puts a far greater strain on the muscular and anaerobic system than just spinning at a steady state.

I rode  cycle 3 to 4  days a week and weight train 1 day a week, training for grueling mountain events such as 3 and 6 Gap climbs in north Ga. I also enjoy hiking with the family and can easily run up and down hills all day albeit with 25lb of snacks and water. I’m 56 and work as a contractor , so no easy days for me.

I read with interest the results of your mini-study on the cycling as a crossover activity for uphill movement under load. I had contemplated applying to be one of your lab rats, but my schedule wouldn’t allow me to commit to the required 3.5 weeks. That incompatible schedule, however, produced some anecdotal results that mirror those found by your study which I thought might be of interest to you.

By way of background: I am a 43 year old fit male weighing 163 pounds and measuring 5’8” tall. I began racing road bicycles at age 13 and raced at a high (semi-pro) level in my 20s. I stopped racing at 28 and spent many years in the gym undoing the physiological toll of too much time spent hunched over on the bike. I am an avid alpinist / ski mountaineer / rock climber with a goal of qualifying as an IFMGA mountain guide by the time I’m 50.

I live full time in London, UK (for now) and over the lockdown period was unable to spend any time in a mountainous environment. I spent considerable time cycling from mid-March through mid-July as structured training on the bike gave me both an opportunity to get out of the city as well as a goal-oriented process on which to focus. I trained on the bike an average of 12 – 15 hours / week with intervals on T & Th, 2 – 3 hour low Z2 endurance ride on Wed, and longer (100 – 160km) endurance rides on Sat and Sun. In cycling terms, I currently have a functional threshold power of 4.5 watts/kg, which isn’t what it was when I was racing but still isn’t bad. Without the gym and a barbell to do my usual front squats / deads / cleans for strength, I did 2 days / week of bodyweight and KB based strength  and midline work, including leg blasters. I did not incorporate weighted step ups as per usual due to the cycling volume and need to recover and not destroy my legs.

Finally able to travel, I went to the Alps for the last two weeks of July with to get my ridge legs back and climb the Zinalrothorn in Switzerland via the normal route (following appropriate acclimatisation). We did an AD ridge called the Perrons Traverse as a warm up. It included a short (1 hour) steep uphill approach, about 3.5 hours on the ridge, and a 2ish hour exit. Packs were lightish with ropes and a small selection of cams in addition to standard gear. I felt fine on the approach and the ridge, with solid movement after shaking off some rust. It was hot and I went through a litre of water, which was not enough. I fell apart on the exit, which I attributed to a combination of mild dehydration, a bit of bonk, and relative lack of eccentric training in the months previous to handle the downhill.

After rehydrating, eating, and resting, we let the next day for the Zinalrothorn. It is a 10k ruck to the hut over varied terrain with a more heavily loaded pack (rope, climbing and glacier gear, crampons, ice axe, clothing, 2 litres of water, etc). I was ok for the first half before the wheels came off in the second. It was a 3:30am alpine start the next morning as we looked to climb the ridge. The approach involves a boulder field, onto a glacier, and ultimately cross a snow arête onto the ridge proper. Should have taken 2 – 2.5 hours. Despite my improved CV fitness on account of the cycling, I was moving very slow…too slow and we pulled the plug to avoid coming back across the arête in super shitty snow. We returned to the hut, ate, and proceeded to walk out the 10km back to the car. I felt terrible and it was also excruciatingly slow.

The next day, I woke up with DOMS in my quads. Having been acclimatised to the altitude and having a relatively high level of aerobic fitness, I can only attribute the wheels coming off in Switzerland to a lack of specific loaded concentric and eccentric training in the preceding months. Having spent as much time on a bike as I have over my lifetime, I am acutely aware of the severe limitations of the movement pattern and knew intuitively that the crossover would likely be limited, but overestimated the extent to which it could be offset by “GPP” strength and stability work. While the endurance was there in spades, I couldn’t apply it in a mountain environment.

Thanks for your content, programming, and efforts to help us all better understand training modalities and their applications.