- Welcome back to another episode of Ask GCN Anything.
- Yes, and this week we'll be talking,
off the back of the GCN Show,
about age-related training questions.
We'll also be talking about VO2 max,
and we'll be talking about what 100 pounds gets you now,
well that it didn't 10 years ago.
- We will indeed.
If you've got any questions to get in for next week's show,
you can use the hashtag #torqueback on social media.
Or even easier than that is just to leave them
in the comments section below this video.
However, if you've got a training-related question,
you can use the hashtag #askGCNtraining
and you will then be given a chance
to win three months' free subscription to Zwift,
so that's worth doing.
(objects colliding)
In fact our first question is the winner
of that free three months' subscription to Zwift,
so well done to Bjarne Kjeldsden.
"Hi, it is rare to see training tips
"adapted to different age groups.
"I am 45 and I'm noticing how my body is changing.
"I recover more slowly, I'm losing explosiveness
"and mobility, to name a few."
It's not looking too good for Bjarne at the moment is it?
- No.
- "But I've read an article about how a man of my age
"uses short 15-second max effort sprints up hills
"as an important part of his half-marathon training.
"So is this something an old cyclist can learn from?
"Do you have suggestions on how
"to include such sprints in my training
"and also how they should be performed?"
- Well the answer is a resounding yes.
There's a lot to be gained for an older cyclist
incorporating sprint work and strength work
into their training.
- Yeah, because it's no secret, is it,
that you do start to lose muscle mass,
unfortunately, as you get older.
- Yeah, not that you had any, Dan.
- Blimey! (James laughs)
Well I'm started; but I get you're right,
you can't lose what you haven't got, I guess, can you?
But the good news is that you can reduce
this phenomenon, which is known as sarcopenia,
by remaining physically active.
On the other hand, if you don't remain physically active,
you can actually lose up to 5% of your muscle mass
per decade after the age of 30.
- (sigh) Wow!
- So James here's all right;
he's not even 30 yet. - Yeah, exactly.
Well "use it or lose it" is a phrase
that really comes to mind, but by building strength work
and sprint work into your training, it actually increases
your aerobic capacity and your mitochondrial density.
- Mm-hmm, nice one. - Did I say that right?
- No not quite; close enough James.
Yeah, mitochondrial cells being known as
the powerhouse cells within the body,
because they are responsible for
the release of energy from food.
And since a reduction in muscle mass
will also lead to a decline in the quality
and quantity of your mitochondrial cells,
it makes sense that continuing to use
strength work to maintain your muscle mass
will in turn, hopefully, maintain your performance
on the bike or even perhaps increase it.
I've got another training-related question now
and also another age-related question from Conor Williams.
Simply asked, "Does VO2 max change at all according to age?"
- Well, good question, and there can be a quick answer.
It's basically yes.
But then there's a lot that can go into it,
and that's genetics, that's your age;
that's training status; there's also body composition.
So there's loads to actually, yeah.
- There is a lot, but we did do a bit of research on this,
and apparently your VO2 max can decline
1% per year from the age of 25, which means,
well you've only lost 1% haven't you?
- Yeah.
- I've lost five already.
- 5%, are you sure about that?
- All right, 13%. - Yeah.
- Although I might not have, because
apparently you can also, similar to
the answer to the previous question,
reduce that decline in VO2 max through training.
Speaking of which, training can actually,
well you can change your VO2 max,
but up to 20% through physical activity and training.
- That's a lot.
- So there is hope out there for us all.
Speaking of which, we've got a video
on how to increase your VO2 max,
which you can see coming up now.
- Now before we tell you, we should probably
explain exactly what it is.
So, VO2 max is a measure of how much oxygen
your body is able to consume during a maximal effort.
And it's measured in milliliters per kilogram
of body weight per minute.
- So now it's time for the Quickfire Round.
And the first question is from okimy.
"I've recently been starting to train more.
"Sprints were part of that training
"but for some reason I saw my sprint performance decrease
"from being able to reach 45kph
"in the beginning to just 41 now."
Dan do you know what the reason for this is?
- Well first you've got to be careful
in using speed to judge your performance,
because there's so many factors involved in that,
like air pressure, and rolling resistance,
and wind direction, et cetera.
But nevertheless you might also,
if you used a power meter, also be seeing
a slight decline in your sprint power
because it sounds like you haven't yet
absorbed all the training that you've done,
so you're basically just tired.
Because when you sprint you are using
your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which basically,
well they get tired a lot quicker, don't they,
than your slow-twitch, endurance muscle fibers.
So what you need to do is absorb
all the training you're doing and be fresh enough
to really perform at that short effort sprint.
Because I've always found that the shorter the effort,
the fresher you need to be to perform at your best.
So you need to be much fresher to do
a hill climb of two to five minutes, for example,
than you do for a five-hour endurance road race.
And then you go down to 10 seconds,
you really need to be very fresh to perform at your best.
- I'll agree with that.
- Right, next up we have this from Mike Smith:
"How much faster would 100 pounds make me today,
"compared to 10 years ago?"
It's an interesting one, this.
We were a bit stumped, but we think
we've come up with something.
- Yeah, well I had a big think about this one.
And I was thinking about buying 100 pounds skin suit
and nowadays they put a lot of technology
into creating the right airflow, clean airflow over the body
to make you that much faster.
So yeah, a lot better than 10 years ago, the skin suits.
- That was all we could come up with.
It definitely makes a big difference, doesn't it,
the fabric that you're using, et cetera,
hence why a lot of time trialers now
are pretty much covered head to toe in Lycra, because
it's faster than skin. - They are.
- Beyond that, 100 pounds, as you all very well know,
doesn't get you very far unfortunately
in the world of cycling componentry.
- No, sadly.
- Next up, #AskGCNtraining is the hashtag
from MASTERJM 13, "How can I build up stamina as a kid?"
- Well, stamina isn't just all about
getting a lot of exercise, really; it's also about
keeping a healthy weight, keeping a healthy diet,
so those are also contributing factors.
- Yeah but you shouldn't be worrying too much about stamina,
I don't think, as a kid. - No.
- Depending on what age you are.
If you're 17 or 18 of course you could start
to train properly, but if you're 12 or 13,
just go out and enjoy riding your bike
and stamina and endurance is going to come with it,
you shouldn't be thinking too much about it.
Next up, jairus loo: "Hey I was wondering
"should you choose a bike based on its frame
"or its components?"
This is a question we've actually a couple of times before.
Again, it's an intriguing one.
The answer is always, it depends how much
you eventually want to spend on your bike, doesn't it?
So if you've got a set budget, and you want to use that
and then only really spend more money
on maintaining the bike you've got, you want a nice balance
between frame and components, don't you?
Whereas, if you've only got so much now,
but you think you might have some more in the future
to spend on your bike, go for the best frame--
- Best frame, I would say that yeah.
I would start off like a cake basically,
build from the base up.
And the frame's a big part of the bike,
so I would look at if I was a climber or a sprinter
and choose a different frame for that instance,
and then build up from there.
- Right next up, "What do you do
"when you get sick or injured during training for an event?
"How do you get back on track as soon as possible?"
That comes in from slam031 underneath last week's show.
- Well I would go completely straightaway
and say, rest is best.
Wait until you are completely 100% healthy
before getting back on the bike.
The last thing you want to do is prolong the illness.
So yeah, would you agree with that?
- Yeah, I was given a piece of advice
by a coach many years ago: on the day at which you feel
you should be able to go out and train hard again,
leave it until the next day, which has always been
a bit of advice that I think has worked for me personally,
because it's all too easy to panic
and try to get back into it as soon as possible,
isn't it? - Yeah.
- And try to compensate on what you've lost.
You've got to write that bit off
and start again with a new training plan
and not try to do double the amount
that you were planning on doing in the first place.
- I would 100% agree with that.
- Right, last question for the Quickfire Round,
which whenever I'm involved is not very quick at all.
It comes from Klemen_46: "Is it better
"to eat more before or after you go cycling?
"Thank you, love you guys."
Well thank you for that.
- Well I know you know this answer to the question.
- I don't; I've got no idea.
Again, thinking quite deeply about this earlier.
I mean you need to eat properly before the ride,
whether that's the night before or also the morning of.
- To give you that energy.
- Yeah, to get your glycogen stores up to speed
before you then use them all.
And therefore once you've used them all
you also need to replenish them afterwards
if you want to perform at your best.
If there's any nutritionists out there
that can tell us whether, if you only have one choice,
eat before or eat after, what's better?
You can let us know.
- So the next question is from James Hickman:
"#Torqueback As a cyclist starting to get into longer rides
"should I start looking at power meters,
"heart rate monitors, or cadence sensors?
"Are they worth the investment?"
- It's another it depends answer.
- It is, I think, yeah.
- It depends what your longterm goals
in cycling are going to be.
I mean if you're the sort of person
that just likes to go out on the bike,
enjoy the fresh air, the scenery,
and the sense of exploration you get
from riding a road bike or a gravel bike,
you don't necessarily need to have any data to do that.
You will naturally build an endurance and a stamina
that will allow you to do longer rides.
- Yeah but on the other hand,
if you did want to make those big improvements in fitness,
then there's no doubt that a power meter
is going to help that.
- I think you're right there.
They're not for everybody; some people don't like
to become slaves to numbers, for obvious reasons,
but if you really are determined
to get better as soon as possible,
using a power meter in conjunction with
doing some research so you know exactly how
to use it to best benefit you,
will lead to those improvements much quicker.
- Yeah, and preparing a training program.
A power meter is going to help, having that data, so yeah.
- Well if you're looking for six reasons
to buy a power meter, if you're not already convinced,
we've actually got that coming up in our next video.
In the words of Dr. Andy Coggin,
one of the pioneers of training with a power meter,
testing is training, and training is testing.
And a power meter allows you to
do your testing out on the open road,
without the need to head to a laboratory.
Well that is the end of this week's Ask GCN Anything.
And we happen to have had a lot of questions about training,
but your questions can be anything cycling related,
as to do with equipment, et cetera, too,
so leave all of them in the comments section down below,
or to remind you the hashtag is #torqueback on social media.
- Yes, and if you did want the chance
to win three months' free subscription from Zwift,
then use the hashtag #AskGCNtraining.
And if you did like this video,
then don't forget to give us a thumbs up.
And I actually had the pleasure
of going to go and chat to the pros,
asking them if they're a spinner or a grinder.
So if you wanted to check that video out,
then click down here.
- We're fortunate just for Sagan's response.