Increasing Aerobic Capacity through LSD Training

By Duston Morris, Ph.D., ABD, M.S., ACE, USAT

I remember the first time I had an athlete contact me and actually ask me about the acronym LSD. Of course, she saw it on her training schedule for a Saturday run, and she wanted to know if she was supposed to take the supplement before or after the run. Never in my life have I laughed so hard!

LSD (Long Slow Distance) is a highly overlooked, very critical component to an endurance athlete’s success. I have numerous conversations throughout the year with athletes about their LSD training. Sure, many of them are getting in the miles, but many of them are getting them in at intensity levels that are much too high. Recently, Matt Fitzgerald wrote an article for Active.com about Lance Armstrong’s return to the 2009 TDF and his training techniques. Who didn’t watch that! The guy is 37 years old and takes 3rd at the TDF after three years out of the sport. Likewise, years ago, Dave Scott had a similar return to the Iron Man race in Kona. So what is the secret? It is LSD training!

When putting time in the saddle or on the run, endurance athletes should focus on three basic concepts:

1. Developing aerobic capacity – Most (95%) of your LSD work on the swim/bike/run should be done in the aerobic work zone (i.e. zone 3/HRmax = 60-70%). When I was riding for Tyson Cycling, we would put in about 200-250 miles/week in the aerobic zone with about 50 miles/week working on LT (Lactate Threshold). According to Chris Carmichael, many endurance athletes place too much emphasis on raising their lactate threshold—the level of exertion at which the blood lactate level begins to increase—instead of concentrating on building their VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use to exercise. The best type of training? I recommend LSD WOs (workouts) of 2+hrs and/or HR (Heart Rate) sustained efforts just below LT for up to 2hrs. But even if you are not interested in paying that close attention to your HR…just get out there and put in lots of LSD time!

2. Pedal/Foot Cadence – Many athletes want to crank them over in the BCR (Big Chain Ring) and your pedal cadence is low. You think that pushing the BCR makes you faster…well it does, only if you can push it over at a faster cadence rate, and the only way this happens is to train yourself to pedal at a faster cadence rate. This is also true for running. A faster cadence is typically a more inefficient cadence only because most people don’t train a faster cadence. Once you develop pedal/run efficiency at a given cadence (e.g. 70-80 rpms), then you need to train at a faster cadence in order to get that same efficiency at a faster cadence. Couple faster cadence training on the BRC and “zoom-zoom!” Best way to do this: 1) practice faster cadence 1st in SCR (Small Chain Ring). Once you can spin SCR x smallest cog on your cassette at 90+rpms for 30 minutes straight then, 2) practice faster cadence in BCR! This usually has to be accomplished through structure interval set, which is part of what I teach though my coaching program.

3. Consistency – There is very little to explain here. The best athletes will always be those who can go out and practice their mundane tasks over and over and over again. For many recreational endurance athletes they lose focus along the way and drop out of their training. This lull or latency period is the demise for highest level of performance. Training can change to a certain degree, but has to be consistent. Want to be a better runner, run consistently…want to be a better cyclist…cycle consistently…and the same for pretty much any other sport you choose. Keep in mind I did not say MORE, I said consistent. There is a big difference! As I learned from bike racing, your biggest gains always will come in the offseason.

For more information on how to Train Smart…Race Hard! Feel free to contact Duston.