| Der Australische Radsport aus dem Blickwinkel von Dr. David Martin, Leistungsphysiologe des AIS |
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Die Eröffnung eines europäischen Trainingszentrums für die australischen Radsportler, die enge Zusammenarbeit mit dem AIS (Australian Institute of Sport), die Entwicklung von Powermetern und dadurch neue Ansätze im Training - das alles steht in einem engen Zusammenhang mit den Erfolgen. Niemand kann uns zu diesem Thema besser Auskunft geben als Dr. David Martin, leitender Leistungsphysiologe des AIS, verantwortlich für Forschung und angewandte Trainingswissenschaft im australischen Radsportprogramm. Das Interview von Rachel Neylan (www.rachelneylan.com) mit David Martin gibt einen Einblick, wie SRM an der Entwicklung im australischen Radsport beteiligt ist und welche Entwicklungen den australischen Radsport weiter beeinflussen werden.
I first heard about SRMs in 1987 when I was in Graduate School studying the "Anaerobic Threshold". I remember going to a conference and hearing Dr. Pete Van Handel from the USOTC mention that Greg Lemond and Bjarne Riis were using a new portable power meter that allowed speed, power, cadence and heart rate to be recorded during training and racing. I couldn't believe it. I thought this technology was absolutely amazing. I was a collegiate cross-country skier from 1982 - 1986. During that time I really didn't focus much attention on cycling. My brother and I both raced road bikes and mountain bikes but only as cross-training to stay fit for the ski season. When I started my Master's degree research I wanted to investigate different aspects of training zones and I was particularly interested in the "anaerobic threshold". I was trying to complete my research using cross-country skiers but ran into the problem of trying to quantify "external load" - essentially power output. I could easily measure heart rate and blood lactate and perception of effort in cross-country skiers but referencing this information to an external load (e.g., power output) was very difficult in skiers. So I changed my experimental design and moved to cycling. In my Master's degree research I quantified cycling power output using a laboratory bicycle ergometer. I remember thinking how cool it would be if power meters were available that would allow a cyclist to be monitored in the field during training and racing. This way cardiovascular drift and non-steady state lactate intensity could be measured. I actually followed up on trying to purchase an SRM but they were very expensive for a young poor graduate student at that time. It was also a bit of a trick finding information that described how these devices worked and where you could purchase them. Remember, back in the 1980s accessing information on this type of equipment was not so easy. We didn't just jump on the internet and "google" power meters. I worked as a research assistant at the United States Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs from 1988-1989. During my stay at the USOTC I was able to assist Drs. Jay T Kearney and Pete Van Handel who were supporting the US Cycling Team. In Colorado Springs I learned more about power meters and SRMs. It was in Colorado Springs I also learned about the Neil Craig, Charlie Walsh and the Australian Institute of Sport cycling program who had purchased a large number of power meters to evaluate their track cyclists. However, despite knowing power meters were available I really spent most of my time working with heart rate monitors and blood lactate when it came to monitoring and prescribing exercise intensity. Not until my PhD research at the University of Wyoming did I start to play around with SRM power meters and it really wasn't until 1994 when I accepted a job at the Australian Institute of Sport that I started working with power meters in earnest.
My ideas regarding training methodology and training progressions continue to change and be modified based on observations and emerging research. Early on I was very attracted to the concept that there is an ideal training intensity for a competitive cyclists and if this training intensity is known athletes can increase the precision with which they train and facilitate greater adaptations. I was very intrigued with the concept that there is an ideal training intensity, essentially a "goldilocks" point (not too easy and not too hard) that facilitates optimal adaptations. So I would spend a lot of time with athletes trying to establish their threshold intensity (incremental intensity tests that allow blood lactate to be plotted against heart rate to establish a threshold heart rate). Athletes would then engage in 1-3 days per week of structured threshold intensity intervals (2-3 x 10min at threshold heart rate) and my hope was that athletes were going to optimally overload their physiology to promote ideal gains in fitness. I was pretty convinced this was the German way as many of the lactate based training concepts that I had heard of had been developed in Germany. Well, that was a nice concept but with power meters I started to realise that the idea of "steady state" is a bit of a myth. There are lots of physiological indicators of intensity that uncouple from running speed or cycling power when the athlete engages in multiple high intensity efforts. Heart rate tends to drift, lactate can actually decrease and perception of effort can progressively climb even though power output and cadence remain steady during high intensity training. So, prescribing training intensity and evaluating competitive performances was becoming a far more complicated area once I started to really look at power meter data. With power meters the actual power output demands of road cycling and time trialing and hill climbing became apparent. Unlike the very smooth heart rate traces we were used to looking at we started to see a very messy, stochastic intermittent power profile that underpinned the smooth heart rate responses we tended to focus on. So power meters allowed me (and others ) to establish that for a give heart rate training zone there can be a tremendous variety of race specific external load patterns. In addition, even when power output profiles are smooth and consistent the heart rate, lactate and perception of effort responses can uncouple from the relationships we see in the laboratory making the entire topic far more complex and interesting. In my case, power meters made me start to realise that intensity is not just how many Watts and athlete holds for a 5 min interval but intensity can also be graded based on how long a cyclist rides at 300 Watts (1min is far "easier" than 4 min which is associated with a far higher blood lactate, heart rate and perception of effort. All of these obligations obviously have implications for training progressions. From your perspective what is the most aspect of an effective training program?
How long have you been working for the AIS, how did your relationship with AIS begin? I started working at the AIS in 1994 in the lead up to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in 1996. I worked with AIS Cycling Coaches Heiko Salzwedel, Andrew Logan, Brian Stephens, Damian Grundy and a wonderful group of free-spirited AIS cyclists. I was also lucky to work with sport science coordinator and physiologist Neil Craig. I thought I was taking a job in Australia for 1-2 years but the adventure has lasted a lot longer than I expected. But I really like the cycling coaches in Australia, I love the AIS sport science community and I find the cyclists I have had a chance to meet and work with exceptional - a wonderful optimistic attitude.
Why do you think we are seeing record numbers of Aussie pros in the grand tours these days? In the late 1980's and early 1990's there was series of postitive events that contributed towards the development of the Aussie Pro's we see competing today. Both Heiko Salzwedel and Charlie Walsh were incredibly committed and passionate individuals. These leaders were surrounded by very motivated and capable support staff and the entire adventure was supported by the Australian Institute of Sport. So great people all passionate about where they wanted to go started working together. Then to make it all very exciting - the high performance cycling program within Australia persevered for more than 20 years. Great leadership, good opportunities, supper commitment sustained for multiple years and voila - a crop of incredible Aussie Pros. There was of course the amazing leadership of Shayne Bannan that enabled Australia to capitalise on the concept of a European training base. This European presence was most helpful as Aussie cyclists truly adopt the European lifestyle and the professional cyclist way of life. It is amazing to see what can happen when a group of committed individuals pursue a goal over a number of years. From my perspective I also think it has been helpful that Aussie coaches and sport scientists keep asking questions, keep refining the process, keep moving forward. The minute you think you have all the answers you stop growing. That has been a great feature of power meters such as the SRM - they keep you thinking and exploring and evaluating. Do you think there will be anything in the future as big as SRM that will revolutionise cycling performance like it has? Power meters have provided new insight into demands of competition and the relationship between training and race relevant fitness. Very much like many new medical monitoring devices (e.g., Magnetic Resonance Imaging, X-Rays, haematology analysers, foetal heart rate monitors) have provide medical doctors with improved feedback, power meters allow the coach, trainer and athlete to better evaluate how the preparation process is influencing fitness. It is probably worth noting that with new technology there are also new problems and it has been fun to see the world of cycling power meters wrestle with some of the technical issues that come with power meters such as, Are the power meters calibrated and accurate? What is the best way to manage and analyse massive amounts of data? Should training be prescribed based on power? There is a great example of how new technologies can sometimes start with a negative impact before a profession learns to effectively deal with the new information provided by the technology. In the early days of foetal heart rate monitoring Obstetricians were faced with the sometimes frightening observation of foetal heart rate during delivery. It just so happens that a rapid increase in C-section deliveries followed the deployment of foetal heart rate monitors because medical staff for the first time were able to see how stressful child birth can be on the cardiovascular load of the unborn baby. Now, physicians know that very unique heart rate responses are actually normal and expected. Similarly, I am always amused to hear about some of the very ridged ways some trainers use Power Meters for training prescription and pacing during competition. As with any new technology - users must invest time to become "expert users". What will be next? I think we will see two developments - both of which are already happening: 1) cycling power meter data analytics and trend forecasting will become more and more sophisticated. Dr. Andy Coggan has done a great job at refining some very complicated mathematical modelling and allowing recreational athletes to estimate fitness and fatigue responses to training. As a result, Banister's original fitness, fatigue, performance model is being used by thousands of competitive cyclists. I can see a trend emerging where the trainer who deals with cycling power meter files will operate very similar to a financial advisor who is constantly monitoring the stock market with very sophisticated data analytic tools. Certain metrics give the financial advisor confidence that it is time to sell stock. Similarly, a coach can look at daily power data and gain an understanding that the athlete needs to reduce training loads. Software that aids in the analysis will become more and more popular. 2) more physiological data and perceptual data will be collected in conjunction with the power meter files. Some day soon we may see a lactate watch connected to the power meter, more affordable core temperature pills transmitting thermal load, and perceptual tags being introduced into power meters so that we can evaluate how athlete feels while they are engaged in known external load (i.e., power output). Giving more context to the power meter data will keep us all busy for the next 10years or more.
In summary how has SRM changed the way you approach cycling performance over the past 15 years? SRM power meters have been my primary scientific tool as a cycling sport scientist. Like a microbiologist has a microscope and a doctor has a stethoscope I have had my cycling power meters. With power meters we have established some performance diagnostic flow charts. The primary objective has been to establish why an athlete can't perform better - what fitness traits need development and refinement. Thus the power meter has helped me refine my assessment of where a cyclist is at and allowed me to give the coach more sophisticated and accurate feedback on how an athlete is responding to a training load.
What is the most valuable benefit / use of SRM for you.. ie any 'outside the square' obscure, funky applications you like using it for? There are so many things we have done with cycling power meters but my favourite application is in the area of promoting confidence and commitment to training. Power meters don't usually lie and when used appropriately it is possible to see an athlete become very committed, inspired and focused on achieving fitness progressions. Whether we are looking into aerodynamics or energy expenditure the power meter brings a feeling of sophistication and scientific rationale to the training process. A personal area of interest for me right now is the ability of a power meter to reflect different types and magnitudes of fatigue.
Riders Time to Talk on SRM and Power Training Thanks to Luke Roberts (Team Milram) and Simon Gerrans (Team Sky) What is one thing that motivates you when you look at your SRM - what helps you push the numbers higher? Luke Roberts: The Australian national team was one of the first to extensively use SRM for training, I was just a youngster fresh out of Junior ranks when they started. Almost 15 years later I've seen the many evolutions of the Powermeter and Powercontrol. Using SRM in training helps to motivate me because I can see a very accurate comparison in power data and as my form increases, so does the power. Simon Gerrans: I finding it motivating seeing my numbers on the SRM improve over the past 5 seasons I have been using it.
Luke Roberts: For shorter, high power interval training it's not possible to use heart rate as a guide, using SRM I can accurately pinpoint my training level and maintain it consistently through the entire interval sets. Simon Gerrans: All my intervals in training are based around power output, so training without my SRM would be like training blindfolded. It is also very important to be able to analyse my data post training so I download all my rides and send them through to my coach. |
Was sind die Ursachen für die Erfolge australischer Radsportler und die zunehmende Popularität auch in der medialen Berichterstattung in Australien?
