FACT LBP-20 Training With a Heart Rate Monitor

One of the unusual things about the FACT theories on training is their recommendation that the majority of training is done at a moderately low intensity.

For most riders the magic figure is LBP-20.

What does this mean exactly?

Well LBP is your heartrate in beats per minute at the point of your lactate balance point, as calculated in your last FACT LBP test.

The -20 is 20 beats under this figure.

So for example if a rider had a Lactate Balance Point heart rate of 150bpm at their last test then their LBP-20 figure is 130bpm

According to the FACT protocol this is the heartrate they will get the most benefits from training at for most of the time. Well, 90% of the time to be precise.

Its not something to be undertaken lightly though, the hours do have to be put in. You'd probably want to be doing around 10-12 hours of LBP-20 riding a week. This can either be done out on the open road or on a turbo trainer. You will definitely need a heart rate monitor, you won't need a power meter but it is useful if you want to compare your power output to your heart rate to see if you are getting any improvements.

What are the main benefits of training using the FACT method? Well its not that different to the old school ideas you might have heard when you first joined a cycling club - get the miles in.
You'll get increased mitochondria and lung capacity but without as much risk of fatigue as more intense training regimes.

Some riders find their minds start drifting and they report getting 'bored' when doing LBP-20 rides. The main reason for this is probably because they don't trust the method and subconsciously feel uncomfortable not riding flat out. Once you understand the physiological adaptations that will occur at LBP-20 its actually very enjoyable to be able to ride your bike knowing you will still be relatively fresh to do other activities when you get home rather than crashing out asleep on the sofa and yet still be improving your fitness and future performance.

If you really do need something to keep you occupied you can work on your neuromuscular system by pedalling with just one leg for 3 minutes at a time and alternating. You can also do sessions where you try just breathing through your nose to increase the work your lungs are doing.

With a power meter on your handlebars you can also keep yourself occupied studying the wattages you are producing while doing LBP-20 rides. Watching what happens on longer rides where your wattage starts to drop off is also important but we will go into that in more detail in another article.