If you train for months, you want to see progress. However, standard curves from apps often fall short. Here is how you measure your performance at the intensity levels that matter to you.
After months of training, you understandably want to see proof of your hard work and know if you are getting faster. Many training apps use standardised curves to calculate your training zones based on your lactate threshold. But as coach Alison Freeman explains in Triathlete magazine, hardly any real-world performance curve matches these standard curves. Every body is different, and training does not affect all levels in the same way. A strong focus on aerobic endurance flattens the curve, while high-intensity training makes it steeper. The crucial question is therefore not just whether you are getting faster, but whether you are getting faster at a specific intensity level.
For recreational athletes, it is important to test exactly those intensity levels that are relevant to your personal seasonal goal or that have been the main focus of your recent training. This is because you only improve in the areas that you have specifically trained. To make your progress measurable, you can choose between threshold tests and sub-threshold tests. Threshold tests are particularly suitable for shorter distances such as sprint or Olympic distances. Sub-threshold tests, which are often performed as repeated intervals, show you how good your fatigue resistance is over longer distances.
According to Triathlete, the procedure for testing at the performance threshold is very similar for swimming, cycling and running. It consists of a warm-up, a preparation set, a short recovery, the actual test and a cool-down. Correct pacing is crucial here: start in a controlled manner for the first few minutes, then maintain a pace that you can just about sustain until you have almost no reserves left at the end. A finish sprint that is too strong usually shows that you were too cautious in between. The test should feel really exhausting.
Your takeaway: Test your fitness specifically at the intensity levels you have actually prepared for in training to see real progress.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.