Have a Heart - Page 4
A common question is whether you can move between zones during your run. The answer depends on your goals. If you're looking to raise your overall LT, then you can employ interval training during which your heart rate will fluctuate significantly. However, if your goal is to stay in a lower zone and build an aerobic base, you want to be a lot more cognizant of staying in your zone. If you charge up a steep trail, you're going to build up your blood lactate levels and will have a very difficult time getting rid of it quickly enough to maintain the workout you intended.
Putting it all together
If you're serious about making performance gains as efficiently as possible, determining your lactate threshold and using the guidelines above is essential. Your buddies may cite the fact that many great athletes don't use this method and perform incredibly using only their own senses as feedback. Sure, some other gifted athletes have genetics that allow them to train much more haphazardly and still outpace the competition, but perhaps they could have gotten to the same place in far less time using more precise heart-rate-training techniques.
A great resource for a detailed explanation of the topic is the Triathlete's Training Bible, by Joe Friel. Also view resources on the subject at www.MadisonTrainer.com, including the recent university research discounting the antiquated maximum-hear-rate equation, as well as a training-zone calculator
Remember that your LT will change as you become more conditioned so you will need to repeat the test periodically to update your training zones. Don't fear: by following the above recommendations you'll be pleased at how quickly you start to burn through the trails and will start to look forward to the LT tests.
Rich Butkevic is an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, triathlete and author from Madison, Wisconsin. He trains clients at www.madisontrainer.com and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Go Fast
Sample workouts for specific goals
To gain endurance for a marathon or other long distance event
10-minute warm up in Zone 1
1-hour or more in Zones 1-2
10-minute cool down in Zone 1
There isn't much variety in this workout since our goal is building aerobic capacity and not necessarily speed. Since your HR will stay relatively low throughout the session, you also don't need much of a warm up.
To gain moderate endurance and speed over mid distance, such as 10K
10-minute warm up in Zones 1-2
30 minutes in Zone 4
10-minute cool down in Zones 1-2
In this workout you can warm up a little bit faster and then move right into our Zone 4 sweet spot to increase you LT and get some speed improvements over this distance.
To gain speed and burn fat most efficiently
10-minute warm up in Zones 1-2
1 minute in Zone 5
1 minute in Zone 2
(repeat 5-10 times)
5-minute cool down in zone 1-2
To really crank up your speed, warm up, and then move right into 1-minute sprints, alternating with 1-minute low-intensity intervals. This technique is called many things, including intervals, HIIT or fartleks. Do as many intervals as you can, but if you're doing more than 10, you're probably not going fast enough.
My favorite workout
10-minute warm up in Zones 1-2
1-minute in Zone 5
1 minute in Zone 2
(repeat 5 times)
20 minutes in Zone 4
1 minute in Zone 5
1 minute in Zone 2
(repeat 5 times)
5-minute cool down in Zones 1-2
Here's the prescription for all around athleticism, and my personal favorite workout. Warm up, get in your sprint intervals to build speed and torch your body fat, then do 20 minutes in Zone 4 to increase your LT and get some mid-distance endurance, and then grit your teeth through another set of intervals that I guarantee will hurt. Close it out with your cool down, and go down lie down in the shade—you've earned it.
TR