Monthly Archives August 2019

Training Slower

We’ve talked before about spending time training at low intensity. It’s difficult to execute. It’s common to ask each other how fast we run or ride during training. Training at low intensity forces you to train at your own pace and put ego aside when training with others, or when posting workouts on strava. If you can get past others thinking you are “slow” when training, there are great benefits to spending most time training at low intensity.

What do we mean by “slow”?

Typically low intensity is defined by lactate threshold or by ventilatory threshold. This is usually about 80% of your max heart rate. There are benefits to training slower than this, but typically we need to maintain 50-60% of max HR to properly stress the system. Other than ego, a pitfall to maintaining low intensity is the inability to gauge intensity internally. For this reason we recommend training with a heart rate monitor and/or power meter daily.

Benefits of Training at Low Intensity

There are several physiological adaptations that occur when training aerobically. Some call these adaptations building your “aerobic engine” and this is why many athletes train at low intensity with increased frequency during the offseason.

  • Increased aerobic capacity – ability to process oxygen
  • Increased cardiac output – stronger heart pumps more blood to body
  • Increased blood volume
  • Increased oxidative capacity of the muscle – increase mitochondrial number and size, capillary density, oxidative enzymes
  • Increased fat metabolism – theoretically if we train aerobically we become more efficient at using fat for energy
  • Increase in recruitment of type IIA muscle fibers – these fibers are “fast twitch” fibers that can act like “slow twitch” fibers if trained.

To be clear, each level of intensity has an aerobic component but as intensity increases, % aerobic decreases. The goal is to maximize these physiological adaptations in order to become your most efficient self on race day.

How do I know my “zones”?

The most accurate way to determine your training zones would be to get a metabolic test or a blood lactate test. I spent some time learning with Dr. Cameron Garber at Body Smart physical therapy in Utah. He specializes in metabolic testing. Here are the results from the first of several tests I did while at the clinic:

The images are the same. The second image is zoomed in to show my actual numbers that represent calories burned per hour at each heart rate. If you notice the hand written numbers, column #2 is the % fat I am burning at the corresponding heart rate listed, then the final column is fat calories burned per hour. I have been training aerobically for a long time, so I am a pretty good fat burner throughout. Often with athletes that train at higher intensity, their fat burn rate will drop pretty dramatically with an increase in heart rate. Pretty good case to train at lower intensity levels for endurance athletes.

While metabolic testing is pretty cool and very accurate, it can be hard to find a place to be tested (I only know of one place local to Charleston, SC). There are ways to estimate your training zones. I found personally that the methods we use are pretty accurate. For example, my “moderate zone” from the picture above is 139-155 bpm, and prior to my metabolic test I had calcuated my moderate zone to be 146-153 bpm. Keep in mind there is a bit of an art to establishing your training zones.

When we put together a training plan, it is with an end goal in mind. Each workout is like a building block towards that goal. When an athlete chronically trains slightly above aerobic intensity, they are constantly adding extra fatigue to their body. This fatigue builds and can hinder performance on race day. We have found that the most effective way to train happy, healthy, and to race fast is to train slower.

Need help establishing your training zones? Shoot us an email. We are happy to help!

Swim workout of the day:

  • 400 swim WU
  • 200 pull WU
  • 100 kick WU
  • 6×50 swim w/: 20 rest (descend 1-3, 4-6)
  • 100, 200, 300 with :30 rest (all swim – moderate effort)
  • 300, 200, 100 with :20 rest (all pull – moderate effort)
  • 4×50 w./:15 rest (25 right arm/25 left arm)
  • 200 cool down
  • 2600 total

Current playlist:

  • Out of the Black – Royal Blood
  • Beloved – Mumford and Sons
  • Cherchez LaGhost – Ghostface Killah
  • State of Love and Trust – Pearl Jam
  • Happy Now – Zedd
  • Op Opa – Gaullin

Suggest some new songs to listen to!

References:

Fitzgerald M, Warden D. 80/20 Triathlon: Discover the Breakthrough Elite-Training Formula for Ultimate Fitness and Performance at All Levels. New York, NY: Da Capo Press; 2018.

Giles SM. PT Exam: the Complete Study Guide. Scarborough, ME: Scorebuilders; 2018.

Seiler S. What is Best Practice for Training Intensity and Duration Distribution in Endurance Athletes? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2010;5(3):276-291. doi:10.1123/ijspp.5.3.276.