You can set an alarm, but no you just need the odd glance. When you start to follow HR you very quickly get to know how an intensity feels. Within a short space of time you don't really need to check it that often, you can also just use laps to spit back ave HR so you get a check in every km/mile. As I said its that conversational effort you get used to. For threshold work I would watch the clock a bit more but thats the nature of intervals anyway.
Great explanation of Zone 2, especially with the explanation been given while exercising in Zone 2. I've always been uncertain to what degree of conversation ability marked zone 2, whether is was a totally fluid conversation or gasping between breaths to get short sentences out.
Glad you liked it. Zone 2 is ideal running buddy work. Long run have the chats pass the time and you nailed it. Breathing is a really good indicator of thresholds and often how we test them. As soon as you start needing the breath thats generally right where the first threshold is.
I have a hard time understanding what you say through the storm or being out of breath. but did you just say ‚being out of breath while still being able to keep a conversation is exactly what you want for zone 2 training‘? 😳 i have a feeling people push zone 2 up higher to be able to move more lol
Sound seems fine to me. Sorry not really sure I understand your comment. Zone is generally regarded as conversational effort ie. you should be able to form a full sentence without losing your breath.
I would say if you do vo2 workouts. You got to make sure out of the three hard days make sure you have one sweet spot day. Otherwise vo2 won’t really do anything. It will make you faster over very short distances but not over the long haul.
My approach to Vo2 is actually to use it very rarely. I think the other sessions are just as effective but every so often if its mixed in it complements things, maybe more so mentally but it's very much a sprinkle on top of the rest.
Great tips, tactics and strategies! I'm heading into a marathon this coming weekend, so I'm looking for anything that can help! Well done! Looking forward to more from you!
@@RossHamilton so, I gather it is okay to stop jogging and start walking as soon as your HR remaches Z2 upper limit and, them, once your HR lowers close to Z1 upper limit, start jogging again?? Please confirm.
@@miguela.c.3302 Yes absolutely fine speed is not always indicating stress. Those climbing everest may walk very slowly at very high heart rate. Your body sees stress, not speed. So yes, for those who are perhaps heavy or particularly unfit walk breaks are effective strategies at keeping HR in the right range if needed.
I think this is a pretty strong indication that there is work to be done on a more muscular endurance side of things to handle the increased tension better. The things you dont like doing often yield the most benefit.
3:10 Bullshit, if you wanna build big muscle need to combine low cadence&powerlifting. Not just gym. I have different thoughts about this... Just use 40-45 rpm till you get tired of it, (forget any range greater than 65)don't try to rush anything with time and consistency you get stronger. + powerlifting
Building muscle wasn't the point so I'll leave that point aside. While I agree a low cadence range emphasizes the mechanism of this training type it's simply not applicable nor appropriate to the majority. For many 65RPM will elicit quite significant adaptation so it is a very appropriate recommendation.
Hi. I've started doing zone 2 training. Garmin zone 2 is up to 70 percent of max heart rate. At 47 this is only 120 BPM. This can be painfully slow at times. Should I manually adjust it to 75% I'm above average for my age on a 5k time trial at 20.47. I do two interval club sessions a week.
Age based predictions are very vague. A 10km TT HR average (if you can manage it) is actually very close to measured threshold so thats best without testing bloods. 5k TT I'd say 90-95% of average is threshold, but thats rough. A zone calculation based off of threshold HR (even estimated) is usually better than age predictions. Sometimes Z2 pace is very slow as sub maximal efficiency and speed is rarely something people have worked on much. It can improve pretty fast if you are patient and stick at it for a while. Regardless of how you test it should feel a bit slower than you'd expect.
@@RossHamilton Thanks for your reply. This is an alternative method that I was pointed towards. It does give you a higher zone 2. Find your heart rate reserve by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate; for easy runs, calculate 65 percent of that number. Then add back in your resting heart rate to get your target heart rate for these runs.
@@jaybo197306 Yes that is another method. Again it is only an estimate, but not a bad one. A lactate test is the gold standard. Just remember that the difference of a few beats is not critical and the ranges tend to overlap. The point of zone 2 is simply to keep you within an aerobically manageable effort zone. One of the simplest of self tests you can do is complete a long sentence. If you struggle to complete it before needing to breathe you are probably higher than Z2!
Hi how are you I’m 39 years old I’m running since about year I did about 800 km now in total recently I was doing my PB in 5K run I did sun 20 minutes it was good time to check my max HR it was 185 I checked my zone two on polar website but I think it is something wrong it told me 130 it is very slow running so slow that I’m not enjoying 😂 could you please tell me what my zone two is and can I also do speed runs in a week if I’m going also zone two in same week ? Thank you for your help
Using Max HR is less accurate than a threshold HR but somewhere between 125-138BPM would fit the standard 65-75% Z2 formula. 130 could be a bit low or perfect, without blood lactate you won't know exactly. Even still maintaining 130Bpm as an average HR would fit most models of your Z2 estimations. I would be patient and keep things pretty slow. Without looking more into your overall plan etc. it's hard to recommend how much fast running you need or would benefit from. A general rule of thumb is: 80% of volume should be below threshold and 20% above but that is very general. This is where working with a good coach can be of benefit. The distribution of training intensity can be tricky but it should be individualised to get maximum rewards.
Been doing this training 50-60km a day 6x a week for a month now at 42x11 using a hybrid bike and i noticed my str endurance improved a lot. Im now considering of changing my chainring to 48T. Question, will this training also improve hill climbs?
Yes it should. Being able to sustain greater power output for longer helps all aspects of cycling. For climbing the improvements come from improved power to weight ratio. If you increase power without gaining weight, or better if losing weight you should climb faster. Even at higher cadence the low cadence training will help build endurance.
I'm 66 and training for my first Ironman. Not done much specific bike training other than doing longer distances and more climbing. Could this be useful for a person my age?
Yes absolutely it's useful for anyone, same principles apply throughout the age range. You do need to be a little more cautious though as with age the joints have some wear and recovery is a bit slower. I'd say start with short blocks in that higher range to be safe and see how you respond. If you're generally healthy and have a good bike fit there shouldn't be an issue. As you progress things you will see an improvement in your general bike strength and endurance.
Yes and I think that advice stems from the pro ranks where typically their race cadence is quite high 95+ in many cases. The demands for that type of racing though are fairly unique. Many top pros are also known for their training using extremely low cadence for long periods. I also think loading the legs scares many, especially those with strength deficiencies or strength to weight issues. The old expression spin to win still has a lot of validity. In this situation though, think of low cadence work as an opportunity to build endurable power and not necessarily the optimal cadence for your typical ride.
I think it was reading a little high in comparison to other tests but only by 5 beats or so. I'm mostly in line with my age norms. Battery might be starting to go in the strap.
If your starting this Zone 2 training but hopping between Z1 walking and jumping to Z3 jogging, is it best to put up with Z3 running for a while until it eventually drops to Z2 with improved fitness, or from the offset just go a slow as is required to stay in z2 and wait for pace to increase
I would do what I can to stay zone two even if it means a very slow jog. A little cross over into zone 3 is not a disaster but you just don't want to sit right in the middle of zone 3 for prolonged periods just because it allows you to jog quicker.
What is the best way you find to calculate your zones? Also, are your zones based on HR or do you incorporate power in those models? I have only a HR monitor for my runs but a power meter and HR monitor for my bike.
Good questions. So you can use any zone model as long as you stick to it, consistency is key and they mostly cover the same things. I would normally work them off of Lactate threshold, I think it gives best results. Software like Trainingpeaks will help you work them all of the zones out from there. (Alternatively this is a service I offer which you can see more at www.hamiltonsport.com) In terms of HR or power I prefer HR as you are training the physiology so a physiological metric gives most relevant feedback on intensity. I would, however record power/pace to see what my ability is, for a given zone, on a given day.
Great video Ross, thank you for posting. I've been experimenting with HR traing and finding it difficult to figure out what my zone 2 is. I'm a 100kg and 5ft 8 so overweight. I was runnning in and around 156bpm (5/10 intensity) which allows me run every part of my daily run (commute). When i looked into it most ways of calculating Z2, it left me in and around the 143bpm mark. It leaves me at around 3or4/10 in intensity with the ability to hold a conversation but the pace is soooooo slow and the 2 hills i encounter on the way to work I'm down to walking. Its taking a lot of getting used to! I do find it affects my motivation to run, hopefully this is a short-term thing but it is what it is. If you were up for it, would you consider doing a video on zone 3 training? I get the sense people think of it like a no man's land area, a grey zone between aerobc and anaerobic that could be a waste of time and that sticking to a more polarised approach is the way forward. What do you think?
Glad you enjoyed it. You're experiencing something really typical. I've experienced it myself when I went from power sport to endurance. Keep the faith though as weight drops and fitness builds it will be easier to keep HR down and still be running at an acceptable pace. For now don't be afraid to walk hills and even shuffle run where necessary, I still do. You're hauling a little extra timber so you are working hard, even if going slow. Speed is is not all that important in training although I understand its demotivating. I may do a zone 3 vid but there's less to cover. It it does have a lot of relevance to things like pacing and fuelling when racing. It's just less effective for stimulating physiological adaptations than other zones.
Great explanation on Z2 - thank you :) I was introduced to Z2 last year by my Tri coach after a friend had talked about it to me. Experiencing huge benefits especially as I am training for Ironman distance events. Being in the 'nit young' category, my body was taking a pounding and struggling to recover from my previous training - Z2 and the importance of recovery after speed sessions (which Z2 allows) has allowed my aches and pains to recover and feel ready to go again sooner - thanks Ross - great video
You're very welcome. You'll be surprised how work at this intensity decreases your race times even without much speed work. I guess the problem is being teased into going harder and trying to set PB's all the time.
@@RossHamilton yes. This. As i get a little quicker i find so many of my runs in Z3 cause i like the strava result. Today did a true Z2 run. It was hard to do...
@@stevehirsch215 Yes zone 3 is hard enough to satisfy you wanting to run but not hard enough to work thresholds effectively. Zone 2 needs to feel a little slower than you want it to for it to be at the effective intensity. Trust it though, it will do wonders!!
Yes I've done this from time to time and scattered sprints throughout. I think there's a lot of scope to do bits throughout a long run. You can even work in race pace blocks, hills and even drills here and there. I suppose the thing to watch is that you're still getting the right intensity distribution and your long run does not become a session that beats you into the ground each time.
I train with a light trail vest and keep all my nutrition on me. The collapsable flasks are great and not too bulky. Many people stash bottles etc. on their routes too.
Ross, this looks very much like what I do after a workout. First I use the foam roller and then I do these stretches. Can you comment on the benefits of before or after? Also, I'm really appreciating your videos and home exercises - thank you! I'm starting to incorporate them into my IM training.
Thanks I am delighted you find them useful. I would prefer them before for two main reasons. First, I might concentrate better and give them the time rather than just trying to finish up and get on with the day. After a hard session these might be very easy to pass on for another day. Secondly, a warmup should do 3 main things. 1) increase body temperature, 2) promote range of motion and 3) activate relevant muscles. This routine does all three and is likely to benefit the session in those ways. No problem doing them after if you prefer but in my opinion, they could benefit the session so you might as well. There's nothing to say you can't do this as a fast standalone session though!
That’s Ross. Is the recommendation to do the four sets of the same exercise back to back with the rest time in between each se or to work through the entire circuit four times?
I would separate the exercise so you can focus on form. If you run through all in circuit fashion it can impact the skill acquisition side of things. I prefer to take one exercise at a time. You can do it all as a circuit if you wish, it's a bit of personal preference.
