calhoon2005Running General Chat - Weekly Thread Sat 13 July 2024
superduperpirateHow important is heart rate zone for training? I’ve been told to stay in zone 2 for weight loss due to still having another 30 or so pounds to lose. I have a heart rate monitor which talks to the treadmills at my gym, which have the ability to vary my speed a bit based on whether I’m above or below the target heart rate (zone 2 midpoint is 116 for me).
For the last couple months I’ve been doing two cardio sessions per week of 45 minutes each. I don’t cover the exact same distance each time but it’s consistently in the 2.95 - 3.05 mile range. That works out to a brisk walking pace most of the time.
If I aim for zone 3 instead so that I’m actually trotting instead of brisk walking, does that mean I no longer get weight loss benefit? I’m reluctant to pay for a consult with the trainers at my gym as they all seem to focus only on strength training, so I’m hoping maybe someone in the hive mind has some insight.
ZagorathI could be wrong and I hope someone will correct me if I am, but my understanding is that the only reason Z2 training is recommended comes down to the ability to train for longer and to recover faster before your next training session.
This means it’s much, much more relevant for professionals doing 10+ hours per week then it is for casuals running maybe 2 or 3, if that. They do it so they can still get the benefits of more running, but be fully recovered to get maximum performance out of their smaller number of Z4/5 sessions.
If you aren’t doing high intensity sessions like fast intervals or hill reps, but are instead doing all your runs at the same intensity, then making that intensity the highest you can (without injuring yourself) is probably optimal within those constraints. And Z3 encompasses that level of effort perfectly.
I’m not saying, by the way, that doing only Z3 is optimal for amateurs. Especially if you go up to 3 runs per week I think making one of those a higher intensity and then dropping the others down is probably even better. (My basic running pattern when I want a block of thoughtless training is a Sunday long run of 60ish minutes, a Tuesday high intensity interval session, and a Thursday slow, easy 40 mins.) But with just two 45 min sessions, and if you don’t want to incorporate intervals or increase the complexity of your training too much, Z3 is great.