How to Train in Zone 2 in the Pool.
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9:01AM Zone two is great stuff - it is that perfect level of effort that makes you faster but doesn't beat you up so bad that tomorrow's workout is compromised. The problem is that most people need a heart rate monitor (HRM) to make sure they stay in that zone, but HRMs are difficult to use in the pool.
The way to get it done with the least amount of fuss is to train yourself to know what zone two feels like while you are wearing the HRM when biking and running. Hit the pool and try to emulate that exact same feeling while swimming. How do you do this? Easy:
- Breathing - Study your breathing pattern while biking and running in zone two. How hard is it? Bump up into zone three and look for the changes. Notice them and put them into your memory bank.
- Muscle burn - How much more stress do you put on your muscles when moving from zone one to two and up to three? You should be able to discern the difference and remember it.
- Repetition - One workout of studying this isn't going to help. It takes several weeks of training your mind to pay attention to the differences before you can get it done in the pool. When you get good at it, you should be able to guess your heart rate within just a couple of beats at any time during your bike or run. Give it a try by not looking at your HRM for long periods of time and then guessing what the value is before you look.
That's really about it. Keep practicing this and you should be on your way to great swims in a short time. Big thanks for this blog post idea go out to the incredibly handsome Coach Adam on Twitter.
Reader Comments (2)
Hey,
I really enjoy your podcast. It gets me thinking about new ways of training and eating and generally keeps me motivated go get in my next workout. I bought a book about heart based training to learn a bit more about the stuff you talk about, like zones, etc. As far as I can tell, the book basically says that unless you get anerobic on your workouts, in other words up into zone 4 or 5, that you are wasting you time. The only way to get faster is get anerobic every day basically. I get your thoughts about base, and creating base in lower zones. I think the basic challenge about endurance sports is to get your external muscles in sync with your internal aerobic engine. In other words, on any given day, especially when you are first getting in shape, you can tell you are out of sync because you are breathing hard but your muscles feel good; or your muscles are sore and your heart/lungs feel fine - I think creating base gets those things in sync - so it has value. But once you are in shape, and you are strong enough to go hard, shouldn't you be making an effort to go hard? In other words quality vs. quantity? Let me know your thought.
PS, I am 47, 6' 7", 215 lbs (A clydesdale!) - an ex basketball player.
Thanks,
Granger H from San Diego
You're right about making sure your aerobic and muscle systems are in alignment. The zone 2 issue is more for ensuring that you don't go too hard because you have to work out again today, and tomorrow, and more and more. I find the zone 3 and above that happens by accident is plenty for improvement during base training. Of course, we'll talk more about it during future episodes.