General Discussion Triathlon Talk » HR Zones & Periodization Rss Feed  
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2006-03-08 7:31 PM

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Columbus, OH
Subject: HR Zones & Periodization
Ok, I have my HR zones down, and have my training periods mapped out. I'm currently in Build 2, soon to be in Build 3. Feeling good, looking good, rock & roll! But....!

How do I map out the zones to my periods? In Base, I figure I need to stay in Zone 2 &3, then at some point switch to Zone 3 for my endurance workouts, then build in some Zone 4 & 5 intensity.
But I'm not sure exactly when, or how much. I have the TTB, but still can't quite get it.

Any thoughts?


2006-03-08 7:40 PM
in reply to: #364675

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Extreme Veteran
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Peachtree City, GA
Subject: RE: HR Zones & Periodization
OK this confused me a bit too.

Look at the suggested workout weeks for each phase of training (Base1, base2 ect). It will have little code in there. They look like this e1, e2, m1...things like that. Then when you see those codes for that discipline look in the appendix. I think it is appendix b, c, and d. It will give you an explanation of what those codes are. E1 for example is extended zn 1 endurance work. Each code has a little explanation back there that you incorporate into your workout. It also will suggest how long and how far to go for those little codes. I know this isnt that clear but check out the suggested workouts and the appendixs to see what the codes mean. Have fun training.
2006-03-08 8:02 PM
in reply to: #364675

Member
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2525
Columbus, OH
Subject: RE: HR Zones & Periodization
Thanks, I'll have to check it out. I love the TTB, but I need the Cliff notes version or something. It's tough to find stuff when you're trying to use it as a resource.

Maybe I'll do my own little summary article with page numbers
2006-03-08 10:29 PM
in reply to: #364693

Elite
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Laurium, MI
Subject: RE: HR Zones & Periodization

http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/beinginthezone.html

All your base work will be in zones 1 and 2.  There is much debate over which one to use, but keep it under the middle of zone 2 and you will be building aerobic base.

Zone 3 is one of those zones that you don't want to use a lot.  It's okay to break into it to increase the intensity on a hill run.  So if you are running the flats at zone 2, it would be okay to go into zone 3 on the uphill section to maintin your running pace.  You can also creep into zone 3 for the last mile or so of a long run/ride.  The issue with zone 3 is that you are burning a significant amount of glycogen here, so in that aspect it resembles speed work.  At the same time, you aren't going fast enough to actually benifit from the speed, so you are in a catch 22.  It's like the bad stuff from zone 2 and zone 4 lumped together, without any of the positives.  So don't sustain zone 3.

Then zone 4, 5, 5a,ect.... are all reserved for speed work and muscular endurance.

 

so in short, avoid prolonged exposure to zone 3 and keep your base training under zone 2.5. 

2006-03-09 7:15 AM
in reply to: #364675

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Champion
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Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: HR Zones & Periodization
The TTB can definitely be challenging to get through - especially if you are new to the sport and are trying to make sense of all the information that is being thrown at you.

As for the periods, I assume since you are in the build phase that you have a race coming up in the next month or so? If not, or if you are new to the sport, staying in the base phase may be in your best interests.

However, to answer your question, here's what I try to do:

Base 1 - almost exclusivley zone 1 and 2 training. I will do some speed skills (fast 25s/50s in the pool, spinups on the bike, strides on the run) for around 30" but the rest of the time will be in Zone 1 or 2. For hard workouts during this phase, it usually involves increasing volume, either through increasing the length of workouts or adding another workout.

Base 2 - still lots of zone 1 and 2 but there will be some zone 4 as well. The zone 4 will probably be in the form of a tempo workout and be done as a continuous moderate/hard effort (i.e. running I will do 15' warmup followed by 15' tempo and then a 15' cooldown). If I am doing z4 workouts for the first time, that will be my hard effort in that sport and therefore I will not increase the overall volume in that sport that week.

Base 3 - similar to Base 2 but with cruise intervals (zone 4-5a) in place of the tempo work. These are intervals with fairly active recovery (i.e. jogging instead of walking) and will vary in duration (I usually use 4-8 minutes depending on how far into Base 3 I am).

Build 1/2 - these tend to be based more on the individual - you need to look at your limiters and address what is holding you back. Basically the big thing to keep in mind in the build phases is that your hard days will be very hard and your easy days will be very easy. However, as I mentioned, build phases are often not recommended for athletes in their first season.

Hope this helps,

Shane

2006-03-09 8:04 AM
in reply to: #364675

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Coach
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Subject: RE: HR Zones & Periodization
I like to think of it as % of my total weekly hours. I use different intensities for my training through each phase but since we are training for endurance sports of course we have to focus more on developing our aerobic system (which most training zones do, including tempo or LT). During my prep phase it is much of a "get back into training structure" mode and I begin with easy efforts. Almost 100% zone 1 and 2.  For the base phase I start including zone 3 and some zone 4, so like 85-90% zone 1 and 2 and 10% zone 3 and 4. For the build phase I increase the frequency for zone 3 and 4 so it is like 75-80% zone 1 and 2 and 20-25% 3, 4 and 5. Finally during the peak phase (usually the week I train the most) I mix volume with intensity and the distribution is around 70% zones 1 and 2 and 30% 3, 4 and 5. One thing, after hard volumen and/or intensity sessions I shcedule an easy day the following one. (FYI - for the bike the shorter the ride the harder I go -> following Rich Strauss approach. But not for running as it takes me longer to recover from it. Also for the swim I tend to swim harder during the base phase and then ease up in the following ones)

There is NOT a standard way of structuring your training as there are many things to consider but just keep this in mind: some athletes train to easy on hard days and to hard on easy days. I like a great advice by Mike Ricci: “Repeatability is the notion that no matter how hard you go today, you can repeat the workout tomorrow. It’s stressing your system out enough to get an aerobic benefit, but not so easy that you didn’t tax yourself a bit”



2006-03-09 8:58 AM
in reply to: #364675

Member
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2525
Columbus, OH
Subject: RE: HR Zones & Periodization
Thanks, all, that cleared things up very well. I mistyped up above, I'm actually in Base 2 right now, start Base 3 the second week of April, with my A race in July. My limiter is Bike, and I can fit in 2 workouts per sport per week.

I'm going to structure my plan this way:

Base 2: Zone 2 for all sports, increase distance 10% a week
Base 3: Zone 2 for swim and run, increase distance/time
Zone 2 for my long bike and mix up Zone 2/zone 4 for my shorter bike workout.

Build 1: Zone 2 once a week per sport ( LSD)
Mix in Zone 2/Zone 4 for speed workout for each sport

Build 2 & Peak: Not sure yet, see how I'm doing when I get there. Either continue Build 1, or mix in more high intensity workouts.



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