March 2020 – The Pete Post

Heart Rate, Intensity of Training, Base Building and Why Low-Intensity is King

Running

For all runners, the majority of their training is going to be low intensity. But for more advanced runners who are training for a race, they are going to have more high-intensity training than someone who is building an aerobic base. Any average runner who is not closing in on a race should be focused on building that base. The amount of time spent training is directly correlated with faster race times. The best way to increase training time is by focusing on building a base and growing that capacity to run more. That base is built with low-intensity training.

Training runs can generally be broken up into two categories. Low-intensity and high-intensity. The divide between low-intensity and high intensity can be based on feel or on heart rate. Many runners use heart rate to determine what “zone” they are in. Runners use either a 5 zone system or the less popular 3 zone system.

These “zones” are ranges of the percent of the athlete’s max heart rate. Yeah, that is a mouthful, but the table below makes it easier to understand. Low-intensity training takes place in Zone 1, Zone 2, and the lower end of Zone 3. Higher Intensity training takes place in the other zones. High-intensity training includes thresholds, intervals, and repeats. Zone 1 training is easy running. This would be something like a recovery run or a light jog. Zone 2 is where most of the training should take place. This is where the long run and other easy runs should be. Zone 3 would be a long run at marathon pace or higher.

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Calculating Max Heart Rate

The maximum heart rate is the highest beats per minute the athlete’s heart will reach during exercise. This is different for everyone. A quick rule of thumb is to subtract the athlete’s age from 220.

Max Heart Rate = 220-Age

For example, someone who is 30 years old would have an estimated max heart rate of 190. That means their zone 1 training would be 95-114 bpm. The problem with this equation, the Fox method, is that multiple studies have found it to be inaccurate. It gives a decent estimate, but it can easily be off by 10-15 bpm.

The more accurate way of testing it is on the track. Basically trying to get the heart rate as high as possible. I recommend running an 800m sprint and seeing how high the heart rate reaches. Then resting a few minutes and running one again. If the heart rate does not reach any higher then the athlete is done. If the athlete’s heart rate reaches a higher bpm then rest a few minutes and do it again. This is continued until the athlete does not have their heart rate increase from one sprint to the next.

Rough Estimate

Personally, I find heart rate training to be a little too much. It stresses me out. I find myself constantly looking at my watch. For many, they like the accuracy of heart rate training; knowing that they are in the correct zone. For me, I would rather be off by a little and not feel worried about the numbers. But this is all preference. Plus, I spent some time doing heart rate training so I have a good idea of how I should feel during different training runs.

I like having the basis of heart rate training to help understand what is going on in my training. But, when it comes to what zone I am in, I prefer to use rough estimates or “landmarks.” Zone 1 is the recovery zone. This is a very easy jog, barely breathing hard and can hold a conversation with no problem. Zone 2 is a conversational pace but running harder. This is a steady jog and if the pace is picked up the conversation will be harder to hold continuously. Zone 3 is where the more intense long steady-state runs will take place. Zone 4 is a difficult pace. This is where the lactate threshold pace falls into. Breathing heavy and cant talk more than a few words. Zone 5 is running as hard as possible, gasping for air.

For me, Zone 3 tends to be the hardest to judge. I always think of it as in between easy run pace and lactate threshold pace. But that doesn’t really help. It is a pace that is fast but can be held for 60+ minutes.

when I’m really in tune with my training, I find it better to use pace rather than heart rate zone. Using pace allows me to make sure that I am on the right track with my training. If I have a specific goal in mind then I can tell if I have a good shot of hitting it baed on my pace in training runs. This also allows planning of runs in order to hit a specific goal.

Pace and heart rate zone are opposite sides of the same coin. Both get to the same place, but sometimes pace may be less accurate. When running uphill, downhill, or if it is very windy, then pace will be less accurate than zone. For example, if my zone 4 pace is usually 6:50 min/mi, but it is very windy then my zone 4 pace might be 7:20 min/mi for the day.

Zone 2 is Where Most Training Should be

Zone 2 is where the aerobic base is built. This is where the resting heart rate is lowered and muscular vascularity is improved. Since this zone allows us to run longer distances and at a less intense pace, I like to think of it as “getting reps in.” It allows the form to be improved and strengthens connective tissue over time.

Research as well as case studies done on elite runners lead us to believe it may be necessary to build up a large amount of zone 2 training before moving into the higher intensity stuff. It is important to build the base early in a training cycle. When training for a race, that base needs to be there so the higher intensity running can be done closer to the race.

The goal is to increase training volume. Running is improved by running more. But most of the time the higher intensity training cannot be increased so the lower intensity training needs to be increased to increase volume. High-intensity training is more fatiguing and leaves runners more prone to injuries. Since the goal is to increase volume, we can generate more volume and less fatigue with easy runs than with high-intensity training.

If injuries are more likely to happen with high-intensity training, then high-intensity training should be minimalized with respect to the return that we get from it. Meaning, we know there is a benefit of high-intensity training, but as more is added we see less benefit from it. The marginal benefit of high-intensity training is decreasing. There needs to be just enough high-intensity training to get the benefits of it, but not anymore since that will lead to unnecessary injury risk. Injuries will lead away from increasing volume.

Even if we were able to forget about injury risk and increase high-intensity training (assuming some high-intensity training is in the training plan already) this would make it harder to recover, thus making it hard to increase the volume again.

Where does High-Intensity Training Belong?

In the short term more results may be seen from high-intensity training, but over the long term, building up a lot of zone 2 training seems to be more beneficial. Plateaus also occur quickly with high-intensity training. The focus should be on building an aerobic base. 1-2 sessions per week of high-intensity training is plenty. If you are closing in on a race, or test, then the higher intensity stuff should definitely be incorporated.

Polarization of Training

This is very important for amateur athletes, i.e your average joe runner. The polarization of training intensity is the difference between your training sessions based on intensity. For example, 1 mile repeats and 100m sprints have a much smaller polarization than a 10 mile easy run and 100m sprints.

Studies have shown, including one on the German national rowing team, that polarization is extremely important. It is what makes the difference between the elite and the sub-elite. The elite are able to make their low-intensity training LOW and their high-intensity training HIGH. They are able to turn the intensity down very low for low intesity training and crank it up very high for high-intensity training.

Many casual runners fall into the trap of always running pretty hard. They run their low-intensity runs too hard and their high-intensity runs too easy. They think that the easy runs dont seem challenging so they run them faster. This is a common issue in all areas of athletics with many casual athletes. They think every day should be pedal to the floor, balls to the wall, posting Instagram pictures of their “sweat angel” hard. But then after pushing themselves too hard on all the easy runs and not recovering, they can’t push it hard on the high-intensity runs and they end up running their repeats slightly faster than their easy runs.

Each training run has it specific purpose and it needs to be used for that purpose. I know that it seems beneficial to always be pushing hard but that could be hindering performance.

Takeaways

Run your easy runs EASY and your hard runs HARD.
The goal is to increase training volume over time
High-intensity training causes quick improvements and plateau quickly
Focus on building an aerobic base and use high-intensity closer to race

Three Pull up Programs to use During COVID-19 Pandemic

Lifting

During the COVID-19 outbreak, many gyms have temporarily closed, mine included. Although it’s awful not having a gym to go to, these measures need to be taken. I am looking at it as a time to get better in other areas of fitness. For me, like many others, I am focusing on bodyweight training and running. I am looking forward to getting better at pull ups, and hoping to beat my PR of 23. Below I have laid out three different pull up programs everyone can follow.

Max Divide by Three Program

This is a program that I got from someone and then tweaked, but I do not remember the name of it. This program is the simplest to follow and I had some really good results with it. The program is 5 days a week. Everyday is two max sets. Then sum those two max sets and divide it by 3. Do three more sets with that number. For example if the two max sets were 10 and 8, then divide 18 by 3 to get 6. So three additional sets of 6 reps.

Armstrong Pull Up Program

The Armstrong Pull Up program was created by a Marine, Major Charles Lewis Armstrong. I have used this program myself and I had great success with it. It took my pull ups from 13 to 23 in one month’s time.

Working sets

A working set is just another way of saying a number of reps that can be done for multiple sets. In this program, the working set is used on Wednesday and Thursday. I would low ball the working set for the first week. If Wednesday and Thursday are too easy, then the working set should increase. I recommend starting off with 20%-30% of the max rep set for the working sets. Aim to increase the working sets every week or every other week. For example, someone with 10 as there max reps, would have their working sets be 2 or 3 reps.

Monday

Monday is self-explanatory. Just do 5 sets of as many reps as possible.

Tuesday

Tuesday is the pyramid day. For this, start at a set of 1 rep and then rest for 10 seconds. Then do 2 reps and rest for 20 seconds. Continue to increase this way until a set is failed, which means that set didn’t increase from the previous one. After that, do one max rep set.

Wednesday

Do 3 working sets of pull ups, 3 working sets of wide grip pull ups and 3 working sets of chin ups.

Thursday

Do as many working sets as possible The goal is to get as many sets done, but at least enough that the number of sets done multiplied by the working set reps is equal to max reps.

Friday

Choose whichever workout was the hardest during the week and do it again.

Russian Fighter Program

This is another great program, I have not done it personally but I know people who have had success with it. This program is much simpler. For someone with a max of 5 pull ups then they would do one set of each of the reps for that day:

If more than five reps can be done then this program gets adjusted. If 6-8 reps is the max reps, I would take the difference of the max reps and 5 and add it to each set. For example, if max reps is 7 then 7-5 =2, so add 2 to each set. Monday of week 1 would then be 7,6,5,4,3.

If 9-12 reps can be done then start with 8, for example on Monday of week 1 it would be 8,7,6,5,4. If 12-15 can be done then start Monday of week 1 with 10,8,6,4,2. And if more than 15 can be done, do 15,12,9,6,3.

The progression throughout the week is adding one rep to the last set on Tuesday, then one rep to the second to last on Wednesday and so on. Beginning in the second week, one rep is added to the first set on Monday.

I hope these programs help everyone push themselves during this pandemic. I also hope the workouts help everyone clear their mind from the panic. Be safe and God bless.

Throw Out the Foam Roller

Lifting

For a while, I thought I was a mobility guru. If I walked into the gym for an upper-body session, I would spend 15 minutes foam rolling my pinky. I watched an endless amount of MobilityWod and SmashRx videos. I bought foam rollers, lacrosse balls, softballs, bands, and voodoo floss. I was convinced that if I did a little more mobility work all my aches and pains would vanish.

I played football for most of my life, including high school and college. During those years I suffered major shoulder and knee injuries. I also had to deal with a few sprains and strains. To this day I have to deal with the consequences of playing football. After my time playing was over I continued to train with no problems. Eventually, the weights caught up to me. I started having issues with my shoulders and knee again.

I did some google searches and thought I figured it out. When one solution didn’t work, I did some more searches and continued to think I had the right idea. Eventually, I went to a doctor and he determined I had no structural damage. It was a soft tissue issue. This is when the real problem started.

I began looking on the internet for different ways to fix my injuries. I came across hours of videos describing different ways to foam roll, floss, and do “band distraction”. Titles like “Fix your Squat by Working on Hip, Knee, and Back.”

Before long, my warm-up took 30 minutes. I was spending most of my time at the gym working on mobility. This went on for months and didn’t really help.

I got fed up and decided “screw this, no more mobility work.” I took all of my “mobility tools” out of my gym bag. I decided that if I was going to work on mobility, it would be at home. Not during my time that was meant to be spent lifting.

I gave myself a few weeks off from training before getting back into it. This time around my warm-up was walking on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes. I eased back into weight training. Lower volume and using lighter weights. At first, I felt uncomfortable and weak. But after getting through the first few weeks, I began to feel like myself again. I slowly increased sets, increased weights, and added some more exercises.

That was months ago. I now feel almost as good as when I was in high school. I learned a lot from that long battle with mobility. You need to find what works for you. Listening to your body is important. If you want to fix a movement, you need to do the movement.

Find What Works for You

It is important to find out what works for you. For example, one of my problems was tight and weak glutes. Everyone recommended the pigeon pose to stretch my glutes. I tried it many times but it never worked for me. It always caused pain in my knee. I eventually found a stretch that worked for me, and that is what I use now. Likewise, everyone recommended the banded side walk for strengthening my glutes. Whenever I did it I never felt it. I decided to hop on the “bad girl” machine. More properly known as the hip abductor machine. That machine lit my glutes up. Along with that, I added in cable pull-throughs, and those helped. I saw multiple PT and strength coaches, but no one recommended either of those.

Listen to your Body

Many people, myself included don’t understand what signals their body is passing. You have to be able to listen to your body. I don’t want to sound like a self-help guru, but it’s true. If something is tight, you probably need to stretch or massage (foam roll) it. If something hurts, you may need to rest it. I do think there will be some pain in training. You have to be able to tell if the pain is abnormal.

My warmup now varies depending on how I am feeling. Most days I will stretch and foam roll very little. If I am feeling abnormally tight then I will stretch and foam roll more than normal.

Work on the Movement

Most of my problems were exposed in the squat. For a while, I thought stretching and foam rolling would help improve my squat position. Eventually, I started working on my squat by squatting. I added in goblet squats, box squats, and belt squats. I backed the weight off and focused more on my form. Getting the “weighted stretch” worked much better than trying to foam roll my way to a better squat position. Working on a position under load improves that position if your limitation is mobility.

I’m not saying that foam rolling and stretching have no use, but they should be used diligently. I see many people at my gym spend too much time working on mobility. But they come back the next day and are still tight in the same positions. Have a plan on how you are going to fix your issues. If something doesn’t work, try something new.

Running Program for Tactical and Strength Athletes

Running

Being strong and running fast means finding a delicate balance of strength training and running. Tactical athletes come to mind when I think of people who need to run while staying strong. These individuals are expected to cover long distances, sprint, and have the strength to defend themselves and move equipment. Being able to do both requires a proper training plan.

Running any distance more than 1 mile is mostly aerobic rather than anaerobic. Loosely speaking this means your body is using oxygen to produce its energy. In order to improve in running aerobic distances, it is important to create an aerobic base. I believe this is were many beginners go wrong. They tend to think that training for a 1.5-mile time trial is best done by running 1.5-mile time trials multiple times a week. Time trials definitely have their place in a program, but only running those time trials, means missing a lot of opportunities to improve. Think about it, 100m sprinters don’t only run 100m sprints in training, and powerlifters don’t do 1 rep maxes every training session.

Slow Steady State

It will sound counterintuitive but most of the training needs to be done at a slow pace. We need to run slow and long. This is what I call our slow steady-state (SSS) runs. Some call it LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State). Jack Daniels, the running coach not the whiskey, calls them easy runs or long runs. There are a bunch of other names out there but they all mean the same thing; running at a slow pace for 30-90mins. SSS runs are beneficial because they increase muscular vascularity which improves blood flow to the muscles. SSS also decreases heart rate at various intensities, which enabling running harder before reaching max heart rate.

The pace should be slow enough that a conversation can be held while running. Running with a partner makes this easy to identify. When I am not running with anyone, I will occasionally call someone, it helps me keep my pace in check. This may sound weird, and the people I call always think it’s crazy, but it works.

There should be one long run a week, of 60-90 mins. These are usually done on the weekend since they are time-consuming but as long as they get done it doesn’t matter. I also recommend at least one shorter SSS. Shorter SSS runs should be 30-60 mins long.

It is extremely important that these are done at a slow pace. These SSS runs have a purpose and it doesn’t help by running these hard.

Threshold/Tempo

A threshold run is done at a higher speed than SSS runs. These runs also go by tempo runs. This can be confusing because different types of training get called “tempo runs”, but I always use tempo runs to mean threshold runs. It should be at a pace that is comfortably hard. A pace that could be held for 30-40 minutes. Threshold runs are beneficial because they train the body to better clear lactic acid. This allows running at lactic threshold for a longer period of time. These runs also help the body acclimate to running at faster paces.

These will be done in one of two ways. They will either be a “straight threshold run” or a “repeat threshold run”. A straight threshold run is where the workout is just running at threshold pace for a set amount of time. An example of this would be:

10-minute warmup @ an easy pace
20 minute @ threshold pace
10-minute cooldown @ easy pace or walk

A repeat threshold run is a run at tempo pace for multiple sets while taking a break in between. An example of this is:

10-minute warmup @ an easy pace
2×12 minute @ threshold pace w/ 3 minute rest
10-minute cooldown @ easy pace or walk

Each threshold run has its benefits. For the straight threshold run, the threshold pace is held for a longer period of time without stopping. But with the repeat threshold, it allows a higher accumulation of time at threshold pace. Both types of tempo runs are challenging and beneficial, which is why I don’t use one as opposed to the other. I choose to switch it up between the two.

Intervals/Repeats

Although intervals and repeats are two different types of training modalities, I have decided to combine them for this article.

Interval runs are used to increase V02 max, which increases oxygen consumption. V02 max is synonymous with maximum oxygen consumption. This will be done by running at V02 max pace. Since it takes the body about 2 minutes to reach maximum oxygen consumption these runs will be structured around running for 2-5 minutes at interval pace and then resting for an equal or slightly less amount of time. These intervals are capped off at 5 minutes. After that, the body begins to accumulate too much lactic acid, which will interfere with the purpose of the run.

The rest time is equal to the work-time to prevent full recovery. This is known as a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio. A 1:2 work-to-rest ratio would mean resting for twice as long as the run time. When the body doesn’t recover all the way, it reduces the time that it takes to reach maximal oxygen consumption, thus giving more time of training at V02 max.

I want to take a minute to talk about using different training modalities. All the training modalities have their own purpose. The purpose of threshold runs is to improve the ability to clear lactic acid. The purpose of intervals is to increase V02 max. The goal is to focus on accomplishing what each modality is made to do. This is why intervals arent ran for longer than 5 minutes. Doing so will cause the accumulation of too much lactic acid. Lactic acid accumulation affects the ability to hold interval pace. At first glance, it seems like it is ok to accumulate too much lactic acid and slow down. But it’s not the purpose of intervals. The goal is to use each run for its specific purpose.

For these runs, the pace should be the same as a 1-mile time trial. Assuming that no one reading is an advanced runner (running in low 5 minutes for 1 mile), the distance should be a distance of 400-1000m. So that is 1-2.5 laps on a standard track.

An example workout would be:

15min warmup
4x800m w/ 3min rest
10 min cooldown

Repeats are run at a slightly faster pace than interval pace, but they are run for a shorter period of time. When using repeats the rest period is long enough to fully recover. The goal of repeats is to improve maximum velocity and improve running economy. Improving running economy means being more efficient at running, using less energy to run. Repeats should be run at a distance of 100-600m for the average trainee. An example workout would be:

15min warmup
8x200m w/ 2-4min rest (or enough to fully recover)
10 min cooldown.

Strides

Although strides are not a specific type of workout, I want to touch on strides since they are very beneficial for improving running economy and form. Strides are done by accelerating from an easy pace to a fast pace (not a full out sprint) for 20 seconds before decelerating back down to an easy pace for 40 seconds. I like to add strides to the end of shorter SSS runs. But they can be tacted on to the end of threshold runs, before cooling down, although I do find that to be disheartening. So an easy run may look like this;

30 min easy run + 10 strides

Putting it all together

Now to put the training program together we are going to break it up into 3 mesocycles, or phases. Mesocycle one can be as short as 4 weeks long but is better if it is 6-8 weeks long. This will be the base mesocycle. It will consist of one long run (60-90 mins) at an easy pace. At least one but up to three shorter easy runs (30-60 mins) with some strides optionally added in. And one threshold run of 15-20 mins at threshold pace. The threshold run can be switched out for another easy run because the main goal in this mesocycle is to build an aerobic base.

The second phase or mesocycle will be one long run, one or two shorter easy runs, a threshold run, and an interval run. In this phase, the focus moves more on speed and V02 max.

In the third mesocycle, repeats will be included. The mesocycle will still have one long run per week, one to two shorter easy runs, one threshold run. This meso can have both an interval and a repeat workout every week or alternate between them every week.

Moving from week to week the goal is to increase mileage and/or increase the amount of higher intensity workouts being done. The higher intensity workouts need to be eased into.

Tactical Athletes

For tactical athletes, they are usually weight training, bodyweight training, and potentially swimming or rucking. It is important to prioritize your training, meaning focusing on one or two things to improve. It’s very hard to improve your squat, bench, deadlift, swim time, run time, and pullups all at the same time. But it is pretty easy to maintain your other numbers while focusing on improving your run times. This means you need to lower the amount of training you are doing in other areas and focus on running. This is known as periodization and is extremely important in training for all athletes, but especially tactical athletes, who are expected to be pretty good at many different facades of athletics.

Strength Athletes

For strength athletes who are looking to get into running, they can probably fit this into their normal schedule with making some minor adjustments. If they are just starting out I would have them keep the running to only 3 days a week and I would reduce lower body volume. For someone just starting out, I would do 2 shorter SSS runs and one longer SSS run. Along with that, I would try to not have a lower body workout on the same day as the long run.

When combining strength training and running, it is beneficial not to have strength training and running on the same days. Obviously, for many athletes that is not possible. The second best option would be to have at least 6 hours of rest between the strength session and the running session. I usually approach this by doing my run early in the morning and then strength training after work.

The First Mesocycle

The first four weeks of training are going to be focused on building an aerobic base. Each week there is one long SSS, at least two short SSS, and one threshold. The goal is to increase the duration of the long SSS each week. It’s optional to increase the duration of one of the short SSS runs each week or every other week. It is also optional to add some strides into the short SSS runs.

That’s all I got right now, get after it!

Five Lower Body Exercises for Runners

Lifting, Running

Strength training is important for runners. It can improve efficiency and reduce injury risk. Adding in two strength training sessions per week can be beneficial for all athletes. I prefer 3-4 days for myself, but I enjoy strength training.

Runners need to focus on strengthing their glutes, quads, and hamstrings. These muscles stabilize the hips and knees. For runners, I like to focus on single-leg exercises, because runners spend most of their time on one leg. To train efficiently for running, we want to focus on exercises that have us on one leg.

Singe Leg Split Squat

The split squat is excellent for runners. It gets them into a similar position as running. It is a great strengthener for the glutes and the quads. Focus on keeping the chest up. Aim for a full range of motion (back knee touching the ground) but don’t force it.

Single-Leg Deadlift

The single-leg deadlift is great for building the glutes and other muscles used in hip extension. The single-leg deadlift is also great for improving balance. Runners spend most of their time running on one leg, good balance is definitely useful. Make sure to keep a neutral spine, and focus on using the glutes when extending the hips (standing up).

Lunge

The lunge is a great exercise for the same reasons as the split squat. The lunge and the split squat are similar movements and stimulate the same muscles. Some find the lunge to be easier than the split-squat, so pick what feels good.

Back Squat

The back squat strengthens the quads, glutes and less noted, the core. This is because the back squat forces the athlete to brace their core when executing the movement. For runners, I would choose the single-leg split squat or the lunge over the back squat. Still, the back squat is one of the best exercises anyone can do. The back squat has the perk of training both legs at the same time. This will speed up the workout for those in a rush. For stronger athletes, the back squat will cause more fatigue than one of the single-leg movements.

Back squats should always be done with a full range of motion. That means aiming to squat down until the ass touches the calves. But that depth shouldn’t be forced. If that depth cant be reached, then the squat should be done as low as possible without pain. Over time, the weighted stretch of squatting will help get to a full-depth squat.

Deadlift

The deadlift is a great lower body exercise. If I had to pick one exercise to do for the rest of my life, it would be the deadlift. The deadlift trains the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors. It also has carryover to the quads and the core. The deadlift is not a single-leg exercise so it won’t have as much specificity to running. Like the squat, the deadlift can cause a large amount of systematic fatigue. I would not have heavy deadlifts the day of or before a hard running workout. Like the single-leg version, neutral spine, and focus on the glutes. Also, focus on having all the tension on the hamstrings before starting the pull.

1984 – George Orwell

Reading, Review

Genre: Dystopia

Rating: 4/5 (Would read again, and recommend to anyone)

1984 was one of those books that I became engrossed in. Any free minute that I had, I wanted to read it. But, at the same time, I wanted to milk it out. Orwell’s creativity is second to none in this book. I am definitely going to check out Animal Farm.