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Don Fink Heart Rate Zones

I'm just starting week 1 of the Don Fink Be Iron Fit and I am surprised by the low heart rate training zones.

When I train currently my HR ranges from 165-190 so this seems like it could be a step backwards.  I just want to make sure that this is the correct way forward so I don't end up wasting a few weeks of training.

Does training in the anaerobic zone also improve aerobic performance? 

Also I don't think I could stay afloat with my HR in Zone 2 let alone swim!

Thanks for any advice

 

Comments

  • risris Posts: 1,002

    Stick with it - lots of aerobic z2 work is great for building the base that you are then going to assemble the higher intensity stuff on. 

    as i understand it then if you do nothing but high hr stuff then your body sort of 'overrevs' up at that level. your hr will get high and stay up there. it's much less efficient.

    your experience of finding the low hr stuff difficult to achieve at first isn't unusual - when i first did a regular block of z2 running is felt like i'd struggle to achieve it at a walk, but your body adapts very quickly and you find you are soon running efficiently at a steady, low hr. 

  • Andrew4Andrew4 Posts: 190

    Lenovo - I have this winter adopted an extensive low intensity training regime, especially on the bike (partly injury induced) which has seen me doing next to no high intensity sessions and keeping everything sub 80% max HR. Doing this on a wattbike and trying to hold your HR down is tedious and slow but I have seen the power readings I can deliver for this HR increase nearly 20% and have a far better control of my breathing and HR and much improved CV fitness - all this in less than 4 months. It may seem infuriating but you will feel the benefit and as ris says this will build the foundations that will allow you to deliver the quality in the harder sessions and recover faster.

  • Thanks for the responses guys, I'll stick with it.  Plus I'm not sure I'll have much choice - 2 weeks in and I'm starting to get twinges all over the place (foot, shins sholder...) so the lower intensity should help my body adapt better. 

    My bike average speed doesn't seemed to have dropped too much (1/2 km/hr) at the lower heart rate yet I'm cycling much further.

    The training plan does start to incorporate Z4 interval training in the next phase too so I have that to look forward to.

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