Connecting the Dots

Vol. 13

Calling all Office Athletes!!! We’re gathering our community for the Sky:30 fitness challenge. This fitness challenge includes:

• Personalized 1:1 goal setting & workout programming

• Online coaching & accountability sessions

• Deep insight into your fitness data to make your fitness goals efficient, attainable, & fun!

Interested in having your wearable data analyzed, receive specific insights and training recommendations, and get better together, fill out this form!

In This Article, We…

1. Sum up Lactate Threshold, Vo2max, and Zone 2 training philosophies

2. Tie the 3 philosophies together

3. Create an example training program to improve your ability to run faster for longer as well as increase your overall health

What Have We Talked About Again?

Over the past few weeks, we’ve gone over the following important measures:

Zone 2 Effort

Your body’s “baseline” for your heart rate during exercise.

Training in this zone involves exercising at a low to moderate intensity that corresponds to 60%-70% of your max HR. These are your “baseline” workouts where you will take an easy day.

Training Frequency: 2-3 times per week, best structured in-between LT or VO2max workouts.

Lactate Threshold (LT) 

The point at which your body produces more lactate than it can clear during exercise, causing fatigue and burnout.

Lactate threshold training is a type of training that aims to increase your LT by exposing your body to high-intensity exercise. By training at or slightly above your LT, you can improve your body's ability to clear lactate, delay the onset of fatigue, and sustain higher speeds for longer. These are your “tempo” workouts that are difficult, but not as hard as VO2max workouts.

Training Frequency: 2x per week, NOT back-to-back, avoid doing the day before or after a VO2max day.

Vo2 Max

The measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It reflects your aerobic capacity and endurance potential.

VO2 max is the measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It reflects your aerobic capacity and endurance potential. These are your hardest workouts and should be responsibly warmed up for.

Training Frequency: 1x per week. If your VO2max is > 50, you can do 2x/week to increase gains. Avoid doing the day before or the day after a Lactate Threshold day.

The Impact On Your Health

A well rounded training program with Zone 2, LT, & VO2max can have a positive impact on your healthspan and longevity by potentially lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia.

Research has shown that aerobic exercise can increase the expression of genes that are involved in DNA repair, cellular senescence (the process of aging cells), and telomere maintenance (the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes). These factors can influence the aging process and the onset of age-related diseases.

Example 7-Day Training Program

Now that we understand the importance of each measure and why you should include them in your training program, here’s a practical example of how you can structure a week to incorporate everything into your training:

Monday: Rest or active recovery. Do some activities such as strength training, stretching, yoga, or walking to loosen up your muscles and joints.

Tuesday: Lactate threshold workout.

• 10-minute warm-up of easy running

• 4 x 8 minutes at 90% of your Max HR with 2 minutes of easy jogging between each interval.

• Finish with a 10-minute cool-down.

Wednesday: Zone 2 cardio workout.

• Run for 45 minutes at 60% to 70% of your Max HR. Keep a comfortable and conversational pace.

Thursday: VO2 max workout.

• 10-minute warm-up of easy running

• 6 x 3 minutes at 90-95% of your Max HR with 3 minutes of easy jogging between each interval. (think sprints)

• 10-minute cool-down.

Friday: Rest or active recovery.

• Do some light activities such as stretching, yoga, or walking to loosen up your muscles and joints.

Saturday: Zone 2 cardio workout.

• Run for 60 minutes at 60% to 70% of your Max HR. Keep a comfortable and conversational pace.

Sunday: Long run.

• Run for 90 minutes or more at a pace that is slightly faster than your Zone 2 cardio pace but still below your lactate threshold pace. This is known as Zone 3 cardio.

  • Aim for around 75% to 80% of your HRmax.

If you’re interested in having your wearable data analyzed by us, receive specific insights and training recommendations, and get better together, fill out this form and train with us!

- JT & Phil

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