How am I supposed to interpret broad-range workout prescriptions?
For instance, today I should do some MIT training – that specific part I think I know what to do.
But I see an ~1 h warmup that states, effectively, do anything in zones Z1 or Z2. Both in the power and the heart rate prescription. Same for the ~45 min cooldown.
Okay.
Really?
How should one interpret and implement these? Really just as it comes along? Should there be a progression from very easy to the top of Z2? How much load should the warmup, cooldown, the overall unit produce?
It’s really very unclear to me what atheltica wants me to do here for these longish warmup/cooldown parts. Obviously, doing the warmup and cooldown relatively easy, I could also get (almost) the same out by doing only 20 min warmup and cooldown with 10 min easy + 10 min upper Z2 … in much less time.
???
Thank you for feedback on atheltica.ai’s intention behind these super-broad prescriptions …
personally, I always see it as a ramp up for warmup, and ramp down for cool down within the prescribed ranges…since you will be hitting zone 3 for the main set, I would want to make sure I had hit the top of zone 2 by the end of the warm up otherwise it will be a big jump and won’t feel good….
Thanks. But an 1 h ramp with, if approached linearly, a significant time at slow-walk HR, does not really make sense to me. Should it?
Really, then I would skip it, that part, and spend the time on something more useful – like my kids or work:-o But then volume – time wise – becomes a lot smaller.
As a runner — I just treat it as easy (and therefore building up to the upper end of zone 2 at whatever rate I find comfortable and keeping it there) exactly for the volume. On the cooldown I basically again go to easy zone 2 and taper off 5 mins before the run is over
I would aim to be wherever in that range feels comfortable.
Naturally that will probably be lower in the range at the start and higher in the range towards the end.
I wouldn’t think too much about it though. The goal is to warm up (and seemingly rack up a bit of volume). As long as you feel ready for the work then you’re good.
