Ditch the Z3 training during Base & MS period?
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Background info: I’m a 53 year old recreational mountaineer working on curing ADS and just finished 8 weeks of a transition period. My goals include doing several volcanoe glacier climbs and some easy, long, FUN alpine rock trips next summer in the PNW and then a trip up Denali in 2025 as a mid-range goal, about a year and a half from now.
I began my recent transition period with an AeT HR of 115 BPM and and AnT of 166, so…pretty severe case of ADS for sure. My past efforts with training obviously de-trained my aerobic capacity in exchange for a high dose of “fun but ultimately ineffective” zone 3 intensity that made me feel like I was working hard but put me into an endurance hole that I’m now climbing out of. At the end of my transition period, I did another HR drift test and was happy to see my AeT HR had improved by 5 BPM to 120 (total volume of Z1&Z2 training in the transition period was about 6 hours per week). The prescribe training regimen of under and up to my Z2 HR seems to be working well for me. Looking forward at the next 8 weeks, I see in the generic plan in TftNA that during this “base and max strength” period, a typical progression is to do one long easy distance day that accounts for 25-30% of the volume and another Z2 session of about 20% of total volume, and in weeks 5-7 to bump that Z2 workout into the Z3 realm. Now the question:
Given that I’m actively working on curing my ADS, should I ditch doing any of the Z3 training during the base and max strength period (and soon to come base and muscular endurance period) and replace those with more Z2 volume instead, or is is still beneficial for me to get a few Z3 sessions during these periods to help me achieve my goals?
Joe:
Your primary goal is to cure the ADS. So for now that’s where you want to put almost all of your time and energy. It is going to give the best long term results. Something to understand about stock training plans like the one I wrote in TftNA is that it is a one size fits all type of program meaning that it is not idealized for any one person. You understand what you need and are seeing good gains. Adding Z3 intensity right now will just mean less time for the Z2 work you really need. It can even blunt the aerobic development (depending on volume of aerobic base training (Z2). Too keep some power in your legs you might try adding a hill sprint workout each week. Be sure to take plenty of rest between sprints.
I hope this helps.
ScottThat does help, thank you! I chose to alternate between hill sprints and box step-ups 1x/ea per week on Mondays and Thursdays. Last week was my first hill sprint session but I had to drop a set off the plan first week of the sprints. 4 sets was beyond what I felt I could handle in the first week. I had significant DOMS after my first hill sprint session, so even cutting a set out maybe I did too much too fast there. Is DOMS to be expected in the first few weeks of a maximum strength period, or is that a sign I’m pushing too hard and need to back off even more on the MS set numbers? I responded to the DOMS by still doing Z1/Z2 work the next day, and that actually made my muscles feel better and my pace was a bit better than average surprisingly, but perhaps that was foolish and I should have rested instead in the face of significant muscular soreness after the sprints?
Joe,
DOMS can happen for almost any resistance, and some ‘free’, exercises if your muscles have not been exposed to them before or if it’s been long time since exposure. Likely all is OK interns of the sprint WO effort. Aim to stop these ‘pure power’ workouts when your top-end power is depleted, or no more than about 10, 8-10sec efforts. Less is more when it comes to volume of power workouts.
If easy effort made you feel better it was probably the right choice. Low- to no-impact modality is the safest choice in the midst of DOMS.
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