Calculating a number for the intensity of a workout, how?
Former Member
I am writing my workouts in excel.
How do I calculate a number for the intensity of a swimming workout? Is there a standard way of doing it? I'm using zone 1 to 5, where 1 is recovery and 5 is racepace. Additionally I have three more zones that are lactate tolerance (zone 6), lactate production (zone 7) and power (zone 8). How do I calculate all theese zones and distance into one number, that gives an adequate impression on the intensity of the workout?
Wow!
Could you assign each set a zone number and then just find the average? That is so simple I'm sure you have already thought of it and rejected it for some reason.
But this one goes to eleven!
I just now noticed that movie is rated out of 11 stars on IMDb, instead of the usual 10. A bit of a cheat, though, because it is not possible to give it an 11-star rating.
I am writing my workouts in excel.
How do I calculate a number for the intensity of a swimming workout? Is there a standard way of doing it? I'm using zone 1 to 5, where 1 is recovery and 5 is racepace. Additionally I have three more zones that are lactate tolerance (zone 6), lactate production (zone 7) and power (zone 8). How do I calculate all theese zones and distance into one number, that gives an adequate impression on the intensity of the workout?
I don't understand how's that possible? I mean zones 6-8 if zone 5 is your race pace.
All you need is to know your maximal heart rate (MHR). If you don't have any special devices you may count it by the formula MHR=220-"your age". Ex. if your age is 30 then 220-30=190 is your MHR. Of course this value is approximate and if you need correct value you need special equipment. Ok, now knowing your MHR you may count heart rate (HR) for each zone.
I zone - 60-70% of MHR - aerobic and recovery
II zone - 71-75% of MHR - aerobic and power
III zone - 76-80% of MHR - glycolysis
IV zone - 81-90% of MHR - anaerobic threshold, overload endurance
V zone - 91-100% of MHR - anaerobic training, lactate tolerance and lactate production (both are maximal pace, the difference is in amount of rest you get)
I just now noticed that movie is rated out of 11 stars on IMDb, instead of the usual 10. A bit of a cheat, though, because it is not possible to give it an 11-star rating.
Sometimes you need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
That movie does go up to 11.
There is a much simpler way.
Think of your esophagus as a thermometer, and your lunch as the mercury.
The higher the mercury rises, the more intense your workout.
The esophageal sphincter represents the safe limits of intensity.
If the mercury manages to exceed this, you are trying too hard.
I am curious about your desire to quantify intensity with the detail of a physiologist studying laboratory rats subjected to various variable training parameters.
Are you, by any chance, of the triathletic persuasion? It does seem to me that that sport attracts a certain mentality wherein the unexamined life truly is worthless, hence the more heart rate monitors, lactate-measuring muscle biopsies, perhaps even digital rectal thermometers and other wearable probes the better.
I say try hard in practice, go beyond the comfort zone on regular intervals, ease off when your body tells you to ease off, and let the physiological stuff handle itself.
