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Zone 2 swimming per Dr Peter Attia

swimtolive

Has anyone started reading his book "Outlive"?  After surviving Stage 4 throat cancer I decided it was high time to change my life.  I lost 35 pounds, got back in the water, competed at Y Nationals in April and really enjoyed myself.  I have trained myself for the last 10 months or so with some Form goggles (they seem to brag they are for swimmers but in reality they adore triathletes) but I love the goggles nonetheless.

One cool feature is the ability to see my heart rate while swimming.  I swam for :55 today for a total of 3300yds at or near the lower zone 3 heart zone, about 15 minutes in zone 4 and back to high zone 2 in the heart rate zone.  

Zone 2 according to Attia is different.  Zone 2 is defined as the highest metabolic output/work that you can sustain while keeping your lactate level below two millimole per liter.  I haven't purchased a lactate meter yet but I am wondering if any other masters swimmers are incorporating this into their swimming and have figured it out for themselves without the meter.  I'm 51 so my max heartrate is 169 and 75% of that rate is 127 (rounded up).  I stayed near this lower rate all workout except for the accidental jump to 148 or so while doing 2 sets of 4x50s at a "strong" pace.  This was around 30-35 secs for the 50y.  

I'm so curious if there are others that are into this new discovery because after today's workout I felt freaking incredible.  I was not my usual tired and worn out self after training in the zone 4 -5 heartrate zone all damn workout 3-4 times a week.

I'm looking forward to increasing endurance and longevity for the rest of my life.  I'd love to trade notes with anyone trying to figure this out.

Graham

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  • Not exactly a “new” discovery. And while you can use the max HR  formula to estimate training zones the more precise way is to complete a cardiopulmonary exercise test or CPET, sometimes referred to as VO2 max testing. This involves wearing a mask to measure gas exchange while exercising on a bike or treadmill. The anaerobic/ventilatory threshold is the point at which lactate production begins to exceed your body’s ability to clear it. Roughly  80% of your training should be at or below the HR corresponding to this. If your goal is to increase speed for competition race pace training is unavoidable. And yes resistance training needs to be incorporated into your routine (2-3 times per week). 

  • in reply to Gull

    Gull, glad to see you back. What is the danger of consistently doing (much) more than 20% at higher heart rate. I just aged up to 75 and my goal is definitely to increase my speed for competition and well over 20% of my workout is race pace 3 days a week (when I was younger it was 4, but I need more time to recuperate. Suggestions or concerns.

  • in reply to Allen Stark

    Really more of a practicality to allow sufficient time for recovery (which we require more of as we age) and to avoid overtraining. But there is an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in lifelong male endurance athletes, so I believe the 80/20 “rule” makes sense. 

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  • in reply to Gull

    Gull, how nice to return from my travels and see you back on the forums!  You were one of the good ones I was sorry to see leave the old forums, and I wondered from time-to-time how you were doing.  I also thought of you when I was (finally!) diagnosed with dysautonomia, which answered a lot of the questions I used to ask on the forums.  

    Welcome back!

  • in reply to Elaine Krugman

    Thanks! We had some great discussions on the Forum back in the day. I even got myself suspended a couple times. I miss that.

    Dr. Attia’s book is quite good. His emphasis on exercise and the impact on mortality is spot on. The only thing I would take issue with is his off label use of rapamycin.