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Z3 tempo training
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: February 13, 2017
Now I’ll have to admit that I’m not much for designer license plates, but if I were, well, I’m guessing mine would likely read: Z3 TEMPO.
Let me explain.
Heart rate training zone three is where the real cardiorespiratory work begins in endurance sports. It’s definitely one of the lesser used workout intensities but if used judiciously, Z3 provides the body with a very solid foundation upon which the more popular and much harder Z4 and Z5 training intensities can be built.
Sometimes referred to as Tempo Training, Z3 is totally aerobic, a pacing that you can handle for 10s of minutes if you’re a newbie, or several hours if you’ve built up a substantial base of racing and training.
Now you’ll find numerous numerical designations for Z3.
Joel Friel, professional cycling and triathlon coach, describes it as 13-14 on the RPE scale (rating of perceived exertion) and 89 to 93 percent of LAT (lactate threshold), while USA Cycling defines it as 73 to 80 percent of max HR (heart rate).
Tempo can be called “fun fast,” because it doesn’t elicit the numbing pain and harder breathing that threshold training does, unless it’s for pretty extended periods of time.
What’s more, tempo training is more mentally stimulating than the monotony of extended periods of Z2 training. You can still carry on a conversation while operating at tempo pacing, but sentences get shorter and the level of group conversation decreases noticeably. And that bump up in intensity level from Z2 to Z3 yields more training adaptations, giving you way more bang for your training buck.
All of the above is precisely why Z3 is my absolute favorite HR training zone.
Now Z3 intensity is too high for maximal fat-burning, so from a fuel perspective, more carbohydrate is being consumed than in zone two, what’s typically called the overdistance training zone.
Two of the more prominent physiologic benefits of Z3 tempo training include increases in muscle capillary density and enhancement of oxidative enzymes, very important adaptations that help to push one’s lactate threshold further to the right.
Tempo training can also improve an athlete’s ability to store glycogen, a fuel that powers the muscles. But be aware of this zone’s higher energy cost, especially when you're also training at heart rate zones four and five, which burn nearly 100 percent carbohydrate.
Therefore it’s critical that carbohydrate stores be full for those higher intensity training days, and understand that too much tempo training can have the same deleterious effect on the body as zones four and five when done too frequently.
Okay, before diving straight away into the several variations of tempo workouts, remember this: Just as you establish Z3 as a solid foundation for the Z4 and Z5 workouts, so must you build a platform for Z3 tempo by amassing plenty of Z2 overdistance training.
Once prepared with the proper Z2 base, you’ll be physiologically ready for greater training intensities and loads to stimulate further adaptations.
All right, now let’s take a look at the several tempo subdivisions.
1) Cruise Tempo: These are larger volume, moderate cadence workouts that are specific to increasing capillary density and enhancing oxidative enzymes. They’re usually done on flat to rolling courses for both running and cycling. Swimmers would use moderate distances at tempo intensity pacing.
2) Strength Tempo: For cyclists this strength-building variation can either be overgear training, a modality involving low cadence and very large gears, or seated hill climbing on moderate gradients. Runners would use the same moderate gradient hills to force lower cadence/higher intensity efforts, while swimmers incorporate pull-buoys and other drag devices.
3) High Cadence Tempo: Athletes typically use higher cadences in order to produce neuromuscular adaptations to high speed rhythm and coordination. Cyclists use very low gear/very high cadences of 110+ rpm, while runners incorporate downhill run training. Swimmers practice speed stroke drills.
As with all phases of endurance training, one should incorporate a few zone three tempo intervals into the workout week slowly and gradually, building volume up over the course of several months.
For beginners this could be a couple of six to eight-minute tempo intervals, then work up from there. For intermediate to advanced athletes the Z3 sessions could begin at 30 minutes and go up to two-plus hours, depending on fitness level and goals.
So if you’ve been wondering how to spice up those springtime workouts…go Z3 TEMPO.