Checkpoint Zero Training Camp
presented by ARCoach.com

I see it all the time, training for the sake of training. More is not better! It's all about quality not quantity. We train endurance athletes with as little as 5 hours a week all the way up to 10+ hours a week.

Don't focus on how many miles you run or how far you rode your bike, focus on your heart rate target zones. The key to successful endurance training is finding the balance between the "junk" and the training miles we put on our legs/bikes.

You can complete a 30 hour adventure race with as little as 6-7 hours a week of quality training. Not only complete the race but also compete in the race! I will tell you how to figure out what your target heart rate zones for quality training.

First, you will need to know your resting heart rate. Over the next 3 days record your heart rate first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed. Take an average of those three days. Letâ??s say day one is 48, day two is 50, and day three is 47. Your resting heart rate would be 48.

Next, we will determine your age-adjusted maximum heart rate. Take your age and subtract it from 220. So for a 32 year old the maximum heart rate would be, 188 (220-32=188). Then we need to figure out your heart rate reserve. Take the 188 (maximum heart rate) and subtract your resting heart rate. (188-48=140). 140 is your heart rate reserve. Now we are ready to put your training zones together.

Example: ZONE 1
Multiply your heart rate reserve by 40%. (140 x 40%= 56)
Add resting heart rate back in. (56+48=104)
This is the low end of heart rate zone 1.
Multiply your heart rate reserve by 45%. (140 x 45%= 63)
Add resting heart rate back in. (63+48=111)
This is the high end of heart rate zone 1. So heart rate Zone 1 = 104-111.

Use the following percentages to determine all 6 heart rate zones. Zone 2 = 50-55%, Zone 3 = 60=65%, Zone 4 = 70-75%, Zone 5 = 80-85%, Zone 6 = 90-95%.

As an endurance athlete you should spend most of your time training in heart rate zones 3-4. You must push your body into heart rate zones 5-6 for several short intervals or fartleks throughout the week. This will help you to recover quicker during the race when you need to push hard for an uphill section. Do all your recovery days in heart rate zone 1-2.

The method used above is a best guess method and will provide you with a staring point. If you want to really dial in your training zones you need to seek professional help. Your target heart rate training zones are the keys to a success racing and training season.

- consult your doctor or trainer before beginning any exercise regiment

Keith Bushaw
Director of Coaching
ARcoach

Certified Fitness Trainer
Certified Endurance Trainer
USA Cycling Certified Coach
Certified Fitness Therapy

More carbs, no carbs, more protein, less fat, lean meat, no meat, high fat, less protein.....Blah, Blah, Blah!

Ok, so we've heard it all. Every time I turn around someone has a new diet plan that will change your life. If it isn't the latest high protein low carb craze itâ??s something else. I just want to set the record straight so bear with me.

As an endurance athlete you need to eat a well balanced diet. You will need nutrients from all sources, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein. The key is balance! I recommend eating a diet that contains 60% carbohydrate, 20% fat, and 20% protein. So if you consumed 2200 calories a day it would breakdown like this: 1320 carbs, 440 fat, and 440 protein. There are certain times during your training and racing season that the percentage of fat is a little higher or lower than the 20%. In general try to keep it around the 20% mark. Just remember that carbohydrates are your primary source of energy, so make sure you are getting enough carbs to fuel your training. The protein is what rebuilds your muscles after training and helps you recover from those hard efforts.

If you are looking to drop a few pounds before the season, you have only two choices. Eat less or burn more. One pound of fat consists of 3500 calories. If you want to lose one pound a week you need to be burning 500 calories a day more than you eat. Or eat 500 calories less each day while burning the same amount of calories. It's that simple, don't get hung up on all the fad diets, they don't promote long-term weight loss!

You should be taking a good multi-vitamin and maybe a protein supplement during those really hard training days. Other than that just focus on balance in you diet.

I will address what you should be eating during a race in a future blog.

Keith Bushaw
Director of Coaching
ARcoach

Certified Fitness Trainer
Certified Endurance Trainer
USA Cycling Certified Coach
Certified Fitness Therapy

Well, not exactly body building in the get "huge bulging" muscles way like Arnold. Building a solid body is key to a successful season of adventure racing. The core of your body is involved in every movement during each aspect of a race. You might have strong legs to mash down the pedals during those smooth nasty hill climbs, but throw in some rocks, roots, and sleep deprivation and you need more than just strong legs.

So what is the "core"? The core is any muscle that is directly involved in the stabilization of the spine, pelvis, and hip. This is where all movement begins, so we better take some time to develop this area.

Most often we see people doing exercise at the local gym that involve a stable base, such as bench press, leg curls and so on. These are great exercises to isolate a particular muscle but how often during a race are you lying flat on your back pushing a perfectly balanced object up and down?

By simply moving your exercise to an exercise ball or by using dumbbells you activate your core muscles. By building a strong core your coordination and endurance will increase and you will become less fatigued during the race.

I have listed several exercises that you can incorporate into your weekly routine that will help develop a strong core. You should mix these exercises up and do them at least two days a week. Your body will quickly adapt to the new stress placed on them so always be looking for ways to make them more challenging. You can add more time, change the surface, or add weight to stimulate more muscles. I will routinely post new core exercises that you can work into your training plan.

Quadruped Opposite Arm/Leg Raise:

• Start on all fours, with the spine in a neutral position.
• Draw abs in, brace and tuck chin.
• Slowly raise the right arm (thumb up) and the left leg with toes pointed away from the body.
• Keep both arm and leg straight while lifting them to body height.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Slowly return them both arm and leg to the starting position. Maintain optimal alignment.
• Repeat 3 times alternating sides.
  

Side-lying Iso Abs:

• Lie on one side with feet and legs stacked on top of each other and forearm on ground.
• Draw abs in (the feeling you have when you cough), activate glutes (squeeze you buttocks together as if you are trying to pinch a quarter between your cheeks) and brace.
• Lift hips and legs off the ground until the body forms a straight line from head to toe, resting on forearm and feet.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Slowly lower body to the ground.
• Switch sides and repeat 3 times each side.

Keith Bushaw
Director of Coaching
ARcoach

Certified Fitness Trainer
Certified Endurance Trainer
USA Cycling Certified Coach
Certified Fitness Therapy

Labels: arcoach, building your core muscles, core workouts

Labels: arcoach, fartlek, interval, interval training, intervals