Long Slow Distance guidelines

[ShadowNINku]

no there is not enough information on this in the Faq, some dead links and most of it is filed with high intensity stuff

I plan on just building a base for higher intensity work later

What heart rate should you work at?

Better to not fall below this heart rate or not go above it?

How long should the workout be,longer with more experience of just going up in the heart rate zone as experience increases?

Should you revert back to LSD after doing high intensity work for a a couple of months?

Will your aerobic and long distance cardio be affected negatively if you begin to do higher intensity work exclusively AFTER building up a good aerobic base because you are off from LSD or will higher intensity work help or just maintain the aerobic base that you already achieved?

[pliftkl]

Originally Posted by ShadowNINku

no there is not enough information on this in the Faq, some dead links and most of it is filed with high intensity stuff

I plan on just building a base for higher intensity work later

What heart rate should you work at?

I'm working on building a base right now (and lowering my resting heart rate). In support of that, I'm doing long (45 minutes to an hour) cardio sessions with heart rates running about 140 once I'm in steady state. I do this both as road running and elliptical trainer workouts.

Better to not fall below this heart rate or not go above it?

It's a lot easier for me to go above than to go below it. I get into a groove, listen to MP3's, and if I'm not careful I'll see the heart rate shoot up over 150. I try to keep an eye on this to bring it back down. I think you'd be better off going high and making an effort to bring it back down than to run too low and have to make an effort to bring it back up, but I have no evidence for this.

How long should the workout be,longer with more experience of just going up in the heart rate zone as experience increases?

As mentioned above, because I'm looking for specific adaptations to lower heart rate, I'm running longer workouts. Depending on what type of cardio exercise you do, you may need to work up to longer periods of exercise. If you aren't a runner, for example, it may take some time for your legs to get used to pounding pavement for an hour.

Should you revert back to LSD after doing high intensity work for a a couple of months?

I don't have an authoritative answer for this, but I do have a plan - I'll go back to LSD when/if I start to see my resting heart rate rising. I also plan on leaving in at least one LSD run per week to try to maintain this. An expert could probably give you much more specific advice.

Will your aerobic and long distance cardio be affected negatively if you begin to do higher intensity work exclusively AFTER building up a good aerobic base because you are off from LSD or will higher intensity work help or just maintain the aerobic base that you already achieved?

I hope someone will come along and give a real answer.

The problem is probably one of semantically defining what it is that we mean by "good aerobic base". For me right now, that means "lower resting heart rate". It might mean something different for you. The cardiovascular system is pretty complex, and I suspect that some of the specific adaptations from LSD work will probably fade if you neglect the LSD.

[ktrp]

Read EZAs threads on this.

My best hack answer to the last part:

- the primary mechanism by which LSD improves cardio performance is via enlarged heart capacity and improved capilliary flow
- the primary mechanism by which HIIT improves cardio performance is via strengthenting of the heart walls allowing more forceful pumping.

Probably a simplification, but go with that. So would HIIT derived benefits conflict with LSD ones? I don't think so. Its my understanding that the LSD gains are 'stickier' so you may need to to less LSD maintenance.

Also, EZA cautioned that gaining the improvements from HIIT then trying to get the benefits from LSD was more difficult then the converse, and based on that recommended driving resting heart rate to target goal as an early conditioning goal.

[Ian Coe]

There's a very big EZA thread kicking about in the conditioning forum somewhere, have a look.

From a personal pov, I began doing longer elliptical sessions (ranging from 35 minutes - 70 minutes) with a HR that was initially on average 140 that would average mid 150's (after working out my lactate threshold is about 170) after a few months of training.

The results for myself were without any running, I pulled a 8 min 51 and a few months ago 8 min 31 1.5 mile time. I'm about 85 kg so it's not too shabby, especially without any running.

[msh2]

not got to where I want to be yet so not speaking from experience, but,

use the lsd to get your resting heartrate down, once its there just keep an eye on it. I don't think you need to go back there very often to maintain the lower rate

130-150bpm, depending on your age, in your 40's try 130, 20's go for 150
40min minimum twice per week, building up to 1.5hrs twice per week (I think Ive read EZA recommending three times in extreme cases but don't quote me)

It could take a long, long time to get to the low 50's which gives you plenty of time to get your programming questions answered....cant help there

[ShadowNINku]

thanks, ^^^
get to the low 50's?
as in resting heart rate in the low 50's

[msh2]

yes sorry, resting heart-rate of low 50's bpm for fighters. A quote from another thread:

Originally Posted by EZA

The lowest I've ever seen a top level MMA guy is in the upper to mid 40s and most of the best are in the low 50s, this is the optimal range. Genetic freaks aside, the volume of aerobic training it would take for the majority of people to get down into the low 40s would be extremely high.

With that type of cardiac and neuromuscular development you'd also end up having low power output and you wouldn't be very well suited for performance MMA either.