❤️ The best zone for efficiency, energy, and longevity
Ep 46: Heart rate zones, piquing interest and inviting further conversation, and a big milestone for us.
A Tip for the Modern Worker
Overcommunicate. When you communicate asynchronously – in email, chat, or in a collaborative document – the recipients don’t have the luxury of real-time interaction with you to clear up ambiguity. Think about the information you used to come to your conclusions and add those to the documentation. Links, screenshots, and other annotations can be critical to comprehension. When you think you’re sharing more than what’s necessary, you’re probably sharing the correct amount.
This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker. This probably comes a lot easier for Type A personalities, but communication makes the world go ‘round, right? The last sentence sums it up well.
#365DayDraw
I drew this and wrote the accompanying annotation as part of my #365DayDraw project 7 years ago today.
The dance circle was complete, save for the brave souls that would step into it first
Yesterday was the closing day of this year’s Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance. 4 days. 4 stages. 80+ bands. Living just a half-mile from the venue we can hear every note from our back deck. This year we’re vacationing in Oregon and we can’t hear it quite as well. In 2015 we went in person to hear Trombone Shorty play. Totally worth it, and this dance circle was a feature in the main stage area.
Commentary
After reading Peter Attia’s Outlive, Amy and I decided to get a gauge of our heart rate zones with a V02 Max test at Cayuga Sports Medicine and Athletic Performance. V02 refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that you can use during intense exercise. Amy had never been tested and I was last tested a decade ago. Specifically, we were after our Zone 2 numbers, a training zone for your heart rate that helps with efficiency, energy, longevity, and more. Check out The Art of Manliness’ post A Guide to the Biggest Thing Missing From Your Fitness Routine: Zone 2 Training for a primer on why Zone 2 training is so important.
Unlike the way most people typically do their cardio, Zone 2 doesn’t feel painful or uncomfortable. You could probably move at that intensity for hours at a time. This is why people skip over Zone 2. It’s deceptively easy.
The test was every bit as difficult as I remember. My VO2 dropped from 59 to 53.7 over the past decade, and from an age-graded percentile basis, is still excellent. The change in heart rate zones was marked, though, and this was the gold mine of data I was after.
Zone 1, Recovery: < 111
Zone 2, Base Training Zone: 111-116
Zone 3 Ventilatory Threshold: 117-122
Zone 4, Interval Training Zone: 123-129
Zone 5, High-Intensity Training Zone: 130+
My new zones are far more compressed than they used to be, meaning that I can jump right into higher zones with lower levels of exertion. It also means that, if I am to focus on Zone 2 training, I need to work hard to get up to 111 bpm and then work even harder to keep things from drifting past 116. The first thing I did was update Apple Watch and Strava to reflect these new zones.
The Art of Manliness article makes it clear that I’m not going to be able to do this type of training with running, at least initially. Hiking and rucking are better outdoor alternatives. Indoor biking and elliptical work are going to be even better because I can set a steady resistance and incline.
We talked about heart rate monitoring at Cayuga Health, too. We use our Apple watches, but sometimes it seems unreliable, especially for Amy. They recommended a chest monitor like the Polar H10 that can connect to the watch with Bluetooth.
I also searched for a way to monitor my Zone 2 compliance using Apple Watch, and it turns out there is. I haven’t used it yet, but if you create a custom workout and specify you want to be in Zone 2, the watch will notify you accordingly. I took these screenshots as I created a custom running workout that I can use for this type of training. I’ll do the same for elliptical and indoor biking.
Looking back, one of the most popular posts on my website is about finding your maximum aerobic heart rate. I wrote it the year after my initial VO2 test, and having read a story that said many runners unintentionally train anaerobically at a heart rate above their MAHR. The post still squares nicely with what I learned this month about training aerobically and building a solid base with Zone 2 training.
Miscellanea
💬 Do you read
Roche’s The Introverted Networker? This post got me thinking about how I’d accurately answer the “What do you do?” question. It’s tempting to give my job title (Manager of Client Experience) but that really doesn’t tell much about what I do. To his point, I want my response to pique interest and invite further conversation. Here are some candidate responses I’m considering:
(web design): I make the complex easier to understand.
(cartooning): I turn pencil strokes into laugh lines.
(piano and guitar): I keep dangling my legs in the cool pool waters of music.🍽 We treated ourselves to some new cookware to cook like Fozzie Bear. You know, with a wok-a wok-a wok-a! Groan. This Yokusata wok is our first real carbon steel wok pan, and after seasoning it for the maiden voyage we cooked up a really delicious stir fry. We accessorized it with a wok spatula and a squeeze bottle for oil.
🥂 Tomorrow is a big milestone celebration for Amy and me. We’ve been married for 25 years! Happy anniversary to us.
Happy Anniversary
Scott, thanks for sharing my issue on answering the question "What do you do?" Enjoyed reading your responses.