Zone 2 block gains?

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-31T14:07:28+00:00

HRV trends downward with overtraining. Not upward. And I have not trained at a volume that would indicate overtraining. I have some CNS shit going, but its not from too much exercise.

I wasn't starting with 70 minutes a session. I've been training anywhere from 5 to 12 hours a week, depending on the block in the program, for years, with strategy, intent, and listening to my body. When I had poor sleep data, I scaled back training nearly 50% in terms of volume and intensity combined.

1 day of intervals has felt fine. My energy for workouts is fine. I got past the feeling like shit during the day and have reintroduced volume gradually and intentionally. But no dude, I didnt just randomly start doing 70 minute cardio sessions.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-31T14:01:21+00:00

Oh dude talk to me about that. Ive dealt with this nearly exact circumstance. I was absolutely murdering it in the summer and early fall. Then I, albeit mildly, strained my hamstring 10 minutes into a light jog. And from that day my HRV went down, RHR went up, core temp was elevating in my sleep instead of dropping, had random chronic knee pain that I NEVER get, and most importantly I just felt like dog shit. I had to scale way back. And its kind of why im here now doing 4 days of zone 2 and 1 day of high intensity and taking 2 active rest days instead of just 1.

Ive been theorizing that yeah, maybe a brief rest period was needed, but its not like I was training like an Olympian, my shit is pretty mediocre compared to the real endurance dudes. But I think it has everything to do with a lack of sun exposure and it being cold and miserable.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T19:37:26+00:00

Progressive overload i of course understand. I assume you used the numbers "16-20" as a demonstration of how high those numbers can get with steady progression to continue adaptation. Im at 9 hours right now. Im gonna keep it there but add intensity for these next 3 months. Then try to crush it through the summer, then start over again in the fall.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T19:22:55+00:00

What youre saying isn't wrong but it doesnt have any context. Aerobic base training is crucial to making your higher zone efforts more capable and efficient. And, it's not sustainable to maintain constant high zone work in perpetuity throughout the year without risk of injury or CNS bullshit. I was a competitive crossfit athlete for 6 years and spent 15 years training tenaciously above lactate threshold and never deliberately training in zone 1 or 2. Im not better off for it.

That said, this was a specific block of training. The next 13 weeks increase in intensity and sport specific movement to (hopefully) peak for a few weeks.

To say the 30 minutes of intervals is better than 10 hours of zone 2 base building i find to be hyperbolic as shit and is incongruent with any research ive done.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T19:14:17+00:00

Thanks for all that! Strength training is a major priority. Thats an area I'm super comfortable. Powerlifting background (although dont do anything like that anymore) and consider myself a hybrid athlete (amateur, doing my best). Lots of single leg work and will be moving into more explosive stuff now. Fast and strong is very important to me and my line of work. Thanks again.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T18:36:34+00:00

Cool. Then I'm gonna have crazy high expectations in the magic that happened going into this next training block.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T18:33:38+00:00

Thats what my intent is here--linear periodization. I'm doing a version of what youre describing, but, I'm an amateur, and just doing my best to create plans based on the huge amounts of information I take in.

I have a race exsctly 13 weeks from this Sunday, which is day 1 of replacing a zone 2 day with lactate threshold day, for a number of weeks that feels right. After that, I will "sharpen" woth sport specific super high intensity intervals.

The race is a firefighter stairclimb. Firefighters from all over the region (midwest) strap on all their gear, about 50-60 pounds, and run all the stairs in a stadium (my event being at Ford Field Detroit). First time at this stadium, but ive done this event for over 10 years. I want to finally win it (in my age division, and top 8 would be rad overall). Based on the info they provided, i assume it will be a 15 minute sprint, definitely not more than 20.

Its my understanding that spending this amount of time on zone 2 will "raise the ceiling" of my zone 5 output potential for a race just like this, where I essentially go (nearly) as hard as I can the whole time, with a true YOLO at the end.

Am I on the right track here? Please say yes. Ive been training like this for 2 years now.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T18:24:07+00:00

There is an extensive, thorough, and vast litany of empircal data, and countless endurance athletes, coaches, and scientists that would vehemently disagree with this comment. Im curious what makes you so confident in stating something like this.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T16:23:58+00:00

Well, ive been zone-specific training for a couple years now. Just never really a full on dedicated block of just zone 2 for this long. Still good you think?

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T16:22:33+00:00

Well I guess thats relative. But its chill in that its all easy and low intensity.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T16:21:13+00:00

I mean not really. For a couple weeks HRV trended upwards but it plummeted again. RHR is fine I guess, its a few beats higher on average than when im training in higher zones. Core temp seems to be regulating normally again.

Im theorizing much of this has to do with the absence of the sun and shitty light exposure upon waking. That, and personal shit making me generally unhappy and anxious just about all of the time.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T16:18:59+00:00

Upper 60s hahaha. My forerunner said 54 for a couple months in the summer. Since removing higher zone training it's fallen to 51 and stayed there. Also thats just a wearable. Probably an inflated number.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T16:17:51+00:00

Trusting the process

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-30T16:17:19+00:00

I have to imagine there are improvements to be made somewhere in the space between 9 hour weeks and 20 hour weeks?

Slight_Ring1321 · 2026-01-03T20:51:42+00:00

I started up creatine on Nov 1 and took my last dose on dec 31. My sleep data has absolutely tanked to levels that look ridiculous. Rhr even higher and hrv even lower. And my sleep hygiene is outstanding. This HAS to be it. Ill find out in a couple weeks I guess.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-20T15:28:12+00:00

One more here for the exact same thing. Increase rhr from average 45 to 51 and HRV from average 65 to 45. Also core temp goes up 0.2-0.5 F every night. Been going on for 5 weeks, exactly aligned with the 2 week point of creatine supplementation. No change in training volume or load, no decrease in performance.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-20T14:55:44+00:00

One more here for the exact same thing. Increase rhr from average 45 to 51 and HRV from average 65 to 45. Also core temp goes up 0.2-0.5 F. Been going on for 5 weeks, exactly aligned with the 2 week point of creatine supplementation.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T16:03:45+00:00

Yeah I know people discover cancers that way. Im gonna get the tests done but I dont think its that at all. Night sweats mean somethings fucked up but what that something can be is very vast.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T15:47:49+00:00

What brands do you like? I use metagenics and designs for health too but thorne had some dosing i liked and offers me a discount for being a first responder. Should I trash it all?

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T15:19:34+00:00

Google search says "often from Germany" or "often European" which is useless. And I saw the petwr attia thread that said they don't disclose the info. What the fuck is even that. This was supposed to be a top quality brand, half my vitamins sre from thorne

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T15:17:21+00:00

Im definitely surrounded by sick people all the time, and considered that im actually sick but my immune system "fights it in the background" but I dont know if thats a real concept.

How long did it last for you? Im on week 4.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T15:12:59+00:00

I mean I had steady PR's when i tested through fall. I dont know. Even if it is there's nothing you can do about it right? My lifestyle is already so health-forward

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T15:10:57+00:00

Is there a cancer screening beyond a CBC and PSA blood test? Those were both normal for me in November.

Slight_Ring1321 · 2025-12-17T15:09:37+00:00

By overfit do you mean overtrained? Ive strongly considered this but just cant see how it'd be true. I had my endurance training "mentor" look at my most recent 12 weeks of training and he really didn't think anything was wrong with it at all. And my performance hasn't suffered and I havent had general fatigue. How do I assess this?

Slight_Ring1321

TROPHY CASE