CALCULATE YOUR BEST EFFORT ZONE

Calculating your 'Peak' Training Effort – your Aerobic Threshold

(your Default Training Intensity)

Lifestyle Analysis Method (LAM)

What you need: An honest sense of your lifestyle & current health.

Purpose: Determine your Default Training Intensity (DTI) represented in Heart Rate Beats per Minute.

Questions

a) 183 minus your Age = (This is your Heart Rate in Beats per Minute)

b) If you've suffered major illness within the last five years; minus 6 =

c) You've been largely sedentary over the past two years; minus 3 =

d) You have suffered more than one cold & flu over the past 12 months; minus 2 =

e) You are challenged regularly with muscle or joint inflammatory conditions; minus 3 =

f) You know you're currently challenged with lifestyle stress; minus 3 =

g) You've been largely healthy for two years; add 5 =

h) You've exercised regularly for three years; add 3 = (This number, your HR, is your DTI)

What is your DTI, in heart rate beats per minute? This is your training ceiling! You will not exceed this number until your TimeTrial Test improves by 5%.

Your DTI Zone: From 10 beats lower than your DTI up to your DTI.  Eg. 122-132bpm.  Other than the first & last 5% of every session is spent in this pocket.

How your training EFFORT should feel (for most sessions)!

✓ You can talk easily when training.

✓ Your [good] form is never challenged.

✓ Your breathing is even and controlled.

✓ You experience zero pain & zero muscle (lactic) burning.

✓ You could work harder if required.

Post-workout feeling!

✓ Knowing you could keep going if your program scheduled.

✓ You experience little sugar, and, or, alcohol cravings.

✓ You sleep soundly – your body temperature cooling quickly post-workout.

✓ You’re loaded with sustained lifestyle energy.

✓ You're more tolerant & interested in work, family or other lifestyle interests.

Signs your aerobic capacity is building nicely!

✓ You’re drawn to nutrient-rich, low volume, whole fresh food.

✓ Without trying or focus, you are drifting towards your ideal weight for life.

✓ You're moving faster at your DTI – your TTT (Timetrial Test) is lowering.

✓ You're free from injury & illness.

✓ You're psyched for your next session.

Typically, you'll experience the following;

✓ You'll feel your DTI is too easy, and you’ll consider Brad Pamp doesn’t know what he is doing.

✓ In weeks 1-3 you'll feel somewhat frustrated with your reduced output, e.g. slower running speed – particularly when running ascents.

✓ You'll re-assess your DTI calculation believing you've calculated incorrectly - you haven't.

✓ You'll think there is no way you’ll hit your race goals at this rate.

✓ You'll possibly find your training intensity somewhat boring.

✓ Commonly, weight loss starts after three weeks of DTI training – with fitting food choices.

TROUBLESHOOTING

The Top 5 outcomes you can expect should you push ‘over’ your DTI before your aerobic system has sufficiently built up the tolerance for harder training or racing!

1) You'll naturally be lead towards ‘pick-me-up’ foods, usually sugar-laden choices.

Premature training & racing over your DTI will favour drawing energy from your 'sugar' tank.  This tank (stored in the muscles & liver as glycogen) will require re-filling later in the day.  The refilling process will usually trigger behaviour leading one towards refined sugar products.  These ‘repeated’ choices, will promote; pancreatic stress, increase exercise-related inflammation (niggles), affect quality sleep, stimulate fat storage and diminish your endurance - the last 30% of your session is commonly compromised.

2) While perhaps not immediately, it's most likely you'll experience joint & muscle niggles, and upper respiratory illness (colds & flu).

The higher (lactic) acidic response from > DTI work lowers your bodies pH.  'Old' joint and tendon injuries commonly resurface, and new ones are likely to appear.  Currently, you don’t harbour the strength towards tolerating harder sessions. Injuries crush motivation.

Perhaps the most common result from training prematurely over your DTI is falling to common colds & flu.  Stress undoubtedly places the immune system at risk of depletion.  Beware!

Tip – if you do choose to pump > DTI be certain to eat lots of greens, lightly salted water, an extra 30 minutes sleep, and a day’s recovery from all training.

3) Yes, you'll burn (metabolise) more energy during the session, but, you'll be tapping into the wrong (energy) tank.

Don’t base your energy ‘out’ in calories based off a training stress score, E.g. HR over a given period of time.  Harder work doesn’t mean greater fat loss.  DTI training will utilise greater fat metabolism over a 24-hour period, and, influence more fitting food choices.

4) You may feel great for about 90 minutes post-workout, but, then, you'll be mentally, emotionally and physically tired, flat, lethargic for the rest of the day.

> DTI action will result in tiredness, lower your tolerance (towards knuckleheads), interest and communicative energy - this could be a problem.  Lifestyle stress commonly throws out more than enough stress-induced hormones like; adrenalin, non-adrenalin and cortisol.  Be careful, adding to your total stress by thumping > DTI.  DTI training undoubtedly encourages feel-good bio-chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and endorphins.

5) Overstimulated nerves & a higher body temperature will commonly disturb quality sleep.

If possible, I’d avoid pumping > DTI in the evening – particularly in the warmer months, and, certainly if recovery doesn’t allow a cooling pool or surf swim. Ideally, I recommend morning or lunchtime exercise – certainly for > DTI sessions.  Your body will sleep best once it has cooled and nerves have desensitised - this takes time.

NOTE – DTI is necessary for some.  It is key to improving one’s performance.  Be certain you have a solid period of injury & sickness free running under your belt, you’re currently close to your ideal weight, and perform >DTI sessions on more forgiving surfaces like grass, a running track, or a treadmill.