What is Zone Training
Measuring heart rate is how we quantify the intensity of physical activity. Heart rate “training zones” are the heart rate ranges that correspond with different levels of exercise intensity. “Zone training” simply refers to purposefully exercising in different heart rate ranges during cardiorespiratory exercise.
How Does PRsue use it?
The way you exercise in and transition between different zones powerfully influences the effectiveness of your workouts. PRsue generates workouts that not only specify volume (i.e., how much to run) but that ask you to stay within prescribed zones to achieve that day’s training goal. During your run, PRsue’s voice guidance will tell you whether to slow down, speed up, or hold your pace steady.
Exercise Intensity 101
Different training intensities affect the body in different ways, and it’s not always related to what you feel in your muscles. Think of your body as having a series of gears. As the body shifts from one gear to another, it also shifts to different ways of fueling itself. PRsue knows and uses these gear shifts to make your workouts more effective.
Some intensities are efficient for increasing endurance, some are efficient for building strength and speed, and some are useful for targeting specific race paces. PRsue’s science makes sure that you are never wasting time exercising at the wrong intensity for your goal.
Zone 1: Restore
Zone 1 is good for burning fat, increasing your aerobic capacity, and recovering from hard workouts. It may involve walking on the flat or an incline, or light running. Don’t worry if you slip in and out of Zone 2. This is common for many runners. When rating zone performance, we don’t penalize for planned Zone 1 time that is executed in Zone 2.
Zone 2: Transcend
In Zone 2 you’re working hard to process oxygen but breathing normally and able to carry on a conversation. This is where major, sustainable performance improvements occur, and an elite endurance athlete will train here 80-90% of the time. Its slow speed may be as surprising as its rewards.
Zone 3: Bridge
While you’ll do some pace work in Zone 3, there are not significant improvements available here. You’ll work hard but not get that much faster. Unfortunately, this is where many people spend most of their time.
Zone 4: Elevate
Zone 4 is where you feel the burn! Think high intensity interval training, hill training, or tempo runs. Work in this zone expands your endurance and ability to fuel your muscles, and increases your base speed.
Zone 5: Sharpen
Speed. All out. In Zone 5, you’ll build strength and speed. Be judicious—too much work in this zone can compromise endurance and base speed.
“I just completed a training run, with voice-overs, and am IN LOVE! I loved seeing all the stats. I loved the voice-over telling me my heart rate, miles covered, and zone changes. It was so fun!”
Boston, MA