Today’s write up is inspired by traction on this tweet from last week:
What looks like insane Ironman training is actually just consistent effort building base aerobic fitness
The challenge is not in the intensity
It is in the frequency, consistency and patience
The result is improved mental resiliency and increased lifespan
— #Ryan Dreyer 🪓 (#@theryandreyer)
6:43 PM • Feb 1, 2023
My “Winter Base Building” phase of Ironman training has connected dots in my mind to general health.
Over the past 10 weeks, the 2 core focuses of my training have been:
easy/steady aerobic training
progressive overload strength training
There’s been an increasingly loud voice in my head asking…
Shouldn’t everyone be exercising like this?
My Last 90 Days Of Ironman Training
Notes:
the “Duration by Week” chart starts with IMFL
avg. weekly training time: 9 hours, 58 mins
percentage of time in Z1/Z2: 79.9%*
most swims, rides and runs are easy/steady and 45 to 90 minutes
weekend rides are typically to 2-3 hours
most rides have been HR capped at 130 bpm (130 bpm = my Z2 ceiling)
most runs have been pace capped at 9 min/mile
*I’ve had HR tech problems on runs that have shown abnormally high HR, so I think I have even more than 79.9% of total training time in my easy, aerobic zones
Main Takeaway: I’ve averaged at least 8 hours per week in Z1/Z2 and almost perfectly aligned with the 80/20 training method
Peter Attia’s 4 Pillars of Exercise
Peter Attia is one of my favorite sources of knowledge for all things health and longevity.
To see how Ironman training fits into a well rounded approach, let’s use his 4 pillars of exercise:
Stability
Strength
Aerobic Training (Z2)
Anaerobic Training (Z5)
Of course, Ironman training covers all these, but let’s just focus on Aerobic Training (Z2).
Refreshers On Z2
My article “Why Going Slow Makes You Go Fast” is an intro look at the benefits of Z2.
The main two are:
increase number (and function) of mitochondria
mitochondria then improve “metabolic flexibility” aka ability to burn fat as fuel
We also know that:
mitochondrial health is a marker of overall health
only 12% of Americans are “metabolically healthy”
poor metabolic flexibility causes obesity, depression and nearly every other modern health issue.
Peter Attia’s Zone 2 Protocol
He recommends a minimum of 3-4 hours of Zone 2 training per week, but there’s no limit.
Since 80% of triathlon training is done Z1/Z2, Ironman is essentially just doing a lot of what’s proven to be really good for you.
This is also why intensity management is so important.
If you’re letting Z2 sessions drift into Z3 and beyond, all of this gets thrown off as the body accumulates significantly more fatigue, recovers less and increases risk for injury.
Summary Ideas
Triathlon training aligns with optimal health and longevity.
Ironman distance may take volumes to an extreme, but if you’re following Peter Attia’s protocol you’re doing at least enough to complete a Sprint or Olympic distance triathlon.
And realistically, you’re within reach of 70.3.
Triathlon training will guide you to health and longevity.
And training for health and longevity will guide you to being able to complete a triathlon.
