For the past three days, I've been making an effort to keep my kettlebell swing sessions in Zone 2. It's been an interesting experience. It's also convinced me that I will, a few month down the road, agree with the idea of Aerobic Deficiency Syndrome for endurance athletes. What's convinced me to try this is the idea that actually using my aerobic system and developing it will be an easier way of managing my body composition in terms of reducing fat. Mind you, we're talking some fairly fine points here as my fat loss goals are measured at only a kilogram or two, but I'm curious to see where I end up if I bank some regular Zone 2 training.
Yesterday and the day before, I did 28 kg 1h swings, 5 on the minute for 16 minutes, and found that early on, my HR recovery was good but it got worse as the session continued. I know this is normal and to be expected. But even on day #2, my average and max HR were lower. My goal is to stay if simply repeating this workout and some small variations of it will gradually keep my max HR in Zone 2.
Notice that I have not used the word "enjoyable" to describe this training. Today, I let loose and pushed some Zone 3 and 4 HR's and was much happier, but I'll be back to the boring stuff soon enough. After two days of it this week, I'm aiming for 3 or 4 days of it next week. For those keeping track, I'm 153 lbs, 66 years young, and compete at least twice a year at powerlifting.
-S-