Endurance training zones using ‘The Talk Test’
Could chatting to yourself during endurance training help your performance?
How do you know which training zone you’re in when performing your endurance training?
Many athletes have heard of polarised training or 80/20 running and understand we need a combination of high and low intensity endurance training. But how do you guide or know which training zone you’re in when exercising?
You could use heart rate but it is so susceptible to other factors, such as heat, how much caffeine you’re had, the environment etc, so is there something else we could use?
In this newsletter I’m going to explain training zones based on ventilatory thresholds and why I use the talk test to help guide my endurance training.
If you’re familiar with exercise science you probably have seen the figure below before.
Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows the increase in blood lactate concentration as an athlete increases the intensity of their output, usually determined via an incremental step test.
From these data we can estimate two key inflection points, often known as threshold 1 and 2. You may have heard them being called the lactate threshold and lactate turnpoint. They have many names, but that is because they are trying to describe the physiological changes that are proposed to change here.
In Figure 1, threshold 1 represents when blood lactate concentration starts to rise steadily, and threshold 2 represents when blood lactate concentration starts to rise exponentially.
So what does this have to do with the ventilatory system and why have I labeled these ventilatory threshold 1 and 2?
As we pass threshold 1 and blood lactate increases, ventilatory rate also starts to increase. This is because of the increased levels of VCO2 caused by the increased breakdown of the increasing levels of lactate through lactate dissociation.
The increased number of H+ from the breakdown of lactate binds to bicarbonate, which produces water and CO2. Thus, CO2 increases and minute ventilation increases to get rid of it through expiration.
In short, we increase our breathing rate to expel the increased levels of CO2.
Back to Figure 1 and as our blood lactate concentration curve goes past threshold 2 we get another ventilatory threshold, sometimes labeled the respiratory compensatory point.
The mechanisms of this are not as understood as ventilatory threshold 1, but it has been suggested that similar mechanisms are involved.
Past this threshold the increase in blood lactate concentration becomes exponential so, using the same process breaking down lactate, CO2 production becomes excessive, which results in much faster breathing rates and exercise induced hyperventilation. It has also been suggested that chemoreceptors increasing ventilation could be involved.
So what does this have to do with the Talk Test?
The Talk Test is a self-regulatory method many use during endurance training where you use the number of words you can say while exercising, and your perceived breathlessness, to estimate which training zone based on ventilatory thresholds you are in.
If we use the 3 zone module presented in Figure 1 we can use the Talk Test to estimate if we’re in the moderate, heavy or severe training zone.
The Moderate zone
This zone is similar to the popular Zone 2. This zone is before the first ventilatory threshold, and because breather frequency has yet to increase significantly you should be able to say a full sentence without getting too breathless.
When I’m doing my low intensity endurance training I test my intensity by saying aloud the following quote::
“The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time”
This sentence is from author Jack London and was recently used in the James Bond film ‘No Time To Die’. There is nothing special about this passage (though it is a mantra that is important to me).
However, It is long enough to truly test my training intensity. People tend to do their low intensity endurance training too intensely, thinking that they’re in the moderate zone when they’re actually in the heavy domain. I expect myself to say this passage easily and not be breathless by the end of it. That way I believe I am training before the first ventilatory threshold.
The Heavy zone
In the heavy zone blood lactate concentrations increase but they can stabilise. Therefore, breathing rate has increased, but not to the point of hyperventilation. Because of this, I can estimate if I am in the heavy zone by being able to say a small sentence, possibly around 5 worlds long, whilst training.
I personally break up the heavy zone into two sections: Just after ventilatory threshold 1 and just before ventilatory threshold 2. I use different parts of the above quote where my endurance training is in the heavy domain:
Just after VT1: “The function of man is to live, not to exist”
Just before VT2: “I shall use my time”
Again, I should be able to say these words without being too breathless. If I am, I adjust my intensity accordingly.
The Severe zone
In the severe zone CO2 is produced excessively and your breathing rate increases significantly. Therefore, you may only be able to speak out loud 1 or 2 words. When you’re training this hard you probably don’t care which words you use.
It should be noted that we’re using the Talk Test as descriptors to estimate which training zone we are in. These estimates are based on physiological phenomena, and while may not be as accurate as regular use of lactate testing, it is still an easy to use method to help guide and self-regulate your training. If you can use the Talk Test alongside other physiological data, even better, but for those who can’t I’d suggest giving the Talk test a try.
Have you used the Talk Test before? Let me know your experiences in the comments
Keep embracing creativity
Dr Phil Price
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