What is an AEROBIC BASE (and how do you train it?)

Very timely. Was just having another conversation about this on Facebook. And have started a 16 week marathon plan where I think this will be even more important for me.

Great feedback on aerobic base building! A solid reminder for me too! I've got to run more easy days. It's far too easy to get pulled into that middle no-mans-land.

is there such a thing as running too slow? i just did the calculation and it said that i should keep my heart rate between 156bpm and 167bpm when i usually keep it just below 140 on pretty much all of my runs

Love the energy in your vids fella!

I just count any run where I don’t have to breathe from my mouth as a base run. Idk if that works or not

It's quite ironic that the brain is the most mind blowing thing?

Is it possible to go too slowly in base building? Eg, my 5k PB pace is 9.10min/mile, and I've read that recovery/base running should be 90sec/mile slower than that.....but I'm happily plodding along at 11.30min/mile....too slow or extra base building benefits? Great video again - thanks guys :D

Wish you had mentioned "telomeres" too.

Hahaha the world is your lobster!

Wow. Watched your video on how to calculate HR zones. I wasn't aware of Joe Friel's calculator, but it suits me way better. I have always found other methods and calculators to output ridiculously low HR zones which seems way off for me personally. I train by POWER, not by HR, but Joe Friel's HR zones Z1 and Z2 allign pretty well with my POWER zones Z1 and Z2. It's nice to have the assurance that my POWER based training in the aerobic zones seems to be in line with aerobic HR zones. Thanks for the content you two upload. Always a pleasure to watch.

I just did a 5km race so this video was perfect timing. My last 3km avg was 178bpm for a 48yrs old. Must admit joe friel zone 2 is really high like 150-158bpm. I usually train around 138bpm avg. Guess i could see how it feels

Hi
I ran 1500m 4.50 but due to some reason I stopped running for 10 months, to get 4.50 time it takes 1.5 year of training i how much time I will get it back.
Please reply bro❤️🥺

Thank you for these explanations! I have a higher than normal max heart rate (200-205bpm) and my watch stats tell me nonsense like I'm pushing z4 when I'm still nose breathing. Now I know I can do my base work in the 150-160 range instead of what seemed impossible to be impossible to run at 140 mark.

The world is your lobster 🌍😂🤣😂

is there a certain age group this applies to because the methods are telling me my aerobic base zones are in the 160s to 170s which is really high. My hr for 5k was around 205-206

I went to a lab to get my aerobic threshold done. It surprised me and turned out I have been spinning my wheels training. My aerobic threshold is only 110 bpm, so I need to spend the next few months essentially walking. I could breathe through my nose and chat at 135-140 bpm, but it’s well above my aerobic threshold

Thanks a lot for this video. I’m someone who lifts three times a week and has recently started running cuz I have no stamina. Should I still be running in the aerobic zone?

So I should quit smoking

Do you train max heart rate or lt for heart rate zones?

If this was true, fartleks would be a waste of time, when they're clearly, demonstrably not.

the best way is test your lactate, zone 1 or bellow lt1 is less than 2mmol/ml blood

Great explanation.

As a newer runner the fluctuating between zone 2+3 is exctly what I thought my problem was but didn't know how to explain it. My effort level always goes up and down over a run, never remains constant.

Thank you for sharing and simplifying some of the concepts!!! Much appreciated as I do have a tendency to run my "easy" runs a little bit too fast.

Mr Happy, one thing I've always been curious about is this. When does a runner know they can or should increase their easy-run pace. I mean, surely there are good runners who started off in their early days doing easy-runs at 10kph or 12kph (for example) but their aerobic base, strength, fitness level has become so developed that their easy-run pace should increase also. I mean, surely if a distance runner could maintain a pace of 18kph, their easy-run pace should be faster than 10khph or 12kph?
Yes, I've heard that easy-runs can never be too slow and that they should be run at conversational pace, but I can't imagine Eliud Kipchoge or any elite athlete is doing his/her easy-run days at 10kph or even 12kph.

Ben: To find your vo2 max you are going to have to run 5k flat out on a flat track.

Me who hasn't run 5k yet and will need to do it at nose breathing pace: Well I gues I just have to keep building my distance and weekly mileage first.

Thanks for the video!

Do you have any good ideas how to work on my aerobic base while I"m out with a nasty IT band "injury" ("runners knee")?

After learning to swim for a month , I suddenly realised I can run at medium pace indefinitely. Earlier I hardly lasted a minute .I realised exactly what you explained in this video , but it became much clear when I watched .Thanks for putting your time and effort ❤

I am trying to maximize the aerobic adaptations of larger heart chambers, stroke volume, plasma volume and red cells, and new blood vessels.
Do you know specifically how/why steady state Zone 3 (70-85%) is superior to HIIT for these adaptations?

HIIT studies always claim to be superior and I don't understand why or who is correct.

“And numero ———- ummm uhh ——- THREE” - the gap in the speech marks the distance bw England and Spain, coach! 😂

Hi great article. One point ref energy systems. As far as i am aware, the aerobic energy system is errr... aerobic (obviously!) .
The anaerobic system however, is an umbrella term for the 1. lactic acid system ( which can only last max of about two minutes,
and 2. the ATP / PC system which lasts even less - about 10 seconds)
I am sure you know this already, but in your graph near the start, you mentioned the lactic acid system lasting about an hour. Any exercise lasting this long is almost exclusively aerobic. Obviously no system is totally exclusive in any exercise.

Anyway like i said, very interesting article Thanks. G

Wow

I find base training so hard, as in knowing I'm in the right zone. I've been doing it for a few months now having previously always run around zone 3 and am pretty sure I still go too hard sometimes.

I find these problems.

I can run, just nasal breathing at around 158bpm. For me (39-years old) this is far too fast acording to all data and how I feel. Maybe I've got big nostrils or something.

My HR is unreliable. I have young children and so pretty much always have some sort of cold or sniffle. My HR is impacted by this, stress, the fact I work night shifts as well as a few other things.

I have found the conversational pace bit to be most reliable. I tend to randomly burst into song as I'm running as a bit of a test, and this tends to keep me quite slow. It also means I tend to run alone as no one wants to be seen with me.

I was exclusively running easy recently (MAF training) and I enioyed the fact I could run every day due to low impact, but I just missed sometimes opening my legs up. Hang on, let me re-phrase that.

Anyway, an interesting video with some good points well made. I'll have been running for a year in August and have got my 5km time down from 38 minutes to 22.49, which I'm very happy with. I'd love to have a bigger base and that's what I'm trying to work on now, but sometimes I just love to make the session hurt a bit. Odd as I used to hate any sort of running when I was younger. Maybe the two young children and getting out of the house is a reason now. Hmm.

Running the 5 k to get heart rate you mean run it flat out as hard as possible?

I'm 250 @ 5'6 atm. I started running again with my heart rate monitor. Seems like the upper limit of my aerobic zone is 130 bpm. If I wanna stay under this, I have to jog 22 min per mile. Super slow right? Do note that in highschool at 165 I run a 5k at 26 minutes after no running to running in a year. I'm also powerlifting so I'm not gonna do zone 3 work or anything at all. Just purely zone 2 and 1. If you see this, please comment so I can update my progress in the next few months!

5 km is 12,5 times round the inner track. That's a lot!

So jogging?

I love the idea of "feeling guilty" as you run because you feel like you could push much harder. I would also maybe add "feel embarrassed." When I truly run in my aerobic zone I often feel self conscious that people in the street are judging me for running so slow.

The graph helps.

Zone is in spectrum. Zone 3 is not wasted and can be suitable for people who have little time to train

i cant jog for 400 metres! Dunno how i will do a 5k to calculate my base zone :(

Running on a road with kids on their cellphones these days is insane. Ill stick to trail running thanks!

love how you explained aerobic base zones and the body's energy systems! Thanks so much!

Great info! Thx! Please tell me the name of the music we hearing :)

How many burgundy Vans shirts does this guy own lol

Hey I’ve been training zone 2 for a 3-4 months, not knowing much of what I’m doing, working towards a marathon. I decided to get a trainer and he has given me a training schedule that mostly includes me running faster than my zone 2. Even upto heart rate of 175 some times. Is this normal or should I seek another trainer lol