Training & Nutrition - Is there such a thing as a "dead zone"?

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xfimpg
03-25-09, 10:13 AM
Hi Everyone

I have conflicting information, from whom I consider to be credible sources, and would like your insights, maybe you've been through this before.

Context: I'm establishing different heart rate zones to train in, what most of us do at some point.

On one side, Polar (the heart rate monitor company) states that there is a "dead zone" between 80 - 85% of your heart rate.

On the other side, Chris Carmichael does not make any mention of this "dead zone" and includes it as part of his zoning, i.e. zone 1 to 5.

Is there such a thing as a "dead zone" around the 80 - 85% area?

Please let me know if I need to provide more specifics.

Thanks in advance for your insights!
Mike

Pat
03-25-09, 10:42 AM
Well, I don't think anything like this has an underlying physiological reality.
benjamin_s
03-25-09, 10:45 AM
Your not targeting the aerobic or anaerobic system specifically with that intensity, hence why they call it a dead spot.

xfimpg
03-25-09, 11:14 AM
Your not targeting the aerobic or anaerobic system specifically with that intensity, hence why they call it a dead spot.

And that really is the question... is there a "dead zone"?
Are there any recent developments that could conclude a Yes or No to this question...? :speedy:
Enthalpic
03-25-09, 12:06 PM
And that really is the question... is there a "dead zone"?

No. In fact, there aren’t any distinct zones at all, training adaptations occur along a continuum.
Carbonfiberboy
03-25-09, 01:03 PM
That's actually a nice training zone for doing long high cadence (100+) intervals and for low cadence (50-70) intervals. Stuff that pushes your muscular envelope, where you don't want to be up near LT or so low that you don't get the muscular adaptation.
wmodavis
03-25-09, 04:08 PM
My dead zone is '0'.
xfimpg
03-25-09, 04:15 PM
My dead zone is '0'.

R.I.P., Wmodavis.
xfimpg
03-25-09, 04:17 PM
No. In fact, there aren’t any distinct zones at all, training adaptations occur along a continuum.

This makes the most amount of sense.
NoRacer
03-26-09, 07:14 AM
Hi Everyone

I have conflicting information, from whom I consider to be credible sources, and would like your insights, maybe you've been through this before.

Context: I'm establishing different heart rate zones to train in, what most of us do at some point.

On one side, Polar (the heart rate monitor company) states that there is a "dead zone" between 80 - 85% of your heart rate.

On the other side, Chris Carmichael does not make any mention of this "dead zone" and includes it as part of his zoning, i.e. zone 1 to 5.

Is there such a thing as a "dead zone" around the 80 - 85% area?

Please let me know if I need to provide more specifics.

Thanks in advance for your insights!
Mike

The term is "gray zone" not "dead zone".

Dead zone = 0 BPM

These zones are defined here (notice that there are multiple "gray zones" in this definition--other training systems may define as few as one "gray zone"):

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/running/pace-zone-index-details.aspx
Richard Cranium
03-26-09, 08:21 AM
Is there such a thing as a "dead zone" around the 80 - 85% area? Please let me know if I need to provide more specifics.You should reread Carmichael.

All exercise stresses various organ systems. That's why the "exer" exists in exercise.

If you exercise at a heart rate that fails to promote a favorable training response, then you can go ahead and call it a "dead zone" workout.

Riding while drunk, or doing sprints up hills while dehydrated could both be classified as "dead zone" workouts, no matter what heart rate is being maintained.