On Sunday I wrote about how I tried to do a 20 minute interval session with my usual strength training routine, failing to get my heart rate into a cardiac training zone. I ended up going on to an 8 sec work / 12 sec rest indoor training session on the bike.
After a bit more research couresy of Hillfit again, I did my usual Pilates routine followed by a body weight conditioning effort for 20 minutes. All while wearing my heart rate monitor, the record of which is above. The first half is the Pilates and it’s clear that over 20 minutes my heart rate stayed under what I have marked as Zone 1, my recovery area. In the second half I did 10 cycles of a 2 minute circuit: pushups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks. My rate rose into Zone 3 and bounced around there depending on how continous my effort was. It was challenging both from a strength and a cardiac perspective.
I’m now pretty convinced that this kind of 20 minute workout can provide a strong training stimulus, although it won’t build endurance for long efforts. From my simple exploration so far, it seems that moving body weight is the key. Only the body’s prime mover muscles will develop enough power to provide the cardiovascular stimulus. Effort has to be continuous, or at least rest has to be incomplete to push heart rate toward lactate threshold.