But i’ve been using a simple 3x/week progression (35–45 minutes, mostly Zone 2 with 2–3 minute Zone 3 pops) that’s been great for building endurance and heart health, with a few clients dropping resting HR 5–8 bpm by week 6. If you want the Google Sheet, I’ll share — what tweaks are you making in weeks 1–2 for those who struggle to stay under 70% max?
I’ve had good results setting a strict ‘pace cap’ and inserting a 60s walk reset whenever HR drifts >5 bpm; @OP do you keep the 2–3 min pops in for these folks or push them to week 3? Small caveat: on the bike I cue high cadence/low torque so they don’t creep past 70%…
First two weeks I cut the ‘2–3 min pops’ and use a cadence + nasal-breathing gate: treadmill 0% at 160–165 spm or bike 80–85 rpm; if HR creeps, they downshift pace without changing cadence. By week 3 most handle 35–45 min with 2 x 60s Zone 3 — @kmason_xo I’ve found cadence gates smoother than strict pace caps.
For clients who can’t stay under 70%, I trim duration about 20% and use a 5% HR–pace decoupling stop; if it stays under that next time, we add 5 minutes. Small caveat: warm rooms spike drift — add a box fan and 300–[redacted] sodium per hour; it’s like giving the engine a radiator. Does your sheet track decoupling, @OP, or just average HR?