Training Zones with ENGO

Unlock the Power of Training Zones with ENGO

From the earliest days of my pursuit to become an endurance athlete, I’ve been urged to train according to the Zone Method.  Its tantalizing promise of maximizing fitness gains has always been appealing, but frustratingly elusive.

What good was zone training if I could never stay in the zone?

It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I usually trained too hard.   It turns out that it’s much more difficult to hold back during workouts than trying to beat my training buddies during every session!   

Then I was introduced to ENGO Eyewear and my life as an endurance athlete changed.

What is Zone Training, Anyway?

Zone training is a method of endurance exercising in which you purposely train at different prescribed ranges of intensity.  Originally calculated from heart rate, other measures of training intensity may be also used to dictate your zones – like power generated while cycling. 

These heart rate or power zones reflect the optimal exercise intensities that you’re meant to follow during a personalized training regimen, all based on your unique physiological attributes, current level of fitness, and performance goals. 

The most popular of these training systems uses a 5-zone structure, where Zone 1 intensity is very easy and Zone 5 is an all-out effort.

The promise of zone training is that, if executed correctly, you’ll significantly improve the various energy systems that contribute to overall endurance performance.  Ultimately, you’ll get faster.

How Does Sports Eyewear Help?

As surprising as it sounds, ENGO Eyewear delivered the breakthrough experience I needed to finally train according to the zone method.

Through a Bluetooth connection with my Garmin watch, I was able to see my real-time performance data displayed in my field of view.  

I can’t explain the technology but the entire package is small, lightweight and customizable based on the data that you care about most.

Finally, I’m in the Zone

By monitoring my training effort in real-time with ENGO, I didn’t have to disrupt my running mechanics or constantly divert attention to check my numbers.  I discovered that following even a complex training plan is now surprisingly stress-free.  

For example, I was recently performing a swing pacing interval workout at the local high school track that called for multiple repeats above and below my lactate threshold.   This is a challenging session that too often deteriorates into a handful of sloppy efforts near the end.

On this occasion, wearing ENGO glasses that displayed my pace, heart rate, distance and time, I was able to flawlessly execute my workout from beginning to end.  It was still hard but – with my data changing right before my eyes – I was able to feather my effort from the very first set, relax into my session, and hit all my goal times.  

For the first time in my athletic career, training zones no longer felt like a foreign language.  I might actually know what I’m doing!  

The information displayed in my ENGO glasses provides the guardrails I need to train effectively, efficiently and with confidence.