Not saying this would be good training for serious athletes but for time crutched people with normal jobs, would a treadmill desk be good enough to reach into zone 2 to get some of the benefits while doing their desk job?
Thinking a normal level treadmill would require a running gait to get hard enough to be in zone 2 but an inclined treadmill could allow you to reach zone 2 while still in a walking gait so should be able to use a computer on a standing desk (head movement and arm movement differences between the two gaits)
Or am I being too optimistic (ok, lazy) thinking I can get some useful exercise while working and āsittingā through meetings while working from home? Iām guessing higher level athletes may be too in shape for that to count as a workout but if my ftp on the bike is ~2.5 watts/kgā¦
@enki42 , at first sight, your question made me laugh, but second thought, I actually found it quite interesting.
I am waiting for the answers of the master coaches, but for me, and I think this is the same independently of your level, since Z2 is a āpersonalā zone which is supposed to ignite the same physiological response (from a cardio-respiratory standpoint), Z2 is not a āvery lightā effort.
It requires respiratory focus and despite the fact that it is described as ābeing able to sustain a conversationā, I donāt see myself splitting my cognitives resources between work and workout.
Another point, the biomechanics would be very deteriorated, no arms for the body balance, head in a different position, and this is maybe what bother me the most.
A zone 1 (recovery session) though, why notā¦
Those arenāt supposed to be long, and this is just another approach of pure restā¦
Thanks for the question
I think the purpose of standing and walking desks is not ātrainingā per se, but to try to increase baseline lifestyle activity levels. Which is outside the scope of training zones but is, I think, undervalued for health, fitness, & function benefits.
It is not fun but it can be done. I have a friend who is a serious athlete who has done the ādeskcycleā (as he calls it) in the past. He just used his normal indoor setup with a climbing block and the Wahoo desk or similar.
It will be difficult at first to hit zone-2 and maintain focus but putting the trainer on 0% trainer difficulty and/or ERG mode helps a lot so you can turn off that part of your brain. Works best for tedious tasks that donāt require a lot of thought like emails and similar. Sometimes I have watched lectures that I then watch again later if I really want to absorb the material.
For serious time crunch the easiest thing Iāve found it just get up first thing, hop on the bike, and start drinking coffee and checking email within minutes after waking. Keeps me from reading the news and wasting time. Good luck!