With Heart Rate Monitors now cheaper and more accessible than ever, it’s time to learn how to use your Heart Rate monitor in your training.
Heart rate is the measure of the number of times your heart beats per minute (expressed as bpm). It essentially measures the intensity at which your cardiovascular system is working. Heart rate is influenced by various factors, including physical activity, genetics, emotions, the weather, and your overall health and fitness level.
Runners often measure their heart rate to monitor their exercise intensity and track their fitness levels. By paying attention to your heart rate, you can ensure you are training at the appropriate intensity for your goals. Here are a few reasons why you should consider monitoring your heart rate:
- Training Intensity: Heart rate provides an objective measure of exercise intensity. By training within specific heart rate zones, you can ensure you are exerting the right amount of effort during your workouts. Different heart rate zones target different physiological adaptations, such as endurance, fat burning, or speed development.
- Overtraining and Recovery: Monitoring heart rate can help you identify signs of overtraining. Consistently elevated heart rate at rest or during exercise may indicate excessive stress on your body, inadequate recovery, or potential health issues. By tracking heart rate trends over time, you can make informed decisions about adjusting your training or incorporating more recovery time.
- Aerobic Fitness Assessment: Heart rate can serve as an indicator of aerobic fitness. Regularly tracking heart rate during standardised workouts, like a timed run or a specific distance, can help you measure improvements in your cardiovascular capacity over time.
- Injury Prevention: Sudden increases in heart rate during a run may indicate fatigue or excessive strain. By monitoring heart rate, you can recognize potential signs of overexertion and adjust your training to prevent injuries and promote long-term health.
- Personalised Training: Heart rate monitoring enables you to tailor your training plans to your capabilities and goals. By understanding your heart rate responses to different workouts, you can optimize your training by adjusting duration, intensity, and recovery periods.
It’s important to note that heart rate is just one tool among many for monitoring and optimizing running performance. It should be used in conjunction with other factors such as perceived exertion, pace, and overall well-being to get a comprehensive understanding of your body’s response to training.
What should my maximum Heart Rate be?
The first step in Heart Rate Training is to calculate your maximum heart rate. There are all types of formulas and methods you can use. The easiest and most accessible method is to use the formula 220 minus your age. So if you are a 30-year-old, your maximum heart rate is approximately 190 beats per minute (220 – 30).
Heart Rate Zones
There’s no one standard ‘best practice’ for dividing heart rates into training zones, however, here’s a summary based on our research.
| Zone | Name | Percentage of Max Heart Rate | Used for | How you know you’re in this zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Anaerobic | 90% + | Speed | Flat out – unsustainable for longer than a few minutes |
| 4 | Anaerobic | 80-85% | Economy | Comfortably Hard; Strong but comfortable; Just below “Hurt but hold” paceIn this zone you’ve crossed from aerobic to anaerobic training. See why this is important below. |
| 3 | Aerobic | 70-80% | Stamina | You can hold a conversation |
| 2 | Endurance | 60/65-70% | Endurance | Very comfortable. This level of workout helps train your body to up the rate of fat release |
| 1 | Recovery | 50-65% | Recovery | Low intensity; Very easy; Good pace for a recovery run, brisk walk, or warm-up and cool down. |
Anaerobic vs Aerobic
While running, your body breaks down sugar and converts it to glycogen, to be used as fuel. When your body has enough oxygen, it’s aerobic; when it doesn’t, it’s anaerobic.
When it comes to training,
- Aerobic running means your muscles have enough oxygen to produce the required energy.
- Anaerobic running is where your body doesn’t have enough oxygen, so your muscles must break down sugar. The problem is this process produces lactate, leading to quicker fatigue.
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