Why Heart Rate Training

Why Heart Rate Training

Dave Calvert and Sean Huffman MS, ATC, PT

Fit For Life Physical Therapy

Most runners tend to run according to how they feel.  If you feel good, you will push the pace.  This is a recipe for over-training and/or possible injury.

Heart Rate Guided training will allow for endurance gains and proper recovery between runs.

There are three main topics when discussing Heart Rated Guided training:

• Maximum Heart Rate
• Heart Rate Zones (1 to 5)
• Training Runs - Endurance, Tempo, Interval

How do you find your Maximum Heart Rate?

• 220 minus your age to find Maximum Heart Rate (example 220 - 40 for a max HR of 180 beats per minute).  Age and Genetics will determine your Maximum Heart Rate.  Fitness level has no bearing on this number.
• Resting Heart Rate - Before you get out of bed in the morning take your heart rate for 4 days. Use the average of these readings to establish your Resting Heart Rate.
• VO2 Max Testing - This is a test of your body’s maximum capacity to transport and use oxygen during maximum effort. VO2 Max testing will give you a true Maximum Heart Rate.  This is a clinical setting on a treadmill with more of an accurate reading than the 220 minus your age estimate. These can be scheduled through McConnell Heart Health Center and Baseline Fitness for a precise individualized prescription of Heart Rate training zones.

Training Zones

• Zone 1:  Active recovery
• Zone 2:  Steady state aerobic long-distance training runs
• Zone 3:  Tempo run - Introducing anaerobic component.  Lactate produced but not overwhelming
• Zone 4:  Interval I Anaerobic training
• Zone 5:  Interval II Anaerobic training

Training Runs

• Endurance - Your endurance runs will cover 3 to 4 days of your weekly mileage.  Long run, recovery runs.  These runs should stay in zone 2. (without Heart Rate Guided training, most people mistakenly run somewhere zone 3)
• Tempo - 80% of Maximum Heart Rate, for a duration of 30 to 90 minutes.  This should be comfortably hard (High zone 3 to high zone 4).  This is conditioning the body to stay at or close to race pace.
• Interval - 90 to 100% of Maximum Heart Rate, for a duration of 30 seconds to 5 minutes (Zone 5).  These are repetitive with an active recovery down to zone 1 between sets.

Fit For Life Physical Therapy cares for people of all activity levels - to help prevent, recover from, or rehabilitate sports & orthopedic injuries.  We are proud to move people every day.

Please visit our website https://www.fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com/, email us at info@fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com, or call or text us at any of the phone numbers for our three convenient locations inside Fleet Feet/FrontRunner stores:

Polaris:  1270 East Powell Road Lewis Center, Ohio 43035 ~ 614-981-2065

Upper Arlington:  1344 West Lane Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43221 ~ 614-981-1979

New Albany:  5792 North Hamilton Road, Columbus, Ohio 43230 ~ 614-581-7441