heart rate question

Hi,

A few thoughts for you:

• Base your training zones on tested lactate threshold (field test is ok) or percieved exertion. Age-based formulas may work for statistical populations but not for individuals. Your training zones are particular to you, not anyone else. That said, using lactate threshold as the reference point for your zones is better than max heart rate, as good things (and bad) happen according to where you're training in relation to lactate threshold.
• In the early season you may want to use percieved exertion rather than heart rate zones. Why? I've found that it takes 6-8 weeks to accrue training adaptations that make your heart rate more "sticky," or for your zones to reflect your percieved exertion (PE, or RPE, rate of percieved exertion). In other words, in January, easy feels easy but your heart rate tells you you're about to implode....and you haven't even left the couch. I have my atheltes use PE as the primary tool, heart rate as secondary until we can do a field test, after about 8-10 weeks. At this point I've found their resultant training zones more accurately reflect their PE.
• Field test: if you've read Friel's Triathlete Training Bible you'll recognize this one: warm up and perform a 30 minute time trial, as if racing. At the 10 minute mark hit the split button on your heart rate monitor so you can record your average heart rate for the last 20 minutes. Record this number. This is number is an often "good enough" estimate of your lactate threshold. However, one modification I often use is to employ a little SWAG. For example, if the athlete is experienced, motivated, has a history of competitive athletics, etc, I'll bet that they can hold an effort at or near LTHR for as long as 45-50 minutes. I'll subtract 5-7bpm from this number and call that their LTHR. We'll then refine it through experience.

My advice: just run, run often, and run easy to steady. What do I mean by that? Apply the test of Repeatability by asking yourself "Is this combination of volume and intensity repeatable, both mentally and physically?" In other words, could you physically repeat the workout tomorrow if you had to? More importantly, would you WANT to repeat it. If the answer is no, reduce the intensity of the session first, the volume second. Your number one goal should be to just run, frequently, week after week, month after month. That's about as sexy as it needs to be sometimes.

Cheers,

In my experience, max heart rate just isn't very useful. The age formula is useless. The only "reliable" method to test it is to essentially put a gun to your head and make you drill yourself up a hill. If you've ever done an MHR test it is NOT fun. If we can establish useful training zones with a less painful method, isn't that preferred?

Before you do a test, ask yourself: is the information you gain going to be useful in your training? The classic is to perform LTHR testing every month in a "rest" week. You drill yourself in March and determine your LTHR on the run is 170. You drill yourself again in April, during a rest week, and determine that your LTHR is...170. What did you learn? Not a whole lot unless you maybe determine your pace at LTHR and use that as an additional intensity measurment. But in the meantime you've tested yourself during a rest week, and probably did bike and swim test as well during that rest week. Not very restful

The HRM is a tool and just like any other it's only as useful as the skill of the user. Much of that skill is acquired through time on the road and in the saddle. Be patient and use the HRM as a window to look into your body and see how it reacts to different training and environmental stresses. THAT is very useful information on race day.

Cheers,