General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Heart Rate Training? Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2012-04-19 7:29 PM

User image

Member
58
2525
Subject: Heart Rate Training?

About 3 weeks ago during the training for my first tri in June, I decided to give heart rate training a shot. The problem I have is that it seems soo darn slow.. I have always been in enough shape to able to run 3 miles, I always have lifted, ect.. So I have a decent background of activity, and am not a couch potato.

I understand the that heart rate training will eventually help me go faster longer, but its killing me to go this slow. "Go hard or go home" is how I have always been. My bike rides are at a slower mph than I want to do and my runs are slow, and at times almost feels like I could power walk that fast.

What I'm doing is three bikes, runs and swims week. Day one of each activity I push it a little and dont concentrate on heart rate that much, but days 2 and three are dont keeping heart rate in zone 2. All of my workouts are for a certain time, not distance, so at the slower pace I am not getting in as many miles as I was before I started heart rate training. It seems to be working, I think.

My question is should I do this  until my tri on June 17th? Or should I speed things up the last month before my tri?

Any experience with this type of training would be appreciated.



2012-04-20 4:47 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Pro
6011
50001000
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
How did you determine your zones?
2012-04-20 6:06 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Veteran
523
500
East Greenbush
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=25733&start=1

 

If you can perform the LT test then do it.  I am guessing you are off on your heart rate.  The whole goal of slowing down is so you can run more.

2012-04-20 7:31 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Payson, AZ
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
HR training involves checking your ego at the door.  (after you have established your zones properly)  It doesn't always mean you run in Zone 1-2, but if you want to follow the program and gain the most from it when it says do that, do it. 
2012-04-20 7:50 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Extreme Veteran
799
500100100252525
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
So there's a bunch of different ways to train by HR.  When you're doing high intensity intervals you should find it difficult to keep your HR up to the prescribed number. Maybe you need to redo your LT test or look into a different type of program that has more intervals to keep yourself interested
2012-04-20 8:27 AM
in reply to: #4161741

Regular
262
1001002525
Toronto, Ontario
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?


2012-04-20 9:49 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Veteran
308
100100100
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
How do you know what your max heart rate is?
2012-04-20 10:07 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Member
58
2525
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

Thanks for the links and info I will look it up.

 

As for my hear rate max.  I determined it while on a tread mill after I had just finished a 26 minute run.

I then ran at a fast (for me) pace for a few minutes, then increased the incline to the max for as long as I could. Then put the treadmill flat and ran fast for a while and then did the incline thing again. I ran fast and inclined for a total of three times. All the while wearing a Garmin hear rate monitor. I came up with 188.

Im also 45 years old, 6 foot, and bounce between 225 and 230lbs

2012-04-20 10:37 AM
in reply to: #4162225

User image

Member
45
25
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

bzgl40 - 2012-04-20 7:31 AM HR training involves checking your ego at the door.  (after you have established your zones properly)  It doesn't always mean you run in Zone 1-2, but if you want to follow the program and gain the most from it when it says do that, do it. 

I totally agree with this.  Back a few years ago ( before knee injuries and arthritis sidelined me for a while ) I was hammering out miles every day , but never getting the gains I thought I should have been getting considering how hard I was training.  A friend and I decided we would give heart rate trainin a try..thinking we had not been working hard enough...we found out we were red lining our heart rates practically every run.  Had to back WAY off on our runs..sometimes even walking to keep our HR in the zone we wanted.  After a few weeks, we were back to totally running all the time, and in 3 months we both started setting PR's for us at every distance we raced.  Like he said..check your ego at the door..but I soon saw huge gains. 

 

2012-04-20 10:39 AM
in reply to: #4162587

User image

Expert
924
500100100100100
Louisville, KY
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

slonce5 - 2012-04-20 10:49 AM How do you know what your max heart rate is?

Read the other referenced threads and don't worry about your max HR.  It is completely irrelevant to your training as you'll discover in your research.

2012-04-20 11:24 AM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Champion
7036
5000200025
Sarasota, FL
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

I've been heart rate training for several years.

To offer a few things based on my own experience, FWIW:

I did initial testing with a coach to establish my lactic threshold heart rate then we determined my training zones from that.  My coach told me when I started to forget my ego and think of Z2 runs as "bag runs", where you feel like you're going so slow that you want to wear a bag over your head so people won't recognize you.

It takes patience.  Time and consistency are the keys.  I found that I had to run at least every other day over a period of several months to see significant, sustainable performance improvement.  Over shorter time frames there are too many factors that can influence your workouts positively or negatively, so you need to keep a long-term perspective.  But if you stick with it, your average pace in your training zone will improve.

Other suggestions or things to consider:

Lose weight.  Not only does it improve your power-to-weight ratio, but reduces the pounding on you back, legs & joints.

There's a lot of different training programs out there and you should look for one that fits you.  In my case, I pretty much followed Joe Friel's periodization method, which in very broad terms trades volume for intensity as you build for a race, i.e., your workouts look more like race efforts in duration & intensity as you approach a race.  It's based on four-week build cycles, followed by a recovery week, or three week cycles for older decrepit guys like me.    

Have fun.  Probably the most important factor.  No matter what training program you follow, if you don't enjoy it, you probably won't stick with it over the long run.

Good luck,

Mark

   

 



2012-04-20 11:27 AM
in reply to: #4162837

User image

Melon Presser
52116
50005000500050005000500050005000500050002000100
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
RedCorvette - 2012-04-21 12:24 AM

I've been heart rate training for several years.

To offer a few things based on my own experience, FWIW:

I did initial testing with a coach to establish my lactic threshold heart rate then we determined my training zones from that.  My coach told me when I started to forget my ego and think of Z2 runs as "bag runs", where you feel like you're going so slow that you want to wear a bag over your head so people won't recognize you.

It takes patience.  Time and consistency are the keys.  I found that I had to run at least every other day over a period of several months to see significant, sustainable performance improvement.  Over shorter time frames there are too many factors that can influence your workouts positively or negatively, so you need to keep a long-term perspective.  But if you stick with it, your average pace in your training zone will improve.

Other suggestions or things to consider:

Lose weight.  Not only does it improve your power-to-weight ratio, but reduces the pounding on you back, legs & joints.

There's a lot of different training programs out there and you should look for one that fits you.  In my case, I pretty much followed Joe Friel's periodization method, which in very broad terms trades volume for intensity as you build for a race, i.e., your workouts look more like race efforts in duration & intensity as you approach a race.  It's based on four-week build cycles, followed by a recovery week, or three week cycles for older decrepit guys like me.    

Have fun.  Probably the most important factor.  No matter what training program you follow, if you don't enjoy it, you probably won't stick with it over the long run.

Good luck,

Mark  

BAG RUNS! HA HA HA HA!

I love it.

And x2 on everything you said.

2012-04-20 11:33 AM
in reply to: #4161741

Regular
262
1001002525
Toronto, Ontario
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
This is a big newbie question so I thought I'd just tag it along to this thread but what equipment do you need to gather heart rate data from a workout? Obviously the heart rate strap, but what do I need for the data retention portion of it?
2012-04-20 1:04 PM
in reply to: #4161741

User image

Member
89
252525
Austin, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

Anyone see/know of anything wrong with hitting the gym and using an elliptical for low HR "runs"? I can't for the life of me maintain any sort of form slowing down enough to get my HR low. Of course, I know to bring my own HR monitor, not rely on an elliptical.

'tis what I currently do, and I'm making good progress. I'd really like to get tested though, and find out definite numbers/ranges. I can maintain waay to high of a HR for waay too long, according to most everything I've read.

2012-04-20 1:36 PM
in reply to: #4162860

User image

Champion
7036
5000200025
Sarasota, FL
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?

jaycee6 - 2012-04-20 12:33 PM This is a big newbie question so I thought I'd just tag it along to this thread but what equipment do you need to gather heart rate data from a workout? Obviously the heart rate strap, but what do I need for the data retention portion of it?

I'm a bit old school, but FWIW:  I've got an older Timex Ironman heart rate monitor with 50 lap memory that stores data, but I have to download it manually.  I set up an Excel spreadsheet where I enter everything manually.  My Timex stores   time and ave HR per lap.  It also stores min, max & ave heart rate, total time, calories expended and recovery time for the entire workout.  I can also set high/low alarms that beep when my heart rate gets out of my target zone.  In addition, I do the Galloway run/walk for my long runs and the Timex has a timer function that I can use for that. 

Most current-generation heart rate monitors have the capability to download workout data directly to your computer.  There are lots of folks here who are a lot more savy in this area than me, so I assume they'll hop in.  I plan to upgrade once my current unit goes belly up or if I win the lottery...

Mark   

2012-04-20 3:45 PM
in reply to: #4163109

User image

Payson, AZ
Subject: RE: Heart Rate Training?
JASpencer - 2012-04-20 11:04 AM

Anyone see/know of anything wrong with hitting the gym and using an elliptical for low HR "runs"? I can't for the life of me maintain any sort of form slowing down enough to get my HR low. Of course, I know to bring my own HR monitor, not rely on an elliptical.

'tis what I currently do, and I'm making good progress. I'd really like to get tested though, and find out definite numbers/ranges. I can maintain waay to high of a HR for waay too long, according to most everything I've read.

Then you need to run/walk until you can run slow enough and maintain your form.  Your not training for the ellipical, your training to run. 



New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Heart Rate Training? Rss Feed