HR Training Zones / Base Training. - Triathlon

Bouncing Barlist pirate

pirate

09/02/2004 at 16:05

I know there are loads of threads about this floating round but im a bit confused and want to confirm what fits best with my training regime re Marthon / Ironman Endurance.

What is the formula for calculating HR zones? Is it?

220 – age (34) = 186?

Ive got that bit ok I think but then get confused how to work out my training zones and what they are? Does the training zone % e.g. 65-75% MHR got from the 220 or 186 figure?

Should my zones be:

Recovery 60% MHR or less
Easy 60 – 70% MHR
Steady 70 – 80% MHR
Tempo / Hard 80 – 90% MHR

Could someone post an example at what heartrate zones I should be training, im particularly interested in the endurance building zone i.e. ‘easy’.

Many thanks

jeffery lady killer

09/02/2004 at 16:29

You first need to find out what your Max HR and your ave resting HR? 220 minus your age is not accurate enough!!

Example, 32 resting 179 max 179-32 =147 is then divided by the percentage you want to train at, then add your resting HR. This then gives you the training Zone.

Bouncing Barlist pirate

pirate

09/02/2004 at 16:41

Thats what I was doing wrong, forgetting to re-add my resting HR.

Im not sure of my max and am wary to tri it out on a treadmill due to niggling leg injuries, is a bike good enough to get max HR?

I know my resting is 43.

Thanks....

jeffery lady killer

09/02/2004 at 16:55

Warm up for a while on your bike, at least 30 mins then find a hill that is'nt to steep and just go hard and you will find your Max!

May be worth trying that on a couple of occassions to make sure you get a similar reading?!

SalfordRower

09/02/2004 at 17:43

that'll be great fun for ya! a few max heart rate tests :) good look finding it, but your max heart rate on the bike will probably be different for your max running and max swimming etc.....

Either will be a good enough indication for you though to work out your zones

David Donaghue

10/02/2004 at 11:56

Im still confused with the whole HRM thing? Can anyone explain how exactly you get your training zones, how much they should differ and how to use the training zones effectively?????

jeffery lady killer

10/02/2004 at 12:08

Each training zone is the percentage of effort that you put in i.e 50-60% would be considered level 1, this is low effort and is using oxygen as your fuel.

Each zone is using differant fuels within your body, if you were training at 70-80% of your max HR then you would be using carbohydrate as the main fuel so considering you body only stores 45mins worth then you would'nt train at this level for more than that.

candy ollier

10/02/2004 at 16:46

i thought it stored about 15 or 18 miles worth

you must be ******* fast jeffrey

cougie

pirate

10/02/2004 at 16:52

I typically do TT's at just over 90% of MHR - and that would be for an hour for a 25.

Maybe slightly less than 90% for a 50 though, but not much.

(but looking at the info on the Polar site - they agree with JLK.)

50-60% Recovery sessions

60-70% Fat burning

70 -80% Steady state training

80 - 90% This intensity can be held for about one hour in competition (?)

>90% Short distance races - sprints etc

candy ollier

10/02/2004 at 17:05

i thought the limit was due to lactate threshold/lactic acid build up rather than glycogen depletion

cougie

pirate

10/02/2004 at 17:10

That's 80>90% according to Polar.

I can see his point though. Unless you were taking on fuel, you'd get the knock, but it takes me more than 45 mins.
Recent Half Marathon - 90 mins and Average HR was about 85% of max. No refuelling enroute.

jeffery lady killer

10/02/2004 at 17:11

When each of the stores in your body run out it looks to the next store to help it out i.e carb's - fat - muscle - death!!

Not death!!

candy ollier

10/02/2004 at 17:13

agreed - takes me longer than 90 mins to bonk at 85%

takes me 3 hours+ at 70%

cougie

pirate

10/02/2004 at 17:17

It's not v precise all this HR stuff.

I have a 19 beat range in all the zones, so 170bpm is a lot different from 151.

Still, HRM's are useful.

And Andy said bonk. (childish snigger)

candy ollier

10/02/2004 at 17:17

that's not strictly true or you'd run forever on fat before you burned any muscle, which unfortunately isn't the case

more they run alongside each other, but in varying proportions depending on how long you've gone and how hard

eg fat burning and glycolysis both increase with time, but glycolysis also increases with intensity (fat burning not so much with intensity as you have a limit)

jeffery lady killer

10/02/2004 at 17:19

Your HR will be telling you that you are working at a percentage, but what is going on inside is the fat is being used as carb's but breaking down at a slower rate so you wont notice to much of a differance until its to late!!

candy ollier

10/02/2004 at 17:22

yeah, its pretty inexact

i do 'obviously aerobic runs' - say marathon pace plus 45 seconds, for 20 miles+, to train fat burning (and 'leg toughness' if you like)

intervals/hills as fast as i can maintain, three minutes intervals, for LT

pace runs for, er, pacing

that's it - good aerobic base + high LT = maintainable pace

none of this fancy zone stuff

same on the bike

candy ollier

10/02/2004 at 17:26

takes me three seconds to bonk generally, cougie

jeffery lady killer

10/02/2004 at 17:27

But are you using a pulse monitor to see how high you HR goes?

If its higher than the percentage than you believe you are training at then you are using a differant system?

jeffery lady killer

10/02/2004 at 17:29

I can Bonk twice in 3 seconds!!

And yes i may be fast!!!!!!!!!!!