Heartbeat
“Dear Coach,
“I am a 60 year old runner. It seems to me that the formula for Maximum Heart Rate, “220-AGE”, might be wrong. When I train hard, I get readings on my Heart Rate Monitor as high as 175 beats per minute, which is a whole 15 points above my theoretical maximum. Am I in serious trouble?
“Yours Truly, Regular Runner”.
Dear Regular,
The formula, which incidentally for women is “226-AGE”, is only a guide. Any super-fit athlete over thirty years of age, such as yourself, will probably find that the formula gets more inaccurate as they get older. Their real maximum heart rate will start getting higher than the formula suggests.
This has implications for those who like to wear a monitor and train in Heart Rate Zones. For example when running 70% thru 80% for aerobic training, or aiming for 80% thru 90% for anaerobic training, your calculation for the heart rate targets corresponding to these percentages could be out by as much as ten points, as a consequence of your estimate of maximum heart rate (the 100% figure) being incorrect.
To know if I am training in the right zone or not, I have always preferred to rely on instinct, how I feel.
Ask yourself, if you believe you should be targeting a zone, do you generally feel as if you are working hard enough to truly be in that zone?
Other than getting your maximum heart rate figure wrong, another reason you might be under-training using a heart rate monitor is the “cardiac drift” effect. After twenty minutes or so of exercise your heart rate can increase by as much as 5 to 20 beats per minute even when the work rate does not change. It’s OK for that to happen and does not mean you need to ease back.
In addition, it is possible that the figures quoted above for aerobic and anaerobic work are conservative. The switchover from aerobic to anaerobic may be around 85% rather than 80%, for fitter athletes.
Dear Regular, is it possible that by relying on heart rate zones, you may have been training at an easier level than they think you have?
If all is well with you medically, don't worry about working too hard in specific training sessions where harder work is appropriate. Many athletes could train harder than they do. Moderation in ALL things is over-rated. Just make sure you schedule plenty of rest and recreation though, to accompany your hard training. Balance is the key. One or two hard days, followed by one or three easy days, is wiser than pushing hard every day.
Set your heart rate targets if you will. But do remember that, as you age, your maximum heart rate does drop to some extent, so you must still adjust your zone targets downwards from time to time. It may not drop as much as people say, though.
Yours Truly, Coach.
“Dear Coach,
“I am a 60 year old runner. It seems to me that the formula for Maximum Heart Rate, “220-AGE”, might be wrong. When I train hard, I get readings on my Heart Rate Monitor as high as 175 beats per minute, which is a whole 15 points above my theoretical maximum. Am I in serious trouble?
“Yours Truly, Regular Runner”.
Dear Regular,
The formula, which incidentally for women is “226-AGE”, is only a guide. Any super-fit athlete over thirty years of age, such as yourself, will probably find that the formula gets more inaccurate as they get older. Their real maximum heart rate will start getting higher than the formula suggests.
This has implications for those who like to wear a monitor and train in Heart Rate Zones. For example when running 70% thru 80% for aerobic training, or aiming for 80% thru 90% for anaerobic training, your calculation for the heart rate targets corresponding to these percentages could be out by as much as ten points, as a consequence of your estimate of maximum heart rate (the 100% figure) being incorrect.
To know if I am training in the right zone or not, I have always preferred to rely on instinct, how I feel.
Ask yourself, if you believe you should be targeting a zone, do you generally feel as if you are working hard enough to truly be in that zone?
Other than getting your maximum heart rate figure wrong, another reason you might be under-training using a heart rate monitor is the “cardiac drift” effect. After twenty minutes or so of exercise your heart rate can increase by as much as 5 to 20 beats per minute even when the work rate does not change. It’s OK for that to happen and does not mean you need to ease back.
In addition, it is possible that the figures quoted above for aerobic and anaerobic work are conservative. The switchover from aerobic to anaerobic may be around 85% rather than 80%, for fitter athletes.
Dear Regular, is it possible that by relying on heart rate zones, you may have been training at an easier level than they think you have?
If all is well with you medically, don't worry about working too hard in specific training sessions where harder work is appropriate. Many athletes could train harder than they do. Moderation in ALL things is over-rated. Just make sure you schedule plenty of rest and recreation though, to accompany your hard training. Balance is the key. One or two hard days, followed by one or three easy days, is wiser than pushing hard every day.
Set your heart rate targets if you will. But do remember that, as you age, your maximum heart rate does drop to some extent, so you must still adjust your zone targets downwards from time to time. It may not drop as much as people say, though.
Yours Truly, Coach.
