I have entered the world of HR running etc and the Max HR calc for me feels low. I tried a Zone 3 HR run today and it felt like I was walking for most of it and I was also slipping into Zone 4, which also felt slow.

I've looked online and have adjusted the HR to take it up using the fitdigit website.

Looking for views on how to get a real Max HR and also views on HR running in general.

Thanks

Robin

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What are you using to set MHR Robin? 

I started HR training just over a year ago, and yes, there was a lot of walking at the beginning and frantic googling to see if I was doing it right as it felt soooo sloooow. I found I had to calculate off my heart rate reserve not just my max heart rate. I think Phil Maffetone's website was pretty useful, but he uses a more basic formula.

Persevere and it's worth it, it will only be a few weeks before you can actually run at an aerobic pace. I've found it really helpful for pacing long slow runs correctly. The HRM also gives you some info on how stressed/tired/hung over/dehydrated you really are as all these things affect how your body responds.

But yes, it was really annoying to start with having to walk so much!

Robin I did the same this year - found it's the only way to work out what is and what isn't sustainable on the bike.

Max HR is pretty easy to find - do an FTP test and/or a max effort repetitions session on the running track.

my Garmin 735 learns my zones for the different activities - and adjusts them as I get fitter. all without needing to wear one of those annoying chest straps. can't recommend it highly enough.

Hey Robin, I've started the same, but to give myself a little more theory & knowledge behind all the FTP HRM blah blah blah,  I'm reading Joel Friels book on Total Heart Rate Training so far so good. I would suggest you could borrow it, but I'm working my way through it so to speak myself as my latest reading book. 

Hope the recommendation helps though !! 

I used HR for running and cycling for Ironman training. I also found I had to run a lot slower than I had been, because I had fallen into the trap of always pushing hard on runs, but I didn't go into walking territory. I found it super useful for those races. For the max HR I used a parkrun with a warm up first, and ran my arse off. It takes me a while to get my HR up there so the 5km was good for me. There are probably more scientific ways, but you will need to do a max HR test and not just use a calculation, and it will hurt! Running max is clearly different to cycling etc. 



Lucy Hurn said:

What are you using to set MHR Robin? 

I did 220 - my age 27 ;)

Thanks all, great advice. I'll look to work out my max HR using the hurt a lot method - eek.

What you probably don't want to hear is that actually the whole issue is complicated.

Taking a step back the purpose of calculating "heart rate zones" is to enable you to calculate load on your cardio-vascular system - the idea being that if you train above your aerobic threshold but below your anaerobic threshold consistently the training will produce effects which will raise your aerobic threshold.

These effects include strengthening your heart muscle, improving the system by which oxygenated blood is delivered to your muscles and improving your lungs ability to oxygenate blood.

What you need to do is challenge but not over-challenge the system.

The problem with heart rate systems is that we all start from different starting points. If you measured resting heart rates in the club they might vary from around 40 through to over 70.

And similarly the rate at which oxygenated blood is pushed round your body depends not just on the rate at which the heart beats but also the volume of blood that each beat delivers.

The reason age is an issue a that with age your heart tends to weaken slightly and also some of your pipework furs up.

So there is no absolute calculation that will define zones for everybody.

What you can do is try a functional threshold power test which will give you an idea (for cycling typically) of what your current capacity for work is at your aerobic threshold. You can then check what your heart rate is at that point - although the complication is that this in turn will be affected by whether you are fatigued at that point.

If you use a Wattbike heart rate zones are part of the feedback at the end of tests and you can use them also for running.

Finally on a course I was told by a physiologist who advises the UK Olympic team is that all you need to know is what heart rate you are at when you start noticing you breathing and the heart rate at which you can no longer speak. Train between those heart rates and you cardio-vascular system will strengthen.

I suppose a slightly more sophisticated version of training on feel..

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