Marathon Training and the Heart Rate Monitor, Pt.2
This is Part 2 of my Heart Rate Monitor feature. Read Part 1 here.
Using The Heart Rate Monitor
The Heart Rate Monitor is an effective tool at providing direct and specific feedback to your body. It will be more effective if the person using encourages himself or herself to design and implement a workout or training program according to the data presented in the heart rate monitor device.
To be able to realize this procedure, you will need to calculate the different work rate zones for your heart and be able to utilize these zones as a guide for your regular work rate every time during workouts. The foremost aspect you need to deal with in order to further implement this method is to find out some of the essential values.
In particular, you will need to calculate the zones according to two numbers: maximum heart rate or MHR and resting heart rate or RHR. The MHR pertains to the fastest rate your heart beats per minute, while the RHR refers to your heart beats when you are totally at rest and far from a stressful external environment.
Step 1 – Developing Your Maximum Heart Rate
Simple Formulaic Estimation of the MHR According to Age
This particular method has presented an accurate result to approximately 80% of runners. However, it is more important that you will have to incorporate an actual test in doing this procedure. One of the known three formulas is applied when estimating a person’s maximum heart rate.
The first formula will be used according to your age. By simply subtracting your age from the number 220 for men and 226 for women, you will find out your ideal work rate zone. This is applicable for beginners in running or those individuals having a sedentary lifestyle.
The second formula is quite the same. However, this is applicable for runners who have been active in their training or workout. What you need to do here is to subtract half of your age from the number 205 to get your work rate zone.
Actual Testing of the MHR by Way of Physical Exertion
The most effective procedure of figuring out your optimum heart rate is to exert yourself dynamically for a number of minutes, while wearing your heart monitor device. Applying this procedure provides you two different options.
Option 1: Personal Test
Maybe the most ideal way for most runners, is determining the MHR by calculating it themselves. The most preferred procedure is to apply interval training, ideally on a hill. A 200 to 300 meters hill is enough. Run up the hill and jog back down. Use the jog as your resting period. Try to do this routine five to 6 times. After a little while, you will achieve a heart rate that will be closer to your aimed MHR – the highest possible number of beats per minute that you want to obtain. In running on a flat ground, you could extend the length of your intervals to 400 meters.
Option 2: Lab Test
For the lab test option, the measuring of your pulse rate will be done by putting you on a treadmill while wearing a pulse monitor. The specialist conducting the experiment will ask you to run a specific, short and intense program. Going for this option will cost you approximately $150.This is best for people having a heart condition or those who are uncertain of their physical health status. You can easily find medical personnel will the equipment who conduct this method.
Step 2 – Establish Your Resting Heart Rate
The MHR is generally fixed, while the RHR is a calculation of your fitness. It will gradually decrease as you do your workout regularly and become more fit. Generally, the RHR of each individual differs. A person with a sedentary lifestyle can have a RHR that is close to or exceeds 100 BPM. Endurance runners can have below 60 or 50 BPM or even 40 BPM.
The elite runners have the lowest RHR in which they could have below 30 BPM. Elite runners have the lowest RHR since they are more prone to having stroke. Each of their heartbeat pumps more than twice as much blood as that of a sedentary person. To continue providing the entire body with adequate flow of blood, the heart has to slow down its rate substantially. A large and strong heart which is a result of a high level of aerobic fitness causes the high risk of stroke.
The RHR or the resting heart rate is the measure of your heart beat when you are completely at rest. Although calculating your RHR is less difficult than calculating your MHR, it is so easy to commit error in attempting to find out your RHR at a specific time. Preferably, the most effective way of measuring your RHR is by strapping on your heart monitor early in the morning when you wake up particularly before you get out of bed.
Take two to three minutes and observe your pulse rate. It is most desirable to do in the morning because at the other times of the day you can get involved with doing some physical activities which can result in an increased heart rate. It also increases your stress as will the amount of caffeine in your body.
If you do the test right after your wake up, you are helping yourself eliminate the negative factors affecting your system. Increase RHR is further cause by dehydration, on-setting illness, and inadequate rest.
Step 3: Calculating Your Training Zones
Determining your training zones enables you to customize your training program based on your heart and present fitness level. If you use the heart monitor, you should be flexible enough to adjust your workout according to the feedback presented in the device; otherwise, it will disregard the advantage you can get from heart monitor training.
Now that you have your MHR and RHR, you will need a calculator for setting up a chart. The calculator will help you in finding out the level of tension you are putting on your heart at a particular heart rate. The chart will be based on percentile markers wherein your MHR will be 100%. To begin with, you need to calculate the percentile markers in 5% increments, then lowering down to 100% to approximately 50%. Use the formula below:
((MHR-RHR) x Percent level) + RHR
For instance, you have calculated 190 for your MHR and 50 for your RHR. You preferred calculation for your 95% level would look like this.
((190-50) x .95) + 50) = 183 BPM
For your 90% level, your calculation would appear as follows:
((190-50) x .90) + 50) = 176 BPM
With the given results, your chart will display 190 as the 100% of your maximum, 183 at 95% of your maximum, 176 at 90% of your maximum and so on until you reach 50%.
The mentioned zones will be extremely vital upon determining your training program and begin to monitor your everyday results.
Step 4 – Creating a Training Program and Tracking Your Results
After you are done with the primary stages, then you are now ready to start your workout using your heart rate monitor. Your workout or training will depend according to your goals. Three are some trainers, who suggest that runners should never run or train in two consecutive days reaching beyond their 70% level capacity. That value they could set as their limit for recovery days. Many trainers agree to run the hard days at 85%.
Whatever your purpose is and way of training yourself, it will always be necessary to monitor your results per workout. The essential things you need to keep track with are your heart rate per training session, the activities you have incorporated in your workout, and most importantly your RHR on a daily basis. Many are learning to wear their heart monitors for the whole day trying to find out what type of activities would trigger a faster speed of pulse.
Heart rate monitors can be bought at your local or fitness store. This may also be available in online shops selling athletic apparel and devices. Log on to the Internet and search for athletic online shops.
Good Luck!
Rick
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