I train November thru February using the Maffetone way of training on all of my run training, keeps me in the aerobic zone and that is all i'm looking for during those months.. I still use his principles during the other months but incorporate speed work also.......

They aren't?

I use mine religiously. It'll be coupled with a power meter here soon.

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Everything changes, everything is connected; pay attention. -- Buddhism in 7 words

I wish I could use the low hr training in the winter months but with all the "hills" here you can't keep you hr low on the climbs, unless you walk.

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Paul

I also use mine religiously.

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-- Aaron Davidson

Like in Church? ;)

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Founder of THE TRIATHLON COLLECTIVE (Closed Facebook Group). A SBR discussion group without the white noise/trolling!

I spent last year sidelined with an injury and as you can guess my fitness went to the dogs. For the past 2 months I have been building up my running with the Maffetone approach and it has worked well albeit boring. All of my runs are on the treadmill with my HR monitor.

I can't see why someone would stick with this if they have several seasons of consistency under their belt and are free of injuries.

Intensity is where its at.

I have my own method to madness that has some maffetonian/allen approaches. For recovery ( low heart rate training) rides and runs I wear my heart rate monitor and for some long rides and runs as well. I still put in some speed work and lift weights(Allen) every week.

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Live The Ten

It's funny you ask that. I am in a position where I sort of have to do it for medical reasons, and I've also done it in the past with success- it made me faster and I lost weight.

I have Dr. Phil Maffetone's book, Training for Endurance on my desk. It is an out of print book so this is like gold to me- a prized possession for its "sacred" knowledge.

I also will use an HRM during the first part of 100/100 as well. I think Maffetone's techniques are solid, especially for us old guys over 45.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Absolutely still use MAF HR...I've been using it for probably 15 years-ish. After studying this system and many others over the years, I think it is really mis-understood because it is basically the same as any other "old school" program (ie- distance and recovery done easier and hard workouts done very hard). The pre set HR just allows you to know where to set these limits. Another misunderstanding is I've read many times where people think ALL the training is done at a low HR. Not true, just like any other well planned program, you go through phases and after you do your base work and begin the hard stuff, well, it IS HARD. I've just found that I am much better prepared for it and can absorb it much better after maintiaing a proper HR during the base phase.

I started using it back in college (sometime around 1990) when I was running CC/Track. Every year, I would PR within the first month of the season, begin a down hill slide, then get injured. I found that I was running all of my workouts too fast and not recovering. I was trying to train with guys who were much faster than me.

It was very difficult changing to MAF at first because I was working out sooooo slow, but I stuck with it and after a couple months, I started seeing huge improvements in my pace for a given HR. By the end of the first year, I was setting PR after PR, never getting injured and could handle much higher loads of hard training.

Recently, after not doing much for a couple of years, I started running again. I began running with friends and immediately started running "their" paces and got sick and injured pretty quick. After slapping myself for knowing better, I put the HR monitor, set my upper zone, and started training at my pace.

Basically, I just started at a mileage I could handle, raised it 10% per week, took a day off once a week, an easy week every 4th week, and avoided running with friends because they always pushed the pace. Some days were faster than others but I controlled my pace by HR and not by mile markers. It is hard to not push the pace sometimes, but sometimes I am just plain tired (work, family, stress, no sleep, etc).

It is funny, because now I am killing those guys and I am able to run much longer and be much stronger at the end. My question to them while training is: Why are you training faster than me when you are racing slower?

Also, I just did a 10 mile run with a fairly good 1 mile climb in it at an average pace much faster than a flat course about 8 weeks ago. I treat Hills the same, if my HR is too high when running them, I stay away from hills until I am ready to run at the correct HR.

There is always the objections to this system because some people don't fit into generic HR formulas. For me, the prescribed MAF HR puts me at 70% so this falls in a good range. So I would say if you are one of those with really high or low max HR, use a more scientific method (like pfitzinger or carmichael or AC or Friel, etc etc) and set your upper limit and stick to it.

Be patient during the base phase and enjoy just training...some days will be fast, some slow, some fun, some not so, but stick with the zone.

Once the base phase is over be ready to drop the hammer in training and watch the speed come.

There is always the objections to this system because some people don't fit into generic HR formulas. \\

This is the one really basic flaw in the formula..It is a plan that will work for some people that need a slow starting program, but to not update this basic formula, or at least tell people that only those with normal, middle of the road HR's need apply, then I have to wonder about his credentials...It's like saying, eat this chocolate cookie, but forgetting to tell folks that there are also peanuts in them, and too bad if you are allergic..

I agree with that. It is like the "age minus 220" formulas which aren't very good either.

Now, in defense of Maffetone, he does have a test protocol for finding Maximum Aerobic Function (M.A.F.) heart rate. It is a pretty decent test done on either a treadmill or windtrainer and is similar to a test Conconi, where there are increasing levels of exertion at regular intervals. At which point there is a departure from a parallel progression between HR and speed that is considered the Anaerobic Threshhold. From that point the levels for Maffetone are interpolated based on his generic tables. Now, again- this is a generic formula, but at least it is starting with a better baseline, that is, actually interpolating the heart rate zones from a real number deived in testing as opposed to simply calculating it based on 220 or some other seemingly less precise metric.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Something I have always found interesting is the organic ( I hate that term but it seems to work here) approach Allen brought to MAF training. He seems to be the only one who constantly talks about life's stresses and how it affects HR and training. I remember reading this in Allen's first book he wrote after the '87 (I think) Ironman where he lost again. His book was more about how the stressors of life affected his training and kept him out of balance and was not just another training plan book.

This is one of the major reasons I use HR training, and what I picked up from Mark Allen, it helps me keep perspective on my training. When I strap that HR monitor on and see how my resting rate is going crazy before I start, I can do a quick personal inventory: How has my sleep/work/family life? If that is crazy, then I don't get bummed when my workout is slower than usual. I use a workout like this for balance instead of just "training."

I think this is a part of Allen/MAF training that is missed by many...its not just about HR.

plus 1 here for low heart rate running/low wattage training..still use a heart rate monitor as well..here in KSA it is flat so i am able to keep my HR LOW during my current base phase

Yep.....I remember that......it is so true!

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I shall never misuse Rex Kwon Do
I shall be a champion of freedom and justice

I started this in August after my races were done for the season. I finished top 20% in my AG which was better than I had done previously but I still wanted to improve and I knew that I couldn't do a lot more hard workouts. I found Mark Allen's article on heart rate training online so I thought I'd try that method for a few months. What I learned was that my aerobic capacity was very poor. Although I was one of the faster runners in my AG (top 10%), when trying to keep my heart rate at the aerobic limit (140 or so) I could barely make 9:30 miles and I also had to stop and walk quite a bit. When I race I am up in the 170bpm range. After the first couple of these workouts my legs were more sore than after some of my faster running workouts at a 6:30 pace! Very weird. Anyway I have been doing these since August and my pace at 140bpm has gone up by about 20 seconds per month. Now I am clocking in 8:00 miles or lower very consistently at that HR. I am planning to continue this for a few more months and then cut back the mileage and amp up the speed a few months before racing season. We'll see after next summer if I am any faster but I think that I will be. I'm also noticing improvements in my swimming and biking as well, probably from the improvements in aerobic performance.

This is a very hard plan to stick with for a lot of people which is why most won't do it. You have to really learn discipline to run at these slow paces and not be tempted to try to catch all of the people that run past you. One thing that helps me is to look at their faces and see them sweating and breathing hard while I know that I could easily carry on a conversation if I had to. Most people always run at the same pace which is why they never improve much.

doesn't work for me ..gave my whole last winter last year to this method. Ditched the HR this year and now I have been training with mcmillian cal with right running pace etc. Too many variables to HR training..hydration, exertion, sleep etc. just my opinion and experience. Does work for a lot of people here on the forum, not for me, not a fan of it. I might advocate it if you are returning after injury.

I use it all winter. It works for me. My brother uses it it works for him. My wife uses it and it works for her.

I think this made you a good candidate for the basic method they prescribe. Allen himself had incredible top end speed for a distance runner, but an underdeveloped aerobic system for maintaining that speed for the longest distances. If you don't already have good top end speed, you won't develop it with this training. You'll develop a good aerobic engine, but the speed gains will be less than those that start off with good speed.

no. besides the wholes I think there are on the Allen /MAF approach, IMO limiting training to certain intensity doesn't makes sense in particular when the biggest limiter for most AGers is time.

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Jorge Martinez
Head Coach - Sports Science
E3 Training Solutions, LLC
@CoachJorgeM

I've dabbled in it and observed the improvments in pace at easy HR. Its definitely interesting. Most of my triathlons are sprints so I think its less relevant for me, but having done a half ironman recently (my first) I can definitely see the value in the system for half to full ironman atheletes.

When you go out and do a low HR run and think its pathetically slow, ask yourself, how much faster would you be in an ironman marathon? Any faster? Barely faster?

You a probably doing exactly what an ironman would want to do, and thats increase your efficiency at the pace you will be running at in a race.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

And your proof is?

I used MarkAllenOnline (and, of course, his HR system) this entire year and it took me from back-of-middle-of-the-pack to back-of-front-of-the-pack in most races. I've PRed at almost every race and haven't had any overtraining injuries. It took me from 5:45 to about 5:30/5:20 in HIMs (despite missing several weeks with a broken hand) and I did my first IM in 11:55 despite a few mistakes (should have pushed harder on the bike, socks got taken from both my transition and special needs bags which gave me bad hot spots on my feet in the run).

So, n=1, but I'm convinced that it's a great way to train. This was my first injury-free season, ever, and that's reason enough for me. The PRs were icing on the cake.

It's definitely tough to stay in your HR ranges sometimes, though, which makes me think that the HR ranges need to be adjusted every few months. When I started, I would be at my 159 bpm maximum just rolling along. By the end, the same effort would put me at 135-140. In fact, I did most of my later workouts well below 150bpm because my prescribed HR zones for workouts would have amounted to 6 hours at 25mph, pretty much.

With the low heart rate method of training, I'm convinced that I can take a solid 15 minutes off my HIM time this year. That's the goal, anyways!