I’m trying to work out my heart rate ranges for some Fink training. The heart rate ranges are based on knowing your max heart rate and a number of formulas for calculating your max heart rate are available. For example, 220 - age. I’m 33, so that puts my max heart rate at 187.
Using my heart rate monitor I have measured my heart rate at 198BPM a number of times, during races and training. Should I use 198 as my max heart rate for my range calculations, or use a lower figure that all the age based formulas will give?
That makes perfect sense. I was thrown off by so much effort being put into creating these formulas to calculate your max HR for a system or training that pretty much requires you to have a a HR monitor anyway. It would seem more sensible to be told to simply put on your HR monitor and push yourself as hard as you can and measure the result.
If I was training by HR I would use a sub-maximal test and base training zones from that, then it still would be just a guide and have a few exceptions.
If I was training by HR I would use a sub-maximal test and base training zones from that, then it still would be just a guide and have a few exceptions.
The max HR thing is so flawed.
^^^^^^^ Basing training zones of Max HR is simply wrong. At the very least find out your HR at LT and work your zones from that. Even then use them as a guide not a basis for all your training. If you feel like you are pushing too hard or not hard enough you are probably right despite what your HR tells you. Using HR for training is as much about knowing when its wrong as it is knowing when its right.
That formula is not right for many folks, years ago I trained by HR and followed it for a few weeks, during recovery runs I had to walk to meet the formula so I searched for a better way…why don’t you do an actual HR test…not to get a max but determine your LTHR so you can set up your zones…I did this years ago, I think the test goes like this. Run for 20 mins to warm up, then start running faster, at a pace that you can maintain for the next 30 mins (Max effort over the final 20 mins)…10 mins in start measuring your HR for the last 20 mins. Your average HR for the 20 mins will be your LTHR, from there you can set up your zones. Good luck.
I’m trying to work out my heart rate ranges for some Fink training. The heart rate ranges are based on knowing your max heart rate and a number of formulas for calculating your max heart rate are available. For example, 220 - age. I’m 33, so that puts my max heart rate at 187.
Using my heart rate monitor I have measured my heart rate at 198BPM a number of times, during races and training. Should I use 198 as my max heart rate for my range calculations, or use a lower figure that all the age based formulas will give?
^^^^^^^ Basing training zones of Max HR is simply wrong. At the very least find out your HR at LT and work your zones from that. Even then use them as a guide not a basis for all your training. If you feel like you are pushing too hard or not hard enough you are probably right despite what your HR tells you. Using HR for training is as much about knowing when its wrong as it is knowing when its right.
OK, let’s say I calculate my LTHR using this method - 30 min time trial using avg HR of last 20 mins. Once I have my LTHR, could you tell me how would I use that to calculate my (Fink) HR zones?
Hopefully the two systems (maxHR and LTHR) will give similar zones for me and I won’t need to stress over which is more correct!
Setting Heart Rate Zones (Running and Cycling)
Step 1. Determine your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) with a short test. (Do not use 220 minus your age to find max heart rate as this is as likely to be wrong as right. This is explained in detail in Total Heart Rate Training.) This LTHR test is best done early in the Base and Build periods.
To find your LTHR do a 30-minute time trial all by yourself (no training partners and not in a race). Again, it should be done as if it was a race for the entire 30 minutes. But at 10 minutes into the test click the lap button on your heart rate monitor. When done look to see what your average heart rate was for the last 20 minutes. That number is an approximation of your LTHR.
Note: I am frequently asked if you should go hard for the first 10 minutes. The answer is yes. Go hard for the entire 30 minutes. But be aware that most people doing this test go too hard the first few minutes and then gradually slow down for the remainder. That will give you inaccurate results. The more times you do this test the more accurate your LTHR is likely to become as you will learn to pace yourself better at the start.************
I used the table above to set my HR zones for cycling, and found them to be typically within the band described. I don’t use HR for running or swimming, I just don’t believe in the numbers I get sometimes!!! I only use them for cycling as they can tell me when I am tired and need to take a break, although I know that already it just really confirms what I already feel.
Calculating my 7 Friel zones from LTHR is all well and good, but it doesn’t get me the 4 Fink zones that I’m looking for. How can I calculate the 4 Fink zones using LTHR?
