Heart Rate Training Made Simple: “The plan”

By John Mandrola, M.D.

To exercise is paramount. Keeping exercise fun is the most important objective. The goal of going faster over a distance requires multiple components of fitness:.

• Endurance : ability to last longer periods of time;
• Speed: ability to go fast for longer periods of time;
• Strength: ability to surge (hills) and recover quickly.

Training with HR monitoring can help guide one through the three components of going faster and longer. The skeleton of the plan involves 3 zones: endurance (aerobic) zone, threshold zone and maximum (red) zone.

The training “zones” are expressed as a percentage of maximum heart rate. The famous but flawed formula — 220 (226 for women) minus your age — estimates your maximum heart rate. There exists a huge individual variability in max heart rate, up to 25 to 30 beats per minute, thus making estimates of training zones potentially inaccurate. It is ideal to directly measure your max heart rate. Achieving maximum heart rate is horribly stressful and as such should only be done if you are fit, healthy and/or cleared by a physician. A formal treadmill exercise test is one way to measure max heart rate but consider doing a max heart rate test in your specific discipline. One's max heart rate is not related at all to fitness, but rather is genetically determined.

Specific Training Zones:

Zone 1: 60 to 75 percent of max heart rate: This is the so-called aerobic zone. This should be just a hair over conversation pace and a light sweat is present. Lactic acid is not being produced. This pace can be maintained over long periods of time. Marathon running, long distance swimming and 100k+ bike rides are all performed primarily in this zone.

Zone 2: 75 to 85 percent of max heart rate: Zone 2 is the “threshold” (lactate threshold) zone. At extended high workloads the muscles switch from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism and begin to produce lactic acid. The body attempts to clear the lactic acid but eventually acid production outstrips clearance and lactate levels accumulate. This acid build-up causes that unmistakable ‘burn' in the legs ultimately mandating a slow down. I like to break zone 2 into 3 sub-divisions: sub threshold, at threshold, and above threshold. Running examples of the 3 subdivisions include half-marathon pace (90 min effort) which is slightly sub-threshold, 10-15K pace (45-60 min effort) at threshold, and a 5K pace (20-25 min effort) a tick over threshold. Fitness is defined by one's sustainable power output at threshold. This is what makes Lance Armstrong so formidable. Lance's ability to output such extreme power without lactate build-up was the key to his dominance.

Zone 3: “Red zone” — 85 percent-max heart rate: Efforts in this zone are violent bursts of maximum power. Running examples include 100 to 200 meter sprint efforts, cycling examples include green sign sprints and swimming examples include 50 to 100 meter sprints. These efforts incorporate fast twitch muscle and cause abrupt lactate build-up. Muscular strength is paramount but if a race requires multiple red zone efforts lactate buffering abilities are important as well. One's ability to recover from repeated zone 3 efforts correlates strongly with performance.

Use of the Zones:

Although most sport requires components of endurance, speed and strength individual events vary and so will one's training and time spent in each of the three zones. For example, marathon training requires more time in the aerobic zone than 400 meter training. However, if one trains only at one pace, then the body will not be able to sustain running faster than that training pace.

The “plan” for faster 1 hour efforts like 6-10 mile runs or 40K time trials:

Similar to construction of a house a foundation is critical. Months before the goal race, long easy runs or rides in Zone 1 form an endurance base. This is the pre-season. Spend very little time in difficulty. This is the time to ride and run with friends, enjoy the scenery, and experiment with equipment/nutrition etc. The idea is to cover a distance and time and get the body used to exercising over longer periods of time. Strive to go easy. For me, this is one of the best uses of a heart monitor as it can keep you from going too fast. Don't be the “king of January.”

After the base period start slowly mixing in threshold intervals. These are stressful to the body. Start slow and mix in one interval day per week increasing to no more than two hard days weekly. The day before and after should be easy or rest days. Examples include 20-40 minute efforts at just below threshold around 80-85 percent of max. Mix in days with 10 minute efforts at threshold approximately 85 percent. Use the monitor to avoid going over threshold as this is counterproductive. The last type of efforts are 3-5 minute efforts just a tick above threshold but controlled and not maximum efforts. Repeat these numerous times interspersed with rest. Do not race in training! Stay in your zone! These threshold efforts teach the body to perform at or near threshold and improve lactate buffering ability.

After a month of threshold intervals you are ready to add pure speed efforts. Injury becomes a possibility so be careful. Warm-up, light stretching and a good base are critical. Do not confuse speed work-outs with endurance work-outs. They are done with tons of rest and are short bursts of max effort of no more than 90 seconds. Repeats of 200-meter efforts on the track or quick jabs up a hill on a bike will improve your bodies fast twitch ability.

A weekly schedule of a long zone 1 endurance effort, a day with medium sub-threshold efforts, a day with shorter above threshold efforts interspersed with easy rest days comprise the backbone of training. Common pitfalls include constant racing in training and inadequate rest. Always keeping time on the same run to see if you can go faster or constantly “whacking” your buddies on training rides leads quickly to over-training, injury and sub-par performance. Don't misunderstand, I am all for fun and enjoyment. Exercise should be a daily highlight and if too strict a plan is not for you that's OK. The “plan” is designed to make you faster by systematically training each aspect of fitness. It works.

John Mandrola, M.D., is a board certified cardiac electrophysiologist in practice with CardioVascular Associates in Louisville . Professionally, special interests include RF ablation and Internal Cardio-Defibrillator therapy. He is a member of the Papa John's/Swope bike racing team and coach of the City champion St Agnes Cross Country team.