Manage your trainings and competitions with professional software for athletes
Heart rate zones
Heart rate zones
the condition improvement (no matter you are Olympic athlete, amateur runner, newcomer in a sport club, somebody who train just to stay fit) depends on 4 main factors:
training intensity
training method
frequency
training duration
There are a few methods to measure the workout intensity:
RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion
a speed
a power
a lactate level
a heart rate monitoring
It has been proven that the heart rate monitoring is an effective method of measuring training intensity.
1
RPE
The rating perceived exertion is the easiest way
– to estimate an intensity basing on your own assessment.
– to estimate an intensity basing on your own assessment.
Try to rate your exertion from 1 to 10 in the next training, this is the level description:
rpe |
intensity level | breathing |
1 |
extremely light | calm breathing, singing possible |
2 |
very light | conversation possible |
3 |
light | short broken sentences |
4 |
moderate | difficult to hold conversation |
5 |
somewhat hard | starting to breathe hard |
6 |
moderately hard | deep breathing, avoiding conversation |
7 |
hard | deep and forceful breathing |
8 |
very hard | short of breath, unable to talk |
9 |
very, very hard | completely out of breath |
10 |
extremely hard | gasping for breath |
2
SPEED
defining how fast you can move,
unfortunately this method is limited by external factors (the wind, current) so the training intensity cannot be compared.
3
POWER
it is the more and more popular method,
the exertion evaluation in watts is very precise but also expensive.
4
LACTATE LEVEL
the blood lactate level testing –
requires a sample of blood but this method is prone to interferences. It is used by the professionals mainly to monitor the progress while testing periodically
5
MEASURING INTENSITY BY MONITORING HEART RATE
Using a heart rate monitor – easy and precisely. A heart rate monitor traces
the response of our body to the exertion. The higher exertion, the faster heart beat rate is. This is clear relation between the workload and pulse.
It is the setting of heart rate zones that allows defining the exercise intensity.
The setting of zones is different for each sport as the body responds differently to different exercises. You may not use the same heart rate zones for various sports.
How to define the zones?
There are a few known ways:
1
the method 220
the formula 220 minus age - is a good method for receiving statistical data, for individual however it may give correct as well as incorrect result. If you want to do it precisely, you should use another method
2
the method of short and intensive exercises
the aim is to get the highest heart rate in the third repetition and later use it as percentage value to create the zones
zone 1 50 – 59%
zone 2 60 – 69%
zone 3 70 – 79%
zone 4 80 – 89%
zone 5 90 – 100%
zone 2 60 – 69%
zone 3 70 – 79%
zone 4 80 – 89%
zone 5 90 – 100%
this method assumes that the zones are the same for everybody.
A training within incorrectly designated zones is a waste of time – such traning is inefficient
The way of defining proper heart rate zones is to designate your heart rate on the lactate threshold
THE LACTATE THRESHOLD is a such exertion level that set off your alarm bells.
you may carry on for a few minutes, you breathe hard, using the RPE scale you are at the level 7. You may define your lactate threshold precisely via professional (metabolic) tests or during field testing on your own.
more information about the methods of designating the zones you may find in the JOE FRIEL book „Total Heart Rate Training" that is the source of the above information.
training
with a heart rate monitor
with a heart rate monitor
heart rate zones
calm breathing
continuous exercises
time constrained only by a sleep time
Goal:
recovery after an intensive training, warm-up
breathing:
calm breath, singing/ conversation possible
type:
continuous exercises
time:
constrained only by a sleep time
physiological benefits:
in this zone you may recover from the prior exhaustion.
Very light exercises help the body to rest, minimal muscles load. The training in this zone improves the ability to pomp blood and deliver oxygen and essential nutrients as well as to remove wastes produced after intensive training.
Very light exercises help the body to rest, minimal muscles load. The training in this zone improves the ability to pomp blood and deliver oxygen and essential nutrients as well as to remove wastes produced after intensive training.
note:
this recovery training is for experienced sportsmen, beginners are recommended not to train in this zone, it is better for them not to train at all
breathing difficulties
continuous exercises
less than 12 hours
Goal:
improving and maintaining endurance, a classic long distance zone
breathing:
short broken sentences, difficulties in talking
type:
continuous exercises
time:
less than 12 hours
physiological benefits:
this zone is the best way to improve the aerobic fitness, it is also known as the endurance zone because an experienced sportsman may sustain work at this level of intensity for many hours
heavy breathing
continuous exercises
less than 8 hours
Goal:
trainings in this zone build up the strength endurance and sustain work at relatively high intensity for a long time
breathing:
beginning to breath heavily
type:
continuous exercises
time:
less than 8 hours
physiological benefits:
IIA muscles fibers works hardest in this zone, the positive changes occur in their oxygen functioning
heavy breathing
continuous exercises and intervals
less than 3 hours
Goal:
trainings in this zone increase the strength endurance (muscular endurance) and improve significantly the results of competitions lasting from 1 to 3 hours
breathing:
deep and strong breathing, avoiding conversation
type:
continuous exercise and intervals
time:
less than 3 years
physiological benefits:
the power and speed on the lactate threshold increase in this zone
note:
trainings for those who want to take part in competitions lasting 3 hours and shorter
breathlessness
continuous exercises and intervals
less than 1 hour
Goal:
building the strength endurance in increasing discomfort
breathing:
short of breath, conversation not possible
type:
continuous exercises and intervals
time:
less than 1h
physiological benefits:
the strength and speed on the lactate threshold increase in this zone as well as the tolerance to acid accumulation in muscles and around them
note:
trainings for those who want to take part in competitions lasting 20 - 60 minutes
breathlessness
intervals
less than 20 minutes
Goal:
improving the aerobic capacity, you train with maximum oxygen capacity
breathing:
strong breathlessness
type:
intervals
time:
less than 20 minutes
physiological benefits:
this zone is to build up your aerobic capacity (VO2max – the rate of oxygen uptake). As a result your heart have a greater
thrust capacity - pomp out more blood during one beat. This zone forces the body to tolerance and removing acid from the working muscles
note:
trainings in this zone are very efficient in building up performance but they overload all the body systems
breathlessness
intervals
less then 2 minutes
Goal:
trainings in this zone prepare for seconds during races
breathing:
fighting for breath
type:
intervals
time:
less than 2 minutes
physiological benefits:
developing the muscular strength, increasing tolerance for acid in muscles and around them
note:
few disciplines require such an intensity, with the exception of the road cycling (sprint on the finishing line).