HEART RATE TRAINING

Why monitor your heart rate?

Sweat is not being the best indicator of exercise intensity; we need to look to our hearts.
When you exercise, your heart beats faster to meet the demand for more blood and oxygen by
the muscles of the body. The more intense the activity, the faster your heart will beat. Therefore,
monitoring your heart rate during exercise can be
an excellent way to monitor exercise intensity.

Benefits of Heart Rate Monitoring

By monitoring your Heart Rate, the simple realization that your heart beats faster the harder you
exercise can be put to good use. Direct measurement of the heart during your exercise regimen is
the most accurate way to gauge your performance. A Heart Rate monitor is like a car's RPM
gauge, displaying a precise read-out of your exercise intensity.

With a Heart Rate monitor, training at your preferred individual pace is made easy. Progress can
be monitored and measured continuously, increasing your motivation to persevere. And it
maximizes all the benefits of exercising in a short space of time.

For the majority of aerobic enthusiasts, there is a range of exercise intensities that is described as
safe and effective for promoting cardiovascular benefits. To determine what range is best for an
individual, one needs to be familiar with a few terms.

1. Maximal heart rate: This number is related to your age. As we grow older, our hearts start
to beat a little more slowly. To estimate your maximal heart rate, simply subtract your age from
the number 220.

2. Target heart-rate zone: This is the number of beats per minute (bpm) at which your
heart should be beating during aerobic exercise. For most healthy individuals, this range is 50 to
80 percent of your maximal heart rate. So, if your maximal heart rate is 180 bpm, the low end
of the range (50 percent) would be 90 bpm, and the high end of the range (80 percent) would be
144 bpm.

What does this recommended heart-rate range mean?

These numbers serve as a guideline - an indicator of how hard you should be exercising.
Those just beginning an aerobic program should
probably aim for the low end of the zone and pick up the intensity as they become more
comfortable with their workouts. Those who are more fit, or are training for competitive events,
can aim for the higher end of the zone.
Keep in mind that the target heart-rate zone is recommended for individuals without any
health problems. Additionally, individuals taking medication that alter the heart rate should
consult their physician for recommended exercise intensity.

Where to monitor?

There are a number of ''sites'' used to monitor the pulse rate. Two convenient sites to use are
the radial pulse at the base of the thumb of either hand, or the carotid pulse at the side of the
neck. Accurate pulse-count assessment is crucial when monitoring exercise intensity. By
using the first two fingers of one hand and locating the artery, a pulse rate can be easily
determined.
Immediately after exercise, isolate your pulse and count the number of beats in a 10-second
period. To determine the heart rate in beats per minute, multiply the number of beats per 10
seconds by six. For instance, if a 10-second pulse count were
20, then the heart rate would be 120 bpm.

How to Monitor?
Karvonen method
The Karvonen method factors in Resting Heart
Rate (HR) to calculate Target Heart Rate (THR):
THR = ((HR max – HR rest) - %Intensity) + HR rest
Example for someone with a HR max HR rest of 70:
50% intensity: ((180 - 70) - 0.50) + 70 = 125
bpm
85% intensity: ((180 - 70) - 0.85) + 70 = 163
bpm

Heart rate reserve

Heart rate reserve (HRR) is a term used to describe the difference between a person's
measured or predicted maximum heart rate and resting heart rate. Some methods of
measurement of exercise intensity measure percentage of heart rate reserve. Additionally, as
a person increases their cardiovascular fitness, their HRrest will drop, thus the heart rate
reserve will increase. Percentage of HRR is equivalent to percentage of VO2 reserve.

HRR = HRmax - Hrrest

Heart Rate Training Zones

Heart rate training zones are calculated by taking into consideration your Maximum Heart
Rate (MHR) and your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). Within each training zone, subtle
physiological effects take place to enhance your fitness.

The Aerobic Zone - 60% to 75%

Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. All easy recovery
runningshould be completed at a maximum of 70%.Another advantage to running in this
zone is thatwhile you are happily fat burning you may loseweight and you will be allowing your
muscles tore-energise with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced
workouts.

Lactic Acid threshold Zone- 75% to 80%

Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system. This is the zone where the Lactic
acid starts accumulating in the muscles. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this
zone it will be possible to run some of your long weekend runs at up to 75%, so getting the
benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity.

The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90%

Training in this zone will develop your lactic acid system. In this zone, your individual anaerobic
threshold (AT) is found - sometimes referred to the point of deflection (POD). During these heart
rates, the amount of fat being utilised as the main source of energy is greatly reduced and
glycogen stored in the muscle is predominantly used. One of the by-products of burning this
glycogen is lactic acid. There is a point at which the body can no longer remove the lactic acid
from the working muscles quickly enough. This is your anaerobic threshold (AT). Through the
correct training, it is possible to delay the AT by being able to increase your ability to deal with the
lactic acid for a longer period of time or by pushing the AT higher.

The Red Line Zone 90% to 100%

Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods. It effectively trains your fast
twitch muscle fibres and helps to develop speed. This zone is reserved for interval running and
only the very fit are able to train effectively within this zone.

Heart rate variations for a given intensity

A reduction in heart rate for a given intensity is usually due to an improvement in fitness but a
number of other factors might explain why heart rates can vary for a given intensity:
• Dehydration can increase the heart rate by up to 7.5%
• Heat and humidity can increase the heart rate by 10 beats/minute
• Altitude can increase the heart rate by 10to 20%, even when acclimatized
• Biological variation can mean the heart

rate varies from day to day by 2 to 4 beats/minute

Rated Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE)

RPE scale is used to measure the intensity of exercise. The RPE scale runs from 0 – 10. The
numbers below relate to phrases used to rate how easy or how difficult the activity is.