Pulse zones: how to get to the right one? Determination of heart rate zones (heart rate)
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Calculating your maximum heart rate, however, is a bit tricky - but don't despair.
There are several methods for determining or calculating your maximum heart rate for running. Here are some of the more popular ones. We have listed them in order from simplest to most accurate.
First, a little about the basics.
Why is maximum heart rate so important?
Heart rate based training allows you to run at the right intensity to reach your training goals. In other words, training smart is always better than just training as hard as you can.
The intensity of the workout is divided into five heart rate zones - from very light to the zone of maximum intensity. Heart rate zones are calculated as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. For example, within the fourth heart rate zone, you will train at 81-90% of your maximum heart rate and increase your maximum performance. In order to determine your personal heart rate zones, you first need to know or estimate your maximum heart rate.
How to determine the maximum heart rate?
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM HR: 220 minus age
Your maximum heart rate can be calculated using the commonly used formula: 220 minus your age. While this is a good starting point, studies have shown that this formula is not entirely accurate and universal, especially for people who have been involved in sports or fitness. long years, or the elderly.
Determination of the maximum heart rate: tests in field conditions
In addition to scores and tests, you can determine your maximum heart rate by putting on your running shoes, turning on your heart rate monitor, and heading out into the real world.
You do not need high-precision laboratory equipment for field trials, but you'll still get an accurate and personalized estimate of your maximum heart rate. The idea is simple: you warm up properly, and then perform the exercise that requires you to do your best.
See an example of a field test at the end of the material.
Please note that for maximum effort field testing, it's best to call a friend and invite them to join you. Just to be safe. Also, make sure this isn't your first workout in a while. Last year, i.e. you are prepared for the stress.
Accurate maximum heart rate: laboratory test
If you want to get the most exact way To determine your maximum heart rate, you need a clinical measurement of your maximum heart rate. This is what you need that high quality laboratory equipment for.
The two most common methods are maximum treadmill or cycle stress tests. These laboratory tests are usually performed under the supervision of a cardiologist or an exercise therapy instructor on a treadmill or exercise bike, respectively.
Field test example
Do this challenge in the field with a training partner. Use a heart rate monitor and take note of the highest heart rate you can achieve. This is your maximum heart rate.
1.
Warm up for 15 minutes flat surface. Work out at your standard training pace.
2. Select a hill that will take more than two minutes to climb. Run up the hill at the fastest pace you can manage for 20 minutes. Return to the base of the hill.
3. Perform the hill climb again. Make your heart work for maximum power, which you can keep for three kilometers. Track your highest heart rate on the display.
Your heart rate max. about 10 beats higher than what you see.
4. Run down the slope. Let your heart rate drop 30-40 beats per minute from the previous value.
5. Run up the hill again at a pace you can only hold for one minute. Try running half way up the hill. Track your highest heart rate on the display. This is the closest value to your maximum heart rate. You can use this value as HR max when setting sports zones.
6. Cool down for at least 10 minutes.
Performing a maximum heart rate test in the field without sufficient training - the right way subject the body to maximum stress. If you are not sure about your preparation, please consult your doctor before taking the test.
At what intensity of training should heart rate be monitored? The correct answer is for any. It doesn't matter if you're preparing for a race and following a plan that includes workouts. different type, or running to strengthen your heart and lose weight, heart rate control will help determine the effectiveness of your workout, and will also prevent you from overworking and getting injured.
Each type of training is associated with a specific heart rate zone, and not with a specific speed. Knowing your own maximum heart rate, you can calculate your heart rate zones and build each specific workout so that your heart rate is in a certain zone.
For example, the goal of interval training is to increase VO2max - an indicator that characterizes the ability to absorb and absorb oxygen. This means that training will not make any sense if you are doing it with a heart rate below your anaerobic threshold. The table clearly illustrates that your goal is 80-89% of your maximum heart rate in the fast sections and reaching a recovery heart rate zone in between.
How to use the table? First you need to calculate your own maximum heart rate (MHR). This can be done on your own or with a monitor. Conventional formulas (for men: 220 - age; for women: 226 - age) are not suitable for trained people. Heart rate studies in professional and non-professional athletes show how large the gap in performance can be between them and their peers who do not play sports.
In his book, The Complete Guide to Running, track and field athlete Earl Fee writes, “My experience with a heart rate monitor shows that my MHR is 195 beats per minute, while the formulas say it should be 150 beats per minute.” The author suggests several methods for measuring MHR, and one of them is given below.
When you feel rested and in good shape, warm up and then do quick intervals. Run 4 x 200 meters or 3 x 300 at 95% effort with 5-6 minutes of easy running in between. Immediately after the last interval, measure your heart rate with a heart rate monitor or count the number of beats in 15 seconds and multiply by four. Remember the result, based on it you have to build the intensity of training.
Regular heart rate monitoring allows you to not only track insufficient recovery or severe overtraining (and, as a result, unpreparedness for serious work), but also perform each run within optimal efficiency. For example, by training only in the anaerobic zone, you will notice over time that at the same heart rate level, your speed will gradually increase. This is how the body adapts to stress.
Let's say you want to learn how to run for longer periods of time at a speed that you can only develop with intervals. Tracking your heart rate during fast bursts will give you information about how your body is adjusting to your chosen speed and tell you how to recover properly. You need to run between intervals at such a speed that the heart rate decreases and enters the recovery zone, otherwise you will not be ready for the next fast segment.
Training aimed at recovery from a previous intense workout should take place entirely in the recovery heart rate zone. Sports psychologist Pete Fitzenger wrote, “The greatest value of heart rate training is the ability to prevent overworking on a recovery run.” Running below 75% of MHR allows your body to rest so you can show good results in those training sessions where you have to give everything.
When you go for a run with purpose, run based on your heart rate monitor, and try to stay within a certain heart rate zone. It's good if your heart rate monitor is equipped with a memory function - in this case, you can analyze how your heart rate changes over the weeks of training.
When playing sports, you need to monitor your condition. For this, four indicators are used: heart rate, performance, well-being and sleep quality. The most objective of them is the pulse.
Pulse counting methods
The pulse can be determined on the main arteries: on the wrist at the base thumb, on the neck or on the temple. When the pulse is above 170 beats per minute, its calculation is more reliable on the left side of the chest - in the region of the apex beat of the heart in the region of the fifth intercostal space.
Method 15 seconds
Count your pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply the result by 4 - this gives an approximate value for the heart rate per minute.
Method 15 hits
This method is somewhat more complicated, but it gives a more accurate result. Start the stopwatch at beat "0" and stop at beat "15". Let's assume that 12.5 seconds have passed in 15 beats. Then the pulse is: 15 × (60 / 12.5) = 72 beats per minute.
10 beat method
This method is best used when measuring the pulse under load, since even with a short stop, the pulse slows down quickly. Start the stopwatch at beat "0" and stop at beat "10". If, for example, 3.6 seconds have passed within 10 beats, then the pulse is: 10 × (60 / 3.6) = 167 beats per minute. The resulting value will be slightly lower than the real heart rate during exercise. Exact value can be measured with a heart rate monitor.
Basic heart rate indicators
In sports, three main indicators are used: resting heart rate, maximum heart rate and heart rate at the point of deviation (anaerobic threshold).
Pulse at rest
The resting pulse shows how fast the heart must beat in order to basic processes in organism. It depends on the lifestyle and characterizes the general level of aerobic fitness.
The resting pulse is usually taken in the morning before getting out of bed. For greater accuracy, you need to calculate the number of beats in a full minute, repeating this measurement for several days and taking the minimum of the values \u200b\u200btaken.
Every person who is seriously involved in sports should regularly monitor their morning pulse and enter it in a diary.
In an untrained healthy person, the resting heart rate is usually in the range of 60-90 beats per minute. In women, it is on average 10 strokes higher than in men. Well-trained endurance athletes can have a resting heart rate of 40-50 beats per minute or even lower.
With regular aerobic training, the morning heart rate gradually decreases and can become 10-20 beats per minute. less value before their onset, which is associated with an increase in the volume and strength of the impulse of the heart and bandwidth vessels. When you stop exercising, the heart rate slowly returns to its original values.
An elevated morning heart rate may be the first sign of overtraining or a viral infection. With prolonged overtraining, the morning pulse can noticeably decrease, which is also an alarm signal.
Maximum heart rate
Calculator
Initial data
Maximum heart rate
187 bpm
The pulse has a maximum threshold. It is individual for each person and decreases with age - on average, by 7 beats per minute for every 10 years. The maximum heart rate does not depend on the level physical training person.
The approximate value of the maximum heart rate can be calculated by the formula:
Max. pulse (beats per minute) = 208 − 0.7×age (years).
More simple formula: 220 - age (years), gives close values for the age of 30-50 years, but somewhat underestimates the maximum heart rate for older ages.
Both formulas are averaged and have a high error: the maximum heart rate of a particular person may differ from the calculated one by 10-20 beats per minute. The exact value can be found by performing a test measurement.
With age, not only the maximum heart rate decreases, but also other indicators: the pulse at rest and the pulse at the point of deviation. At the same time, the last two indicators can be influenced by regularly playing sports.
Maximum heart rate measurement
The maximum heart rate can be measured on a treadmill, bicycle ergometer or similar simulator. During the test, the load is gradually increased until the moment when the heart rate stops increasing with increasing exercise intensity.
The maximum heart rate is achieved only when you feel good and fully recovered after the last workout. Before the test, you need to warm up well: light jogging, cycling or skiing will do. The warm-up is followed by an intense load lasting 4-5 minutes. The final 20-30 seconds of the load are performed with maximum effort. The pulse is measured using a heart rate monitor. Manual counting does not give accurate results due to the rapid decrease in heart rate immediately after the end of the load.
You need to take several measurements over several weeks. The highest value will be the maximum heart rate.
In the same person, the maximum achievable heart rate may depend on the type of activity. During classes various types sports, it is recommended to measure the maximum heart rate for each of them separately.
Classes at maximum heart rate should not exceed 5 minutes. Because it carries some risk, it should be done under medical supervision, especially for men over 45 and women over 55, and people with heart problems.
Maximum oxygen consumption
Maximum oxygen consumption (MOC) is the amount of oxygen that a person is able to use during maximum power exercise. The MPC is expressed in liters per minute. The intensity of the load at the level of the IPC cannot be maintained for more than 5 minutes.
Normally, a linear relationship is observed between the pulse and oxygen consumption.
Under the influence of training, the IPC can increase by 30%. The IPC can be tentatively estimated by the ratio of the maximum heart rate and the resting heart rate. Since the MIC depends on the weight of a person, it is usually calculated in milliliters per 1 kg of body weight:
MIC (ml / min * kg) \u003d 15 × max. pulse / pulse at rest.
In other words, the greater the ratio of maximum heart rate to resting heart rate, the higher the intensity. physical work that a person can bear.
Pulse at Deviation Point (Anaerobic Threshold)
With a gradual increase in the intensity of the load (for example, running speed), the heart rate rises linearly to a certain point, and then begins to lag behind - a noticeable bend appears on the load-pulse dependence graph. This point is called the deviation point.
The deviation point corresponds to the anaerobic threshold, that is, the maximum load that a person can maintain for a long time without the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles.
Anaerobic threshold is the most objective measure of endurance training. In well-trained athletes, the heart rate at the deflection point can reach 95% of the maximum heart rate. Oxygen consumption at the deflection point is also a high percentage of the MIC. In other words, trained athletes are able to perform intense work in the aerobic zone; the anaerobic system is activated only during very heavy loads.
The heart rate at the deviation point should be measured every few weeks to track changes in fitness levels.
Methods for measuring the pulse at the deviation point
As a first approximation, you can take the actual heart rate when running with constant speed at a distance of 5 or 10 kilometers.
Uniform load test. Within 30-50 minutes, aerobic work is performed at the highest pace at which the exercise can be completed to the end without reducing the load, and the pulse remains stable. This pulse will be equal to the pulse at the point of deviation.
For example, if you can ride a bicycle for 30-50 minutes at a constant speed and a stable heart rate of 160 beats per minute, and at a higher speed you fail to complete the distance due to fatigue, then your heart rate at the point of deviation is 160 beats per minute. minute.
Boost test. After a 10-minute warm-up, the person should run or cycle at a constant pace for 10 minutes, maintaining a constant heart rate of 140 beats per minute. Then he increases the load to a heart rate of 150 beats per minute and runs for another 10 minutes. In the next 10-minute segment, the load increases by another 10 beats per minute. The pulse at which the performance of the load becomes impossible or requires incredible effort will be approximately 5 beats higher than the pulse at the point of deviation.
Deviation point and running speed for a given distance
The maximum running speed that allows you to complete a given distance decreases with distance. The speed corresponding to the point of deviation is optimal for a distance of 16-17 km. The optimal running speed for a 5k distance is 9% faster, and for a marathon (42.195km distance) it is 6% slower than the speed at the point of deviation.
This dependence allows you to calculate the speed at the point of deviation from the actual running speed at a given distance, or, conversely, determine the optimal running speed for a given distance.
For example, if a person runs a distance of 5 km in 20 minutes, then his speed at the point of deviation is 13.7 km/h. The optimal speed for a marathon for him is 13 km / h. The expected result is 3 hours 40 minutes.
Heart rate training zones
According to the pulse, you can choose the optimal intensity of training based on their goals. The intensity of exercise is measured as a percentage of the heart rate during exercise from the maximum heart rate or from the pulse at the point of deviation (anaerobic threshold).
| training area | Pulse value | Mechanism education energy |
Target | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In % of max. pulse | In % of anaerobic threshold |
|||
| Aerobic zone | ||||
| Restorative | 60–70 | 70–80 | Recovery after intense training or a break in classes | |
| Aerobic 1 | 70–80 | 80–90 | Oxygen (carbohydrates and fats) | Development of the ability to use fats as an energy source |
| Aerobic 2 | 80–85 | 90–95 | Oxygen (more carbs) | |
| Development zone | ||||
| Educational 1 | 85–90 | 95–100 | Oxygen and lactate (carbohydrates) | Increasing anaerobic threshold |
| Educational 2 | 90–95 | 100–105 | ||
| anaerobic zone | ||||
| Anaerobic 1 (duration efforts from 30 seconds up to 3 minutes) | higher 95 | above 105 | lactate and phosphate | |
| Anaerobic 2 (duration efforts up to 10 seconds) |
Phosphate | |||
| Pulse value | Mechanism image- energy |
Target | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In % of max. pulse | In % of ana- aerobic threshold |
||
| Restorative | |||
| 60–70 | 70–80 | Oxygen- ny (carbohydrates and fats) |
Restoration after intense training or a break |
| Aerobic 1 | |||
| 70–80 | 80–90 | Oxygen- ny (carbohydrates and fats) |
Development of the ability to use fat reduction as a source of energy |
| Aerobic 2 | |||
| 80–85 | 90–95 | Oxygen- ny (more carbohydrates) |
Development of the ability to withstand prolonged high aerobic exercise |
| Educational 1 | |||
| 85–90 | 95– 100 |
Oxygen- ny and lactate (carbohydrates) |
Increasing anaerobic threshold |
| Educational 2 | |||
| 90–95 | 100– 105 |
Oxygen- ny and lactate (carbohydrates) |
Increasing anaerobic threshold |
| Anaerobic zone 1 (duration of effort from 30 seconds to 3 minutes) | |||
| higher 95 | above 105 | lactate and phosphate | Depending on the training regimen: endurance to a high concentration of lactic acid or the development of speed qualities |
| Anaerobic zone 12 (effort duration up to 10 seconds) | |||
| higher 95 | above 105 | Phosphate | Development of maximum speed qualities |
The bulk of endurance training should be in aerobic zone 1 and 2 i.e. below the anaerobic threshold. At the same time, long-term exercises with low intensity (in aerobic zone 1) increase the body's ability to utilize fats and conserve carbohydrates.
Development zone located slightly above and slightly below the anaerobic threshold; interval training in this zone allows you to increase the anaerobic threshold.
AT anaerobic zone 1 energy is generated mainly by the lactate mechanism, which leads to the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. Depending on the level of training, a person can stay in this zone from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
AT anaerobic zone 2 the maximum effort develops due to the work of the phosphate energy supply system. Such an effort can last no more than 10 seconds.
AT recovery zone the intensity of the exercise is too low for the development of the aerobic capacity of the body. It is used for active relaxation after intense training (in particular, it accelerates the excretion of lactic acid) or for recovery after a break in classes.
Definition of intensity zones by anaerobic threshold
Training zone boundaries are best defined by anaerobic threshold.
The calculation of the maximum heart rate is approximate. If this uses an estimate of the maximum heart rate by age (the simplest method in practice), then the error can reach unacceptable values - 20-30 beats per minute.
The anaerobic threshold is a more accurate guide, since it defines the boundary between the oxygen and lactate energy generation mechanism in the muscles.
On average, the anaerobic threshold is about 90% of the maximum heart rate, but at the same time it is highly dependent on the degree of training of a person. For example, a recreational athlete may have an anaerobic threshold of 75% of their maximum heart rate, while a professional athlete may have an anaerobic threshold of 95%. In this case, the intensity of training, determined by the maximum heart rate, will be too high for an amateur athlete and not enough for a professional athlete.
As aerobic capacity improves as a result of training, the boundaries of the training zones increase in proportion to the increase in heart rate at the point of deviation.
Subjective assessment of the intensity of the load
The intensity of the load can be accurately determined by your own feelings.
The scale for assessing the intensity of the load by sensations
- "Very Low"
- "Low"
- "Average"
- "High"
- "Very high"
The assessment of the intensity of the load by the same person is relatively constant and reflects the level of concentration of lactic acid in the muscles. The intensity in aerobic zone 2 feels like "medium". Comparing the pulse and the load, you can learn to determine other training zones by sensations.
Based on the book Heart Rate, Lactate and Endurance Training by Peter Jansen.
The FOX-calculator project is pleased to present a new online calculator - the calculation of the heart rate depending on age. Knowing your individual heart rate is extremely important! After all, it is by this criterion that one can judge how well our heart works. It is with the help of determining the pulse that one can suspect many cardiovascular diseases and consult a doctor immediately!
In order for endurance training to be as useful as possible, it must be performed at an intensity at which the entire oxygen-transport system is involved, that is, in the so-called aerobic-anaerobic zone. At this intensity, there is no accumulation of lactic acid.
Often endurance training (aerobic training) is performed by athletes with a heart rate of around 180 beats per minute (bpm). For many athletes, this heart rate is well above the aerobic-anaerobic transition zone. The boundaries of aerobic-anaerobic transit zone vary greatly in different people, but approximately this zone is between 140 and 180 beats / min.
Methods for calculating heart rate
Heart rate is usually measured at the wrist (carpal artery), neck (carotid artery), temple (temporal artery), or on the left side of the chest.
The maximum heart rate can be determined using the following formula (SIGMA Pulse Computer):
For men:
210 - "age" - (0.11 x personal weight kg) + 4
Women:
210 - "age" - (0.11 x personal weight kg)
15 hit method
To calculate heart rate using this method, the athlete needs to feel the pulse at any of the indicated points and turn on the stopwatch directly during the heartbeat. Then the athlete starts counting subsequent strokes and stops the stopwatch at the 15th stroke. Assume that 20.3 seconds have elapsed during 15 beats. Then the number of beats per minute will be equal to: (15 hours - 20.3) x 60 = 44 beats / min.
15 second method
It's over easy method heart rate calculation, but at the same time less accurate. The athlete counts the heart beats for 15 seconds and multiplies the number of beats by 4 to get the beats per minute. If 12 beats were counted in 15 seconds, then the heart rate is: 4 x 12 = 48 beats / min.
Calculation of heart rate during exercise
If during exercise the heart rate is measured manually, without the use of special devices, then it is better to determine it using the 10-beat method. To do this, the athlete needs, using a stopwatch, to measure the time of 10 consecutive strokes.
The athlete must start the stopwatch during the strike (this will be "hit 0") and count to ten, then stop the stopwatch at "hit 10". The inconvenience of this method lies in the rapid decrease in heart rate immediately after the termination of the load. The heart rate calculated using this method will be slightly lower than the actual heart rate.
To calculate the training intensity, as well as to control the functional state of an athlete, the main indicators of heart rate are used, such as heart rate at rest, maximum heart rate, heart rate reserve and heart rate deviation.
heart rate at rest
Well-trained athletes have a very low resting heart rate. In untrained people, resting heart rate is 70-80 beats / min. As aerobic capacity increases, resting heart rate decreases significantly. In well-trained endurance athletes (cyclists, marathon runners, skiers, etc.), resting heart rate can be 40-50 bpm, and in some cases this figure can be even lower.
In women, resting heart rate is about 10 beats higher than in men of the same age. In the morning, the resting heart rate for most people is about 10 beats lower than in the evening. In fact, some people do the opposite.
Resting heart rate is usually taken in the morning before getting out of bed to ensure the accuracy of daily measurements. There is a widespread but erroneous opinion that the lower the pulse in the morning, the better the functional state of the athlete. By the morning pulse, one cannot judge the degree of preparedness of an athlete. However, heart rate at rest gives important information about the degree of recovery of the athlete after training or competition. By measuring the morning pulse, you can track overtraining on early stage like all kinds viral infections(cold, flu). Morning heart rate rises in case of overtraining or infectious disease and decreases markedly as the athlete's physical condition improves.
Maximum heart rate
The maximum heart rate (HRmax) is maximum amount contractions that the heart can make within 1 minute. After 20 years, HRmax begins to gradually decrease - by about 1 beat per year. Therefore, sometimes HRmax is calculated using the following formula:
HRmax = 220 - age
Unfortunately, this formula is very approximate and does not give exact results. Maximum heart rate can vary greatly from person to person.
Despite the fact that HRmax changes with age, it does not depend on the level of performance of an athlete. Unlike other indicators - resting heart rate and deviation heart rate - heart rate max remains unchanged after a period of training. Only in rare cases, HRmax slightly decreases under the influence of training. As a rule, it occurs in well-trained athletes.
Determination of HRmax
The maximum heart rate is determined during a test in the laboratory or in the field. HRmax can only be achieved if wellness athlete. Full recovery after the last workout is required. Before the test, the athlete must warm up well. It can be light jogging, cycling or skiing. The warm-up is followed by an intense load lasting 4-5 minutes. The final 20-30 s of the load are performed with maximum effort.
While doing maximum load HRmax can be easily determined using a heart rate monitor. Manual heart rate calculation does not give accurate results due to the high probability of errors and the rapid decrease in heart rate immediately after exercise.
It is desirable that the maximum heart rate is based not on one indicator, but on several recorded over several weeks. The highest value will be the maximum heart rate.
In the same person, HRmax can vary greatly when performing different types activities. The same athlete can reach 203 bpm while running, but only 187 bpm when pedaling. Athletes involved in various sports are advised to measure HRmax for each type of activity separately.
Calculation of training intensity from HRmax
| Intensity zones |
Intensity in % of heart rate maximum |
| Restorative | 60-70% |
| Aerobic (A1) | 70-80% |
| Aerobgaya (A2) | 80-85% |
| Developing (E1) | 85-90% |
| Developing (E2) | 90-95% |
| anaerobic zone | > 95% |
"Endurance training". Peter JANSEN