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Everywhere you look you see articles and advertisements, and hear discussions and hype about heart rate training.  The fact is, it is a very accurate way to train; it focuses your training and allows you to define your training Intensity into narrow bands for specific objectives.  That’s it.  Buying a heart rate monitor won’t automatically make you speedy; it’ll just make an expensive wrist watch.  You have to use it the proper way in order to realize its benefits. 

There are many different types of HRMs out there.  There are some that have an alarm for when you’re outside of your pre-programmed training zone, while others have altimeters, Power meters, calculators and a slew of other options.  Then there are some that only display your heart rate.  Which ever version you have, its use is the same—to focus your training.   There are 5 primary training zones, each with a different purpose, and each train different Aerobic and Anaerobic systems in your body.  Depending on which source you read, these zones may be defined by percentage of Lactate Threshold, concentration of blood Lactate, or percentage of maximum blood oxygen utilization, or VO2 max.  Since it’s difficult to measure blood lactate and VO2 outside of a lab, we’ll talk lactate threshold.  It can be measured on the road, although a lab test is the most accurate.   

Lactic Acid is a by-product of metabolism, and as metabolism increases such as in higher intensity workouts, lactic acid production increases at an exponential rate.  As the lactic acid is produced it diffuses out of the muscle and appears in the bloodstream.  Although the body can recycle much of the lactic acid, there comes a point at which lactic acid is produced faster than it can be recycled.  This is Lactate Threshold (LT).  The problem is LT is different for every person, and is affected by current fitness, years of training, nutritional habits, and altitude, among other things.   

*WARNING*  Heart rate training and LT tests are to be performed only by those who have an aerobic base and are used to Endurance training.  If you are very new to the sport, please go to “Heart Rate and Effort Training for Beginners” and read about a regularly-accepted formula to find your theoretical max heart rate and effective training zones.  And under no circumstances should heart rate training be attempted without the consent of, and a physical exam by a physician.*  

There is an easy test that can be done to find your LT.  You will need a HRM with a split function and a section of road that is relatively flat and free of stop signs and lights.  Run or cycle this section in an out-and-back that takes approximately 45-60 minutes.  The distance will depend on your fitness level.  Go as hard as you can—race effort.  Start your HRM at the start, but start a new Lap at about 10 minutes into it.  Hold the pace and the lap until the finish.  If you were honest with your effort, your average heart rate for the test is a good approximation for your LT.  It’s best to test both running and cycling, and you’ll find that most likely your run LT is about 5 beats above your bike LT. 

Now, go out and find you LT.  Next time we’ll go over how to use that data.    

Brian

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