Heart Rate Training Post 3

Before going any further I advise before any physical exercise is carried out, a complete and thorough warm up activity must be done, and likewise, before any activity is ended, a complete cool down followed by stretches must be completed!!

I will talk about 4 main heart rate zones.  We calculate these zones as a percentage of our MHR.

So

Zone A) The recovery zone.  This zone is effective for building and developing our aerobic capacity (how we breathe and use air) and due to this, will help develop our endurance.  It is used when recovering the day after a really hard run and for burning fat stores most effectively.

Effective training in this zone is carried out at around 60-70% of our MHR.  For me with a MHR of 90BPM

60% of 190 is 60/100X190=114BPM

70% of 190 is 70/100X190=133BPM

So, for me to burn fat most efficiently and to recharge my muscles with glycogen after a hard run i should work out and maintain a steady heart rate of between 114-133BPM

Zone B) The Aerobic zone.  This zone is effective for developing our cardio-vascular system (heart and veins/blood vessels).  It will develop how good we are at providing our muscles with fresh oxygen and at removing old carbon dioxide.  Training in this zone primarily uses energy from the oxygen we breathe to power our muscles.

Effective training in this zone is carried out at around 70-80% of our MHR.  For me with a MHR of 190BPM

70% of 190 is 70/100X190=133BPM

80% of 190 is 80/100X190=152BPM

So, for me to increase my aerobic capacity, and train my body to need less oxygen, and to deliver it more efficiently I should work out and maintain a steady heart rate of between 133-152BPM.  In this zone, fat burning still takes place!

Zone C) The anaerobic zone.  In this zone, the body can no longer get it’s energy from the oxygen we breathe, and so must take it from the glycogen stored in our muscles.  In taking this glycogen, and using it to power our muscles, lactic acid is produced as a side effect.  We need to remove this lactic acid from our muscles.  At the lower range this is possible, but after a while our body can no longer get rid of the lactic acid quick enough.  This is when our muscles start to burn!!  This is called our anaerobic threshold.  By regularly training in this zone, we can train our bodies to better get rid of the lactic acid and raise our anaerobic threshold.  This is particularly good for long distance runners who want to increase their speed over a long distance run by being better equipped to endure longer distances without producing lactic acid, and to process it better when they do.

Zone D) The Red line Zone.  This zone is at between 90-100% of MHR.  This is used mainly for short distance sprinters who wish to develop their speed by activating and training their fast twitch muscles.  It is best avoiding this zone, until you have progressed in your fitness and training!

I will discuss the way this will provide improvements in tomorrow’s post.

Happy running Stoke F.I.T. 🙂

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