Of all the training techniques and aids that can help to improve your running, monitoring your effort via your heart rate is one of the best. One of the tendencies when you run is to run too hard all of the time, especially if you are a beginner. Learning what your maximum heart rate is, and what zone of effort you need to be in to successfully accomplish a run workout, is great way to achieve your running goals, and stay healthy and injury-free.
Maximum Heart Rate
Although one formula may not serve the purpose of all people, the standard formula for figuring your maximum heart rate is a good place to start. Subtract your age from 220 to find your maximum heart rate. For example, if you are a 32 year old beginner runner, you max heart rate is 188. Although individual differences such as overall health, current fitness level, and genetics can cause this number to fluctuate up or down, now you have a starting point for heart rate zone training.
Beginner Zone
If you are a beginning runner, you may be running a very easy pace to build a solid fitness foundation. In the article "Heart Rate Training: Finding the Right Zone for You" from Sports Fitness Adviser, running at 60 percent of your max heart rate will stress your aerobic system and help you to draw energy from your body fat instead of using your main source of fuel, glycogen or complex carbohydrates. Using the 32 year old runner again with a max heart rate of 188, means that running 60 percent of the max equals 113 beats per minute as your training zone.
Aerobic Zone
Once your fitness foundation has been built via consistent slower-paced, lower heart rate running, now you can step-up the effort and train at a higher heart rate. The article from Sports Fitness Adviser notes that this aerobic heart rate training zone will be run at 70 to 80 percent of your max heart rate. This zone taxes your body more, and forces your body to start using its main fuel source of glycogen. Now the 32 year old runner with a 188 max heart rate will run in the zone between 132 b.p.m. for 70 percent and 150 b.p.m. for 80 percent. This is the zone where your greatest fitness and conditioning gains are made, if performed consistently.
The Karvonen Formula
The Sports Fitness Adviser article suggest using the Karvonen formula for more accurate heart rate zones that reflect your true individuality. This formula uses maximum heart rate - resting heart rate x heart rate zone + resting heart rate. The 32 year old with a 188 max heart rate has a resting heart rate of 62. This means 188 max - 62 = 126, then .7 x 126 = 88 + 62 = 150 lower limit. For the upper limit, .8 x 126 = 101 + 62 = 163-- with the numbers rounded-off. This formula is likely to be more exact for you as an individual, and will help you to train better in the aerobic heart rate zone of 70 percent to 80 percent of your max heart rate.
Cautions
While heart rate training zones are a great way to gradually increasing your fitness level and running abilities, a word of caution is needed. If you are just beginning, and are not in shape, follow the more generic heart rate training zones provided by the American Heart Association. Their suggestion for a target zone is much more broad at 50 percent to 85 percent of your max heart rate, according to your age. Starting with a walk/run, and staying in the lower end of this A.H.A. target zone is a sure way to stay healthy as you progressively, and intelligently, increase your fitness.
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