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JANUS FINANCIAL
EXECUTIVE CHALLENGE COACHING TIP #6:
Heart Rate Training and
Perceived Exertion
Throughout these programs, we will refer to varying
levels of intensity with regard to how hard or easy your effort should be
in any specific workout. Verbal description, however, does not always
convey a clear definition of intensity level. When I say hard, what does
that mean to you? How many levels of hard are there? In order to make
this definition of intensity consistent for everyone, it makes sense to establish
a table of graduated levels that are dependent on one's individual
physiological trait(s). The two criterion we'll discuss are: Rate of
Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Heart Rate (HR).
Some Points to Remember When Using a Heart Rate
Monitor (HRM)
1. One's heart rate parameters (MHR, ATHR, RHR, VO2
Max HR) are PERSONAL numbers.
While some HR measurements are trainable, there is a genetic
component as well - your Maximum HR is what it is - one value is not
better than another. Comparing HR
values among your friends is not suggested, nor relevant. All that is relevant are the values
that are specific to you.
2. Heart Rate
(HR) training zones are DIFFERENT for each sport. Typically (but not always), an
athlete's running HR-zones will be five to ten beats higher than their
cycling HR-zones which will usually be five to ten beats higher than
their swimming HR-zones.
3. Learn to incorporate
perceived effort into your determination of intensity!
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) - the highest attainable heart rate. This value is genetically determined
and, although there are formulas to predict it (i.e. 220 or 226 - age),
the best way to determine your MHR is to actually go out and achieve it. i.e. Running - go to a track, warm up
15 minutes, run 1 x 400m hard, 1 x 400m harder, and then 1 x 800m
building from hard to all out over the final 300m. Take 1-minute recovery after each 400
and remember to cool down at least 10 minutes (jogging or walking) after
the 800. MHR is not a trainable
level -- it is what it is.
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) - your heart rate at rest. Resting heart rate is an easy number to
determine. Take your RHR at the
same time each day in a consistent "resting" situation (i.e.
upon waking in the morning). Slide
your middle and fore finger into the groove on your neck to feel for your
pulse. Grab a watch or look at
your clock, relax, and count the number of pulse beats for fifteen
seconds. Multiply this number by
four and that is your RHR in beats per minute or bpm (you can also count
the beats for a minute). Getting
into the habit of checking it regularly will allow you to keep track of
your fitness and warn of overtraining and/or impending illness. As you begin to know what your RHR is
under normal circumstances, you will recognize when you aren't fully
recovered from a workout the day before (or when you are beginning to get
sick, are dehydrated, are under stress, etc.) by seeing an increase of as
few as four of five bpm.
Anaerobic Threshold Heart Rate (ATHR)* - Referred to by some physiologists as the point at
which enough anaerobic metabolism occurs such that more lactic acid is
produced than can be rapidly cleared from the body. This occurs from 60 to 95% of VO2 max
depending on an individual's fitness level. You know this level as that where
breathing becomes labored but maintainable. If you continue to raise this pace, you
soon will hit VO2 max, beyond which, you will reach failure (puking and
bleeding from your lungs). AT is a
trainable level. *Also referred to as lactate threshold.
VO2 Max - refers
the maximum amount of oxygen that a person can take in and utilize. In short, this level can only be
maintained for one or two minutes before one is forced to stop from
exhaustion. VO2 max is a trainable
level but less so than ATHR.
While
the heart rate monitor (HRM) will give you an accurate reading of what
your heart is doing (and allow you to correlate HR with a given training
level/zone), your perceived exertion allows you to evaluate your how
difficult a training session is by assigning numbers to your perception
of each incremental level of difficulty. Heart rate monitors provide an
external, objective measurement which, though an excellent tool, can't
account for factors like environmental conditions, muscle fatigue,
psychological states, etc.). RPE enables you to subjectively measure your
level of effort and, when combined with a HRM, provides a more complete
picture of one's level of effort. Because of these points, it makes sense
to combine the two when communicating the varying intensities of
workouts.
Intensity Determination Table
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Rating
|
Perceived Effort
|
Prescribed Intensity
|
% of MHR
% of ATHR
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6
|
Level 1
|
¯70% MHR
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7
|
|
Very,
Very Light
|
Easy
|
¯77% ATHR
|
|
8
|
(active
recovery)
|
|
|
9
|
|
Very
Light
|
|
|
|
10
|
Level 2
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71-80% MHR
|
|
11
|
|
Fairly
Light
|
Medium
|
78-90%
ATHR
|
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12
|
(aerobic
endurance)
|
|
|
13
|
|
Somewhat
Hard
|
|
|
|
14
|
Level 3
|
81-90% MHR
|
|
15
|
|
Hard
|
Tempo
|
91-100%ATHR
|
|
16
|
(steady
state)
|
|
|
17
|
|
Very
Hard
|
Anaerobic
Threshold
|
|
|
18
|
Level 4
|
91%+ MHR
|
|
19
|
|
Very,
Very Hard
|
Hard
|
101%+
ATHR
|
|
20
|
|
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(VO2
Max, Hammering!!!)
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We
have asked you to perform some testing in the three disciplines to
determine your various training zones.
Please refer to the following section online for more information
on HR training/ and RPE: http://multisports.com/janus/heart_rate_parameters.shtml
To
perform the HR Testing you can go to the following link for directions:
http://multisports.com/janus/testing.shtml\
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