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Heart Rate Question (Read 124 times)

    The formulas are pretty much useless, in my opinion.

    Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth

     

    MrH


      I've seen articles quoting 7 BPM as a standard deviation for Max HR, meaning that for a 50 year old male although the formula 210-50*0.7 gives a MHR of 175 with two standard deviations, 1 in 20 of the population will have a MHR > 189 or <161.

       

      Age based calculations for Max HR giving a single number are too simplistic, making them mostly useless for an individual.

       

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3935487/

      The process is the goal.

      Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.

      dumrunner


         

        Sorry but this works for only a limited segment of the population.  Try working that out for a teen or runners in their 60s or 70s.  There's no way I could keep my HR at 107 unless I was casually strolling, not even a brisk walk.  And 162 for an 18 year old???

         

        I kinda agree with you. I've tried it off and on for the past five years or so, with limited success, even when I add an extra five beats per minute as he recommends if you've been injury free for a year I think. Another problem, for me at least, is I have to avoid running hills (even walking some of the steeper trails caused my HR to rise above the limit). But, I do believe it's a reasonable approach if only to get one used to truly running at an easy pace.

        pedaling fool


          I tried my best on Wednesday and ran 7 miles at 10.00 min/mile and kept the average HR at 152.

           

           

           

          I'm of the opinion the formulas are useless, if they work for someone, it's basically dumb luck (IMO). You're a perfect example, since you've seen your H/R at 192 and it'll probably go higher, if you did a real max H/R test. I also don't subscribe to the Maffetone method, other than doing weeks of low-intensity runs to build the aerobic base and mitochondria in the cells. And to accomplish those two objectives all one needs to do is low-intensity runs, anything tougher (on a continual basis) is counterproductive due to built up stresses in the body.

           

          An average H/R of 152 @ 10:00-mile/pace, does seem a little high. I know how hard it is to keep the H/R low in the beginning, it's so tough that I ended up not worrying about it too much, rather kept running (I only stopped to walk during the first two weeks), but I just ran really slow and comfortably and over time my H/R started to come down. Not only did it come down, but it also came down quicker after I did a little sprint (to cross streets and stuff) and my cardiac drift stopped drifting upwards so fast.

           

          Remember the excerpt from the RW article:  https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20828929/train-at-the-right-intensity-ratio/

           

          The effort has to be lower than you think it should be, because you’ve essentially made abnormal normal,” says Greg McMillan, author of YOU (Only Faster). “What is really a moderate effort, you’re calling easy. So when you feel like you’re running easy, run easier.”

           

          Practicing such restraint can be surprisingly difficult at first. But if you take a leap of faith and follow through with your plan to slow down, your intensity discipline will be well-rewarded. “The first thing you may notice is that you’re less fatigued from day to day,” Rae says. “You’ll also find that you are able to run faster and more comfortably in higher-intensity workouts.”

           

          We have made the abnormal normal. And it's very tough to discipline yourself to run slower, because it doesn't feel like you're accomplishing anything, but you are; you're building a solid aerobic foundation with very little stress to your body, so you can repeat and repeat. Consistency is extremely important here.

           

          You should probably ask yourself one question.

           

          Week after week of my current running program, is my performance improving?”.

           

          If you feel you're on a steady improvement path, you'll probably not want to give the program a try. However, if you're not seeing anymore improvement, I recommend thinking seriously about it. Or if one day you find that you've totally stagnated...Remember this thread and the RW article. Good Luck!!

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