Heart Rate Zone Training
 

Aerobic/Endurance

 

You may have heard about the importance of heart rate training and finding your Zones in regards to your health and fitness level. This article will explain the different zones and the value of training for aerobic endurance.

Whether you are beginning an exercise program or you are an experienced athlete training for another season or big race, you should be spending about 70% of your training time in your Aerobic Zone (65-75% of Max Heart rate). Some sources call this the Endurance Zone, others call it Zone 3. Either way, there are many health benefits to be gained from training in this zone. One's body burns a higher percentage of fat for fuel at this zone. Time spent in this zone helps stimulate and strengthen the aerobic system, which will help dictate your performance in other zones as well as your endurance to do work, whether it's running, swimming or yard work. Since recovering from any effort is an aerobic activity, aerobic conditioning is important for future success, either in a sprint at the end of the race or training for tomorrow.

Physiologically, in addition to burning more fat in the Aerobic Zone, the body makes other adaptations. Blood supply is increased through the new growth of blood vessels to the affected area. This provides more nutrients to the working muscles and helps take metabolic wastes from the muscles. The mitochondria of the cells, where the energy production take place, multiply up to 200%, providing a higher capacity for workload. Our bodies also increase the level of hemoglobin and total blood volume. Oxygen in the blood is predominantly carried by hemoglobin, so with more hemoglobin the working muscles will get the oxygen they need more efficiently. With the increase in blood volume the cardiac muscle becomes larger, increasing the amount of blood pumped per heart beat. This means a lower heart rate at rest and more efficient recovery.

Once you've determined your Training Heart Rate Zone, we can customize the zones. When you monitor your heart rate during your workouts, customized zones help you make use of your workout time more efficiently.

Zone 1 Recovery 50-65% of maximum heart rate
Zone 2 Aerobic 65-75%
Zone 3 Strength 75-85%
Zone 4 Interval 75-92%
Zone 5 Max 92%+

 

Age Predicted Heart Rate Zones

AGE
20 - 23
24 - 27
28 - 31
32 - 35
36 - 39
40 - 43
44 - 47
48 - 51
52 - 55
56 - 60

Recovery

50-65% of Max H.R.

100
to
129
98
to
126
96
to
123
94
to
120
92
to
118
90
to
116
88
to
113
86
to
110
84
to
108
82
to
105

Aerobic

65-75% of Max H.R.
129
to
149
126
to
146
123
to
143
120
to
140
118
to
137
116
to
134
113
to
131
110
to
128
108
to
125
105
to
122

Strength

75-85% of Max H.R.
149
to
168
146
to
165
143
to
162
141
to
159
137
to
155
134
to
151
131
to
148
128
to
145
125
to
141
122
to
139

Interval

75-92% of Max H.R.
149
to
182
146
to
178
143
to
175
160
to
170
137
to
168
134
to
164
131
to
161
128
to
157
125
to
153
122
to
150

Max

92% + of Max H.R.
182
178+
175+
170+
168+
164+
161+
157+
153+
150+

 

Jonathan Siegel, Director of Coaching
JDS Sportcoaching, LLC

Jonathan Siegel, CSCS, is an RRCA-certified running coach and certified cycling coach. If you have training questions or comments or are interested in a lactate test, contact JDS Sportcoaching,LLC.

 

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