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Improve physical fitness using the Heart Zones training system
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What does improving physical fitness mean? It's many things to many people. For some, it's losing weight to lower blood pressure, eliminate type 1 diabetes, or to improve looks and put on those six pack abs for summer around the pool. For runners, cyclists, and triathletes, it means getting faster and extending physical endurance.
So it boils down to weight management, speed, and endurance. Research by sports physiologists has shown that these different goals depend on different heart rate zones. Sally Edwards took this information and conceived the Heart Zones system. This article explains that system.
Scientific sports training for optimal results
Athletes must train in the heart rate zone that corresponds to the goal. The way to do this is to use a heart rate monitor. A sensor on a chest strap picks up the beats and transmits them to a wrist watch where the rate is displayed in real time. Entry level models will do just that, but more advanced (and expensive) models allow for programming or the setting of zones. When the heart rate goes below the lower zone threshold or above the higher threshold, the watch will beep, alerting the athlete to change pace.
Are the zone intervals the same for everyone? No, but they are close for many, depending on factors such as age and genetics. The zones are calculated as percentages of the individual's maximum heart rate (MHR). This is the greatest number of times per minute that the heart can contract. There are many ways to calculate this number. The easiest method is to simply subtract the age in years from 220 but this is just a rough estimate.
More accurate methods, the ones recommended by Sally Edwards, are the Sub-Max Step Test and the Sub-Max Chair Test.
The five heart zones explained
Applying the system is a simple way to reach fitness goals and improve performance. As with most other things in life, having the proper tools is essential. The monitor has already been explained earlier. What's left? A training log. This can either be paper or electronic. Now, for the zones.
- Zone 1 is the Healthy Heart zone and is 50% to 60% of MHR. In this zone, the individual isn't working very hard. Doctors might recommend this interval for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Zone 2 is 60% to 70% of MHR. Most people still feel very comfortable here but more caloric combustion is going on and fat cells are beginning to give up their stores. Edwards refers to this as the Temperate zone.
- Zone 3 is 70% to 80% of MHR and is the Aerobic zone. The fat is really burning here and the brain responds by releasing endorphins which provide that fabled “runner's high”. This is where the body adapts to greater aerobic capacity. This interval is key for putting money in the endurance bank.
- Zone 4 is 80% to 90% of MHR and Edwards dubbed it the Threshold zone. The work here is palatable and if speed for distances from the 5K to the marathon is the goal, this is where it begins to happen. This is also where the red flag starts to raise for the possibility of sports injuries.
- Zone 5, the Red Line zone, is the most intense at 90% to 100%. Use caution here and limit time spent here because of the injury potential. This interval will improve sprinter's times.
So that's the line-up. Remember, although personal goals may be specific, some time should be spent in all zones for all around fitness. And remember to take one day a week as a rest day.
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