Heart Rate Training Zones Made Simple.

If you're looking to improve your fitness, it's likely that you've heard of the 5 heart rate training zones. But what are they? What do they mean? What do they do? How do you know which one you're in? Why does it matter? Let me explain... Your Heart Rate Zones. Let me give you a quick understanding of the 5 heart rate (HR) zones. Simply put, they are levels of training intensity based off your maximal heart rate. There are 5 of them, and they progress from lowest intensity (Zone 1) to highest intensity (Zone 5). They go as follows: Zone 1: 50-60% of Max HR Zone 1 is generally too low intensity to drive physical adaptations, but it's great for recovery and daily activity purposes. It's where you'll accumulate most of your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and it's great for pushing just a little more blood around your body than when you're completely at rest, which can be really helpful for recovery. You'll know you're in zone 1 as you'll be able to hold a full conversation without your breathing rate causing any interruptions, and because you'll probably be walking. It rarely amounts to much more than that. Zone 2: 60-70% of Max HR Zone 2 is the boring but brilliant stuff. It so low intensity that your muscles will never be a limiting factor due to fatigue, which means it is great for training your aerobic system (heart and lungs) and you can go for longer durations. This means that you'll get more efficient at utilising oxygen for energy, and delay the point/pace that your anaerobic energy system needs to kick in to provide further energy, meaning you can work harder, for longer, easier. You'll know you're in zone 2 as you can complete 12 word sentences without breaking for a breath, or breath through your nose throughout. Zone 3: 70-80% of Max HR Zone 3 is a quick enough that your muscles start to fatigue and hinder your pace (i.e. your legs start to burn before your lungs), but not so quick that you start to train your "race pace" or "game speed". In training terms, it's a bit beige. Not great for endurance. Not great for speed. All a be "meh". Both too fast and too slow at the same time. That doesn't mean it's useless, but it's just a bit non-specific. You'll likely get more bang for buck in other training zones if you already train, but if you're new to training it could be a nice gentle introduction to some higher paced work rather than slamming straight into zones 4 and 5 and feeling sick immediately. You'll know you're in zone 3 when you moving quick enough that your sentences break down into 3-5 word clusters. Zone 4: 80-90% of Max HR Zone 4 gives you that bit more than zone 3. It's WAY too fast to solely tax your heart and lungs and work aerobically, but now quick enough to start working your anaerobic energy systems effectively and improve your lactate threshold (i.e. the upper point where you can tolerate the lactic acid build up in your legs when running). This can be a really effective training zone for short durations to work on your "race pace" or "game speed". This is where you learn how to work hard for longer than you expected and how to "embrace the suck". You'll know you're in zone 4 because you're firmly in one word answers to questions territory. You're really moving, and you can only keep it up for 30-40 minutes. Zone 5: 90%+ of Max HR Zone 5 is your redline. Your maximum effort cardio. This is as hard as you can possibly work, and because of that you really can't keep it up for long. Under a minute for sure. This can be great for training maximum speed or power, but not so much for your actual fitness as the exposure time is so low. You won't be managing many reps at this intensity and the vast majority of your session is going to be rest rather than work to help bring that heart rate back down. You know you're there because there are no sentences and not even one word answers because you didn't even hear the question. This is as intense as it gets. How To Use Them Now you have an understanding of what they are, now it's a case of what you're going to do with them, and this depends a little on your goals. As this is called "Heart Rate Training Zones Made Simple", let's keep it simple. You'll likely be looking at using your heart rate training zones to achieve one of two goals.

1. Improved aerobic fitness to complete longer, slower events like a marathon.

2. Improve your anaerobic fitness to complete intervals of high intensity work or improve your shorter term work capacity (5-40 minutes).

Either way, you're going to want to build an aerobic base with some steady zone 2 work. Building An Aerobic Base FIRST "But why should I train long and slow? I want to work hard a fast!" I hear you cry. Doesn't matter. Whether your goal is to work over long times and distances or short times at high outputs, your heart and lungs are a key part of the equation, and you can only specifically stress them with zone 2 work. And with a solid phase of zone 2 training first you reap the benefits of:

• Lower resting heart rate

• Increased stroke volume (more blood pumped per heartbeat)

• Increased mitochondria in the cells (the powerhouse of your cells)

• Increased capillary density (greater oxygenated blood delivery to the muscles)

• Improved venous return (quicker return of deoxygenated blood to the heart)

• Increased VO2 max (maximum amount of oxygen you can utilise during exercise)

All of which are hugely beneficial at low intensities AND high intensities. BUT if you skip straight to high volumes of high intensity work (zone 4+) without hitting your zone 2 work first, you'll never truly train your heart, lungs and circulatory systems to cause the above adaptations. Your legs/arms/shoulders/whatever will give out first, and the lactic acid will bring you to a grinding halt. So ALWAYS build an aerobic base first. You need to get good at utilising oxygen for energy production, make your aerobic system more efficient, and take that increased efficiency into your higher intensity work. Working Your "Thresholds" Once you have trained your aerobic system to be more efficient, and pushed your aerobic threshold up (the intensity of exercise at which you can use your aerobic system only for energy production), you can start to work your anaerobic or lactic threshold (the intensity of exercise when you begin to accumulate lactic acid quicker than you can clear it). This is best done in Zone 4, because it's fast enough to force the adaptations below, and you can accumulate it in large enough doses to be useful. Zone 4 work will:

• Burn carbohydrate efficiently for energy production

• Increase your lactate tolerance

• Improve your anaerobic capacity

• Utilise more muscle fibres and create more mitochondria in the fast twitch fibres.

At this stage, you'll now have a higher aerobic threshold, and a higher anaerobic threshold, meaning you can work for longer more efficiently, and work at higher intensities without crashing and burning. The Cherry On Top Finally, you may or may not want to add a small dose of Zone 5 training in as the cherry on top. This will improve your maximum anaerobic power, your top speed, and test your recovery between extremely high intensity effort. This will only appear in some specific sports, and rarely in day to day life and regular fitness pursuits, so it's not for everyone. But, with the base built with Zone 2 and the anaerobic capacity built in Zone 4, a small dose of Zone 5 work can be effective. Without the base, you'll just work really hard once, die, and not do it again. Thanks, Ian.