Low Heart Rate Training, Simplified

🔴 WATCH NEXT ➜ The Big Problem with Low Heart Rate Training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f-VudmRHbw

I learned from this video that I must be one of those who have been running for long enough to know by how I feel to be able to judge what my heart rate is. I have also learned how to ignore the college track coach with the stopwatch who seems to live in the back of my head and is always telling me to pick up the pace even though I feel tired and clumsy. I mentally tell him that I am not in my early 20's anymore, am about to turn 60 and I am still out there hitting the road most every day, and he needs to leave me alone. Especially during the humid months, which coincide with a high pollen reading here in the northeast of the United States - of course, I will be slower. Big deal, it is not going to be the end of the world.

This is stuff I know, but I watch most of your videos out of habit and I'm never disappointed! Also, I really enjoy how you structured this video and the cuts/timers/other video magic. Great one!

Thank you so much James, this is so helpful, especially the formulas

Hi James, thank you for this. I love your videos and it was great to hear you on Fordy’s podcast recently. I have been using this formula plus 80/20 training for the last month. I seem to be one of the few people in my running club that does - am hoping it will bear fruits. It seems most of the blokes I run with just run hard most of the time. No good for me cos of potential injuries PLUS I’d never run if I had to run hard every time. I wish you all the best with your channel and your running 👍

A really great video James, you are unique!

Great video. I use a my zone HRM and a Garmin Forerunner 965. I have adjusted my HR zones on the 965 to reflect the Karvonen formula. Like many others have commented, this moves my HR effort to a higher level. Will be interesting to see if improvement happens over the next 4 months using the 80/20 method and the new Zone 2 HR. Thanks James.

Once again James you’ve nailed it, superb content which explains so well. 👍🏼

Thanks James!

Thank you James!!! I just learned that my watch generated zone 2 is WRONG, and that by trusting how I feel during my runs, I was in fact running in my actual zone 2.

My Garmin uses the 50%-100% range solely based on max HR (189) which gives the following range for Z1-Z2-Z3-Z4-Z5: 94-113-132-151-170-189. If I use the calculation from this video including my resting HR (48) I get this: 119-133-147-161-175-189. My old Z3 zone becomes my Z2 zone .. ? This is shocking

Excellent video. Great advice, simply put. I started out using MAF in January, and had to walk a fair bit, though changed to Karvonen and Z2 in March as at age 60 MAF just seemed too low. I'm now training for my first 50K Ultra, and find I even run in Z1 at about 6:15/km. It's a simple method, but works so well.

I live in the tropics. I train in hot weather 365 days a year. Can you do a video for us runners who always run in the heat? What effect does this have on your zones, heartrate, etc? I have searched in vain for this info. It seems that most content creators are from colder climates and logically they use the research and info that is relevant to their situation. But can you make one especially for your followers living in warm climates?

Heart training got me marathon ready in 2 months. I recommend zone 2 training to anyone willing to talk fitness lol. Glad theres so much content on it.

I have an easy social run with friends once a week which i find a great way to stay in zone 2, plus a good chat and motivation to get out on wet days.

Glad I watched this. May have been going too easy in my Z2. Bottom end of Z2 under this formula is at what my Garmin has as top end of Z2 IE 132

This is great! Completely changed the way I run which was always hard leaving me feeling exhausted. Can you explaing a bit more the 80/20 ratio? Whether that is overall time running in for example a week or runs per week? For example most half/full marathon training plans have 3 recovery runs 2 interval runs and a long run which is more of a 50/50 in a week. Thanks!

Thanks for your -as always-interesting and helpful video. I have one doubt about the 80:20 rule. Do you include in these 20 percent of hard training work only the very time when you run at fast pace or these 20 per cent stand for the whole running session, including easy runs between intervals? For instance. I run, say, 6x1K with 5K pace, but before, among and after these fast sections I run about 4k at easy pace. Does my weekly mileage consist of 6K or 10K of fast pace running?

Great video James. So is using the %HHR (resting heart rate) method better than %LT? As you mentioned in the video, I find my RHR constantly changing which, in turn, messes up my zones. I really don’t know which system to use for the best.

Just the video i was looking for! Just one thing i am still unsure about, when configuring your heart rate zones on the Garmin connect app is also asks for your Lactate Threshold heart rate, doesn’t this need to be accurate also? As i have no clue what mine is!