Heart Rate Zones Explained | Do They Even Matter?

Do you use heart rate zones? Or do you feel there is a better technique to train? 🏃‍♂

I really appreciate the advice in this video because it provides the nuanced approach that should be more widely shared. Heart rate zones exist to support your training, but you should not let your training be limited by heart rate zones in all circumstances. I've experienced both the benefits and drawbacks of training strictly to heart rate zones, so now I actively think about the purpose of my sessions before thinking about heart rate zones. In general, I like using perceived effort along with HR zones because it gives you a greater picture about how your session went physically and mentally. If the session felt harder than the HR data suggests, it may be a sign of carrying additional mental/physical fatigue that you may not have been aware of.

I recently started using HR Zones, especially Zone 2. Regardless of the athletic benefit, I have improved my bloodwork, which will keep me off statins!

I have recently started using heart rate zones in training. For years I just set different levels of effort over specific time periods depending on the workout. Now I realise that I was working a zone or two above what I thought I was so I have been able to bring the intensity down a bit and work for longer. I'm loving having the real time data.

Yes, HR is a great way to keep yourself in check. Been using the FORM goggles w/ HR.. I have a target swim a time for my IM, sub 60, finding the sweet spot with my effort during my long swims is my goal! I stick to the effort level prescribed by the AI for the W/O… and have had amazing results… being smooth and relaxed has increase my enjoyment and confidence. The Bike & Run, power and HR is a normal tool… Great Video.. nice PR Heather 👍💪🙏🥂

I generally find Z2 training mind numbingly boring - It's so difficult to stay committed to going so slow, especially in the colder weather.

Great and how about explaining what/how zones train the types of muscle-fibers and how they help with the type of races you train for? Zone 1/2 more Slow-twitch fibers that are capable to burn lactate as fuel besides fat and glucose. Zone 4/5 more fast-twitch fibers that only work on glucose and produce lactate. Slow-twitch fibers form the base on which the fast-twitch fibers can do their work. The bigger the base the harder your muscles can perform.

I use it mainly while battling with post covid fatigue. Even a year after the infection my body can hardly recover from hard efforts, so I usually stay in the lower zones. It was super hard in the beginning as I was sooooo slow but I am slowly but surely seeing improvements in my "speed" :)

Great stuff!

I've been running with a heart rate control for 6 months. I use a heart rate monitor on my chest. I'm 62. I'm running an ultramarathon. I haven't figured out the benefit yet. But I believe it will help. Because I need it. I'm a person with a very high heart rate. Thank you for your video.

I'm racing in my 4th 70.3 this year (Holkham in Norfolk). I've never trained to HR before but my partner did for her first full Ironman and she performed really well. I have signed up for 2x months of free Tridot training and I'm using HR to guide all of my training during this time. I'm surprised how difficult it is to stay in Z2 for most of the sessions so I am interested in seeing how I respond to harder sessions later in the year (my race is in July). Running at Z2 is particularly difficult - I end up walking quickly every 5mins or so to get the HR back down!

I use CSS for swimming, Power for Bike and HR for Run, all using 80/20 zones. I have tried using power and Pace for running, but where I live is typically too hilly whereas HR I can regulate on the hills, especially the fitter you get.

For hard interval training, I like to use HR somewhat retrospectively. I look back at the laps in strava, and check how it has ramped up in an interval, what the rest HR was during recovery as training progressed, if the max HR at each interval has changed etc.... Then I can correlate to how the training felt, and get an idea if I went too hard too eary, if perhaps I had a bit of leeway and could have pushed more, if slightly longer recovery might ahve been better, etc. For jog/slower stuff, I mostly go by feel, I know what my aerobic pace feels like. But I stlll look at it. I've been able to spot twice that I was going to be sick this way - my aerobic pace HR under normal circumstances was just too high. I noticed that, didn't know (why thought I was perhaps tired from training or bad sleep or something). Then sure enough, within 24 hours fever & congestion.

Always z2 on long training days mix a bit with intervals any other day plus a few hard push z4/5 very short and you should do fine.

Hmm, I am so old school...... Most of this didn't exist in my younger years. This brings to mind the aerobic/anaerobic exercise levels, which I think also applies to heart rate zones, and wondering if they are similar and/or the same things? Of course, they are highly variable depending on the people....

I usually rely on RPE, but I’m going to give HRZ training a try! Thanks!

My HR zones based on max HR are wildly different from the zones based on lactate threshold HR. On my watch you can choose which one you base your training on. Since I’ve changed to basing it on LTHR my zone 2 is a full 10bpm higher and I have to say all the zones ‘feel’ much more accurate. The other way just felt far too low. I do my bike sessions Tuesday long threshold blocks, Friday lots of short Vo2max efforts and every other day zone 2 with one day where I can do what I want. Running is very much rehab at the mo so all easy paced and swimming I find really hard to get my HR up at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I would like to try something: both of my easy zones used almost every day, extensive zone 2 on Monday and Thursday, zone 3 endurance on Tuesday and Friday, zone 4 intervals on Wednesday, and zone 5 on Saturday as well as strength training, included. My goal is to become a sub 10 minute double miler (12 miles per hour for 10 minutes) and I am maxing at only 10.8 miles per hour for a zone 5 exercise, which is far from my sub 10 minute double mile goal. Do you have any better ideas on how I can train to be a sub 10 minute double miler?

Frustration around trying to figure out which of the numerous methods to use to determine heart rate zones and how to get a correct LTHR estimate to base them on is why I changed my primary sport from running to cycling, where power zones are much more straightforward. I've experimented with running power zones (Garmin and Stryd) but find them unsatisfactory

Great info