After reading books by both of these guys about training with a heart monitor, I am on a fence. Phil Maffetone talks about building and aerobic base, before you start doing any anaerobic work. John L. Parker Jr. in his book Heart Monitor Training For The Compleat Idiot says to train using a combination of easy and hard days. The formulas they use for figuring out zones are different, but they are not that different.
Parker uses the the Karvonen Method which uses both Max Heart Rate and Resting Heart Rate. So 70% would be (MHR - RHR) * .70 + RHR. It works out that 70% is 70% within the range between resting heart rate and max heart rate. My 70% falls at 150 (MHR = 193, RHR = 48).
Maffetone uses a couple different methods depending on which book you read. In Training For Endurance, he uses the 180-Formula. According to the formula, my Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate is 142. But I am leary of age based formulas. According to one popular formula, my Max Heart Rate should be 177. But I have had it up to 193. And I think I might even be able to get it higher. In High Performance Heart, Maffetone uses a different system. I do notice that Training For Endurance was published four years after High Performance Heart, so maybe it has newer ideas?
I have been trying to use Parker’s system of running my easy days below 70%, and my hard days above 85%. The easy days are great, and I am able to run…well okay walk and jog a faster and longer than I could before. But the hard days at 85%, well, I just can’t hold that pace for very long. I find myself having to stop several times over a three mile run. But Maffetone claims these harder, more anaerobic workouts will damge my aerobic base. I know that when I do go to run a marathon, I am going to try to keep my heart rate below 70% (Karvonen Method), as in my training I feel good, and feel I can keep going at that pace for a while. But so far, my longest run has been about 8 miles. I need to start adding some miles, but I want to get my speed up at that 70% heart rate.
I don’t know. I guess I will keep on plodding along, and see what works for me.
If you read Parker carefully he starts out with a aerobic base ie no hard workouts. Only once into the season does he use interval and tempo runs to sharpen the athelete in preparation for competition. The risk is that too much anaeobic work will lead to injury and burnout. Both authors say the best way to determine Max HR is with funtional tests. They do not give this as there first choice since there are people with sick hearts that this will precipitate a heart attack.
Comment by Gordon Roznik — August 13, 2008 @ 7:57 am