Everything You Need To Know About Heart Rate & Power Training Zones

[@gtn]

Will you be using Zones in your training? 🤔

[@Sidali1104]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@liamroche1473]

Always. Exactly which ones, not so clear!

[@reeltaiwan]

Yup. Well, basically it's 80-20. I use HR Z2 for easy runs, with a very simple workout on my Garmin, which beeps my HR goes above or below Z2. For intense workouts, I don't worry too much about which zone I'm in--though there's no doubt it's going to be at least Z3 for tempo and Z4 or Z5 for faster-paced intervals.

[@atlosass]

I've been in the Garmin "ecosystem" for many years and I keep an eye on my zones during training. I'd be curious to see you do a video on how the major watch platforms (Garmin, Polar, Wahoo, etc.) compare to lab derived zones.

[@bozoldier]

In polar the default is by 10% of your max HR. But you can enter manually zones. I'm not a believer, so I made my own zone averaging the %mHR, Kerkoven, and MAF. Never use the speed zones, and there are default as well, but I dont know how polar fills these.

[@GOTTT]

I stumbled upon the channel 2 days ago. Been a binge consumer since! Really cool and valuable content!! Thank you guys

[@desroin]

I usually use heart rate and pace since it's interesting how things correlate during the season. My most comfortable zone (using the defaults based on age) is actually zone 3, which on my watch is in the region of 131-149 (Zone 2 being 112-130) and I can spend hours with a heart of around 140 ^^'

[@alansmith2593]

Great vid thanks :) I use HR zones, minute mile average and feel. Training is awesome woop

[@madshansson20]

I use HR and powerzones. Works fine for me

[@shisui.7697]

I'm kinda confused now. Accoring to the MAF-Method my Aerobic Z2 Training HR would below 143 bpm to build my aerobic base. My Z2 (Tempo) Zone is between 153 and 168 with 169 being my current LTH estimate accoring to my Garmin Forerunner 255 using a chest HR monitor. Now according to this video my areobic base Training zone would be between 114 and 133 bpm (60-70% of max HR with 191) which is impossible for me to maintain while actually jogging. so i would basically walk to build my aerobic base. Using the 85-89% of LTHR the zone should be between 143-150 bpm. So im a little confused right now :D For reference: I'm 29 years old and have a history of long yeah endureance sport with football and basketball and i just recently started running regularly for the past 4 months. I can comfortably run for 10-15 km with a HR between 143 and 153 (which i thought is my Z2)

[@heatherfell_oly]

Hi, If you have done a recent LTHR test for running then the numbers are more likely to be more accurate than calculating by your max HR. From what I gather it sounds like that gives you the correct feeling of effort for zone 2. If you were to use RPE then that should feel like a 3-4 out of 10 effort.

[@reeltaiwan]

My Garmin (Forerunner 945) also gives me a LTHR (158 based on today's intervals). I let my Garmin calculate my zones based on LTHR, and it's exactly as James describes in the video. So my Z2 maxes at 158 * 0.89 = 141. Yours sounds like it's 169 * 0.89 = 150. That would be a range of 135-150 for your Z2. That's in the general ballpark of what you understand your Z2 to be based on MAF. If I understand how the Maffetone method works, you might want to lower your Z2 threshold to match what your watch tells you--because it's counterproductive to train in tempo when you intend to be doing easy/endurance. (Quick edit: You say tempo is Z2, but in my lexicon, tempo is Z3)

[@SBoots29]

So far I only use my Garmin to keep track. I believe a HR strap is in the cards to be more accurate. Right now I do train in lower HR with speed workouts sprinkled in.

[@gtn]

Great to see you honing in on the numbers! Will you be taking the plunge and getting a HR strap soon? ❤

[@SBoots29]

@@gtn I sure will. I ordered a Garmin HR strap to go with my Garmin watch. If I'm in this sport I may as well try and train the right way. Plus I'm old, I don't want to over do it and keel over. LOL.

[@Andy19884666]

How should my heart rate zone's be set up. On my Garmin fénix 7x. I've also bought chest strap to. I'm not sure how the settings should be though.

[@Sidali1104]

Think you 👍👍👍👍👍

[@gtn]

No worries! Now you go can go out and smash your training 🙌

[@Sidali1104]

@@gtn 👍👍🙏🙏🙏

[@avgeekboy]

I also use HR zones. Whatareyour thoughts in HR reserve? Ie. HRmax - HRrest.

[@davrynbotha4795]

Hey James, honest review on the wahoo watch and if worth jumping fence from current garmin? Thanks in advance mate🙏🏻

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

Wahoo watch is incredibly inaccurate with so many faults with pace etc (look at James’ Strava to see what I mean). Garmin is much better

[@larrylem3582]

The two different definitions of the zones give completely different heartrate ranges. Else either my max HR and my lactate threshold HR is wrong. Or more likely, this is just guidance and I need to customize my ranges.

[@heatherfell_oly]

It is guidance yet LTHR should be more accurate.

[@larrylem3582]

@@heatherfell_oly Hi, I think GTN should look at this more closely since the zones based on the 2 methods are so far apart. It's really important as it's a big assumption on which the rest of the training is based. For example, my max HR is 175. For zone 2, 60-70% is 105-123 bpm. Lactate threshold HR 160, 85-89% is 136-144 bpm.

[@gzfashions]

Not sure but when I run a 6:30 pace run my hr is around 175 when I do a 9 min pace its around a 171 bpm. Not sure how accurate Apple Watch se is but yeah any idea why? I have been running at 5:30 am compared to when I’m able to run around 9 am I notice a slight difference in hr. I also have noticed that when I am in the gym consistently seems like the muscle fibers are much stronger and my heart rate would be at about 165 down to 154.

[@mimi_micha8815]

You're running on a treadmill? Remember: IRL the street does not move underneath your feet, you would have to push yourselves forward in order to move which means additional work for glutes and hamstrings, followed by higher heart rate.

[@gzfashions]

@@mimi_micha8815 i do majority of my miles on the road! I’ve been running since 2017 at around 7300 miles since then and for the longest most of my runs were around 7 to 7:30 pace my average on Nike app on all those miles is 7” 18” so basically I was training harder not smarter! Basically I’m trying to run around 28-40 miles a week with 75 percent of this miles slow pace aerobic speed! Maybe it’s just taking some time for my HR to adjust to slower speeds?

[@liamroche1473]

While the principles are great, unfortunately, the zones described are in some cases definitely inconsistent with each other! Eg whatever percentage of MHR LTHR happens to be, you can't have the percentage of MRH rising by 10% between Tempo and Lactate Threshold, while the percentage of LTHR rises by 5%. It is reasonable to consider the LTHR-based zones as being definitive, but still the MHR-based ones should change in a similar way (to be precise, the percentage change from one zone to the next of the percentage (of MHR or LTHR) should be the same). Sorry for the headache!

[@heatherfell_oly]

These are guidelines and you will find the numbers vary depending on what app you use. I think we agree that LTHR is by far the most accurate and the one to use whenever possible. Thanks for your comment.

[@liamroche1473]

@@heatherfell_oly Yes, I am sure each of the scales - based on MHR or LTHR - are used in different contexts. Comparing authorities, there isn't full agreement on what each zone is! Thus best use must depend on exactly what definitions you use.

[@winklertribe5268]

I’m trying to use heart rate zones, but when I check my watch after every comfortable run, it’s still zone 3 and 4. Could the zones be wrong, or am I just so used to tempo runs that it feels comfortable?

[@heatherfell_oly]

It is possible to be comfortable in zone3, can you still easily chat? That is a good guide.

[@vincentanfi]

Screw zones, RPE is king.

[@PsheMeck]

I guess your RPE of 10 would be different if you run for fun or running from chasing you bear :D all of the methods are good enough but taken with a grain of salt :) Me i.e. can start training like "I don't want to even start" but after 10 mins of warm up "I could hit sub 2h marathon" type of feeling - which RPE should I follow then?? Me personaly , I prefer some standarized "zones" which are independent from my brain and "feelings" :D

[@PsheMeck]

I've been using HR zones for running mainly, for bike though...don't know how to convert HR to power zones so I'm struggling with this a bit. Zone 3 for HR is not always there when doing power zone 3...but maybe it's my false thought process that they would match somehow - maybe good idea for next video to explain this😉

[@heatherfell_oly]

HR and power zones do not exactly correlate. If you have a power metre and have calculated your power zones for cycling then solely use these to follow for your specific training and look at HR to indicate fitness changes.

[@PsheMeck]

@Heather Fell thanks for your advice Heather!

[@Richard_Johnson69]

This advice in particular should come from someone medically qualified! I find it wierd anyone banging on about HR zones etc (just to increase view count), but HR zone is subjective to a multitude of factors hence impossible to generalise it. Ppl should stop posting such videoes

[@heatherfell_oly]

Heart rate zones have been used by professional highly qualified coaches for decades and is nothing new. Sorry to hear you disagree but we are here to inform viewers on how to use zones if that is a training methodology suited to them. As we stated you will need to calculate your own zones in order to train at the correct intensities.

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

I’m a doctor and honestly I don’t know that much about heart rate zones etc. sport scientists/coaches are the experts in this field so I wouldn’t recommend a medical view unless it was a cardiologist that specialised in endurance sports/athletes

[@Ajumi-]

this video has no new information compared to your last videos about zones :( i usualy love your videos but this one was a waste of time