Should I Use Max Heart Rate Or Lactate Threshold?! | GTN Coach’s Corner

[@gtn]

How have you dealt with post-race blues? 💙Let us know in the comments below!

[@AnonyMous-sf8tu]

Hey GTN, Thank you for your video. I just don't get it in the end, why you say zone 2 is 73-80% and then show 60-70% on the screen for the max heart rate? Where the 73-80 comes from? Thanks in advance!

[@mihaidusmanu5430]

@@AnonyMous-sf8tu Just noticed the same > I believe there is a mistake in the video. It would be good if they clarified this by providing an updated chart.

[@woodenpicklebrewing8507]

I think people in general fixate too much on HR zones. 85-89% of LTH will for most people be significantly higher than 60-70% of max HR. I set my zones based on LTH, but when I do easy runs I don’t worry about zones. I run by feel and usually end up spending as much time in zone 1 as I do in zone 2. When I started running I spent as much time in zone 3 as I did in zone 2 on my easy runs, even though I ran slower back then. When your fitness improves, your HR will be lower. Just run slow, try to enjoy it and don’t worry too much :)

[@bobbydiner0]

Regarding the zone calculations; it's not just that doing a lactate threshold test will give a more accurate result becasue it takes your level of fitness better into account. It is also a matter of the percentages used giving way different results. To illustrate this: top end of zone 2 is usually estimated at 70% of max heart rate and 89% of lactate threshold. Well, if you do base your zones on Max heart rate, then the top of your zone 4 (i.e. estimated lactate threshold) is 90% of max HR. So if your max HR is 200, then the top of zone 4 is 0.9*200= 180. If you then calculate your zone 2 based on that estimated lactate threshold then the top of zone 2 is 0.89*180 = 160. That is 80% of max HR, which would be top of zone 3. What I am trying to say is that for most people 89% of lactate threshold is closer to 80% of Max HR, not 70%.

[@TeeBee-qz3wy]

Great video. Time and effort explaining things correctly.

[@jhiaaa]

this just answered my HR / LTH debate! Thank you GTN

[@jpoveda84]

Thank you very much for this valuable information, I had been looking for this difference between zones and nowhere could I find the answer! Greetings from Colombia

[@seb_617]

I thought Heather nailed the max HR vs. LTHR answer. It’s really hard to know if you’ve hit your actual max HR; by contrast you can do a LTHR test and get a fairly accurate read. But I’d also say that ultimately it should correlate with how you feel. I tried both sets of numbers and felt the LTHR-based zones matched my RPE well, so went with that. At the end of the day these zones are meant to guide you, not be a hard and fast rule!

[@emmanuelnocete135]

What about the karvonen method?

[@math001]

How often should you test your LTHR? Also, how close will a lab tested LTHR be vs the DIY 30 min field test? I'm using heart rate reserve right now but was thinking the past few weeks of just using LTHR

[@pepepetrov]

#gtncoachescorner I'm training for my first 70.3 in Victoria, BC, Canada, May 24, and I'm likely to experience fairly substantial, gusty winds. Winds gusted to 35 kph this past year, based on historical weather data. Does an expectation of heavy winds on a hilly course impact how I train on my road bike. Thanks, you guys rock, eh!

[@tonibrkic656]

But maybe if your LTHR is 90% of MaxHR you are so fit that you should triain with higher pulse. My LTHR according to my watch is 83% of my maxHR but I expect it to increase as I get fitter. And thus maybe LTHR takes fittness better into account

[@rickkorfin9635]

Can you explain more about differing max heart rate during running vs. cycling? How much of a difference is normal/typical? Why is this the case? Maybe even a video where the presenters perform different sports and demonstrate their max heart rate or what heart rate they can maintain for tempo or threshold efforts. #gtncoachescorner

[@mihaidusmanu5430]

I am very confused by the LTHR vs maxHR section. The displayed information claims 60-70% of maxHR but orally she mentions 73-80% which are contradictory?

[@2KEEPYACOOL]

#gtncoachescorner This was posted in the last six coach's corners videos that didn't get answered: A question for Heather, Mark and James. Have any of you tried red light therapy? Red light therapy has been well known for aiding in both recovery and injuries. I was wondering if GTN could make a video on this, I don't recall this ever being addressed in any previous videos. It is a definite game changer in speeding up both recovery and injuries. Thank you!

[@blrun129]

#gtncoachescorner not strictly a Triathlon question, 'm planning to do a couple Adventure races next year which are basically Duathlons on Trail just with more running / cycling and a bit of Kayak- I have done plenty of Triathlons and know roughly my way around Triathlon Training , my problem is I can`t find anything really that translates to adventure training except total beginner plans- I did one Adventure race this year and my biggest problem was that my quads gave out after the second bike and 7KM mountain run - anything where I can find some structure

[@leonardoprevidi9060]

#gtncoachescorner Hi! I’m relatively new to triathlon and I’ve always trained the run according to Garmin Hr zones calculated with my Max HR percentage. Recently I changed coach and started to take lactate tests measuring blood samples for determining training zones and relative paces. I’m now struggling in my Run workouts because when I run my easy pace my heart rate is deep into zone 3. Should i scale down the intensity to match the HR zone or stay at the higher pace and heart rate? My new coach says it’s normal and I should just adapt. For reference: Max HR 198, threshold pace 4:00 min/km, easy run pace 4:40 min/km, zone 2 143-155 bpm, zone 3 156-174bpm. Thanks for all the amazing content!

[@jesseshaver2262]

Heart rate percentage didn’t correlate with my zone 2 at all. My actual zone 2 (tested in a lab) was like 30 bpm less than I thought it was. So prior to that, I was spinning my wheels trying to improve at too high of an intensity. A year of walking and then very easy jogging, I’ve finally brought my zone 2 heart rate 30bpm higher than it was a year ago

[@ScottMurr]

I find it curious that the various zones are conveniently calculated in increments of 5% or 10%. Is there any research based evidence to support these zones?

[@anajovanovic265]

I'm really struggling with Zone 2 training, steady and easy pace just makes me too nervous after a few minutes and I need to either speed up or switch to walking for a little while 😮‍💨

[@DominoGersak]

I had same issue and it happens if you limit yourself to Z2 and you keep it on the edge so it's constantly goes to Z3 (so you have to slow down) etc. This is by far the worst way of doing it (it took me a year to fight with it as well) as constant changes to your pacing (to stay in Z2) is making actually harder for you body than it needs to be. My solution is to know my pacing and instead of HR, I'm simply running as constant (slower) tempo as possible. For example, if I know that my Z2 ceil is at 5:45/km then I know that I should set my target to something around 5:55-6:05 per km to comfortably stay in Z2. I use Garmin set target distance/pace feature for this to guide me. It is normal that due to HR drift it goes up a bit buring the session, that's why I am really setting the pace way below my max pace for Z2 (also to have some space for bad days, a lot of stress etc.). If your pace for Z2 is much slower and you really have to walk, keep in mind that it's absolutely OK! These sessions are meant for you aerobic system and to train you heart and the heart does not care if you walk, run, hike, bike or whatever. And also remember, there is no strict bold line between Z2/Z3 so if you go to Z3 for some time, it does not mean that you're doing the training wrong. I'm trying to apply the 80/20 rule also here so I am happy if 80% of my session is in Z2 and 20% I don't necessarily care (hills, strides, ...). Also, I'm checking if my avg HR is within the Z2 of these sessions.

[@Kureshiman]

I have another question which I hope gets answered elsewhere: doing a 10k garmin coach program atm which ends in Dec. Then I have 8 more months till I run my first half marathon. How would you suggest I train in the 8 months? Should I do two garmin coach half marathon plans back to back (one faster than the previous) or would that be too much training and could lead to injury. Or, instead, should I do another (faster) 10k program and follow it up with a Half Marathon plan? #gtncoachescorner

[@tomh9064]

#gtncoachescorner I am doing my first 140.6 distance race in July, this will be my main goal race next year. There is a local 70.3 which I would like to do but it is 3 weeks before. Do you think this is too close to my main race, or if i take this as a 'training effort' rather than full race effort, do you think it could work well in the prep for the 140.6 race 3 weeks later? Thanks!

[@mandagrath]

I have never even tested my heart rate for anything I do. I have only training by how I feel. In my mind you will probably get better if you work hard at what you’re doing. I might be able to train smarter but I just don’t care about my zones or LTH. I encourage people to be less informed and do things by feeling.

[@marcuswills6569]

Nothing wrong with training by RPE as you say, but you still need structure. Its not ideal to just train hard all the time thinking you are going to get better. Consistency and structure is key.