How To: Heart Rate Training

Determining Max Heart Rate

The most well known equation that estimates maximum heart rate is:

220 - age = HRmax

This equation assumes that everyone loses one beat per minute from their maximum heart rate for every year they get older.  Since this rate of loss does not apply to everyone, this equation has a large standard deviation (+/- 12-15 bpm).  For people younger than 40 years old, this equation underestimates HRmax; for people older than 40 years old, this equation overestimates HRmax (5).

The most accurate HRmax equation (2) is not as easy to remember, but it will give a better estimate than the equation above:

206.9 - (0.67 x age) = HRmax

Target Heart Rate Equations:

The first equation involves simple multiplication:

THR = HRmax * desired percentage

The method below factors resting heart rate into the equation.  For this reason, the equation below is more accurate ONLY if the resting heart rate is measured accurately.  As mentioned in the post about the limitations of heart rate training, several variables may cause heart rate to vary as much as 1 - 6 bpm from day to day (1,3,4).  For this reason, the equation below requires daily updating to account for this variability.  Otherwise, training intensity might be too high or low; potentially targeting the wrong metabolic system, and producing the wrong training effect.

THR = ((HRmax - HRrest) x desired percentage) + HRrest

I recommend using this equation anytime you notice a detectable change in resting heart rate.

Resources:

1. Astrand, P.-O. and Saltin, B. (1961). Oxygen uptake during the first minutes of heavy muscular exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 16, 971-976.
2. Gellish, RL, Goslin B.R., Olson R.E., McDonald A., Russi G.D., Moudgil V.K. Med Sci Sport Exercise. 2007;39(5):822-9.
3. Lambert, M.I., Z.H. Mbambo, and A. St Clair Gibson. "Heart rate during training and competition for long-distance running." Journal of Sports Sciences 16 (1998): S85-S90. Print.
4. Selley, E.A., Kolbe, T., Van Zyl, C.G., Noakes, T.D. and Lambert, M.I. (1995). Running intensity as determined by heart rate is the same in fast and slow runners in both the 10- and 21-k, races. Journal of Sports Sciences, 13, 405-410.
5. Thompson, Walter R., Neil F. Gordon, and Linda S. Pescatello. ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010. Print.