Heart rate training zones
When planning a health and fitness programme, it is important to know how to adapt the activities to support the achievement of specific individual goals - different individuals may have a wide range of aims and objectives for their fitness activities, for example building speed, power, endurance, reaction time, muscular strength in their legs, muscular endurance in their upper body and so on.
One way in which activities can be adapted is by incorporating different heart rate training zones, depending on the goals of the programme.
In Unit 1, Session 4 you learned all about maximum heart rate (MHR) and target training zones. You can use your MHR to help you calculate how hard you should work your heart in order to develop aerobic or anaerobic fitness.
Aerobic fitness is also known as cardiovascular endurance or stamina. You can improve aerobic fitness by working in your aerobic target zone. This means working so that your heart rate is between 60-80% of your MHR.
Anaerobic fitness is related to strength, power and muscular endurance. You can improve anaerobic fitness by working in your anaerobic target zone. This means working so that your heart rate is between 80-100% of your MHR.
If you work at a rate that is below 60% of your MHR, then no improvement to aerobic or anaerobic fitness will be achieved.
Click the button below to see an example.
ExampleExample
Oscar and Kam are members of the same athletics club. They are both 18 years old. Oscar is a talented sprinter, while Kam is training to run marathon events. Oscar and Kam use different heart rate training zones to adapt their training for these different events.
Sprinters use mainly anaerobic fitness, while marathon runners rely heavily on aerobic fitness.
Oscar and Kam both have a maximum heart rate (MHR) of 202, which is 220 minus 18 (their age).
For Oscar to build up his anaerobic fitness for sprinting, he can optimise his training by getting his heart rate up to between 80% and 100% of his MHR (between 161 and 202 beats per minute).
For Kam to build up his aerobic fitness for running longer distances, he can optimise his training by getting his heart rate up to between 60% and 80% of his MHR (between 121 and 161 beats per minute).