Learn Triathlon from the best (DVDs)
heart rate monitor
Improve your endurance by knowing what affects your heart rate
Submitted by admin on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 14:43 This excerpt is from the author of Heart Rate Training. It's published with permission of Human Kinetics
One of the most valuable long-term pieces of information you can gather is resting heart rate. When you wake up each morning, take a minute to get an accurate resting heart rate and keep a log. You’ll find this an invaluable tool, providing feedback on injury, illness, overtraining, stress, incomplete recovery, and so on. It is also a very simple gauge of improvements in fitness. We know athletes who have gathered resting heart rate data for years and in a day or two can identify a 1 or 2 bpm elevation that precedes an illness or a bonk session. Some newer heart rate monitors have the capacity for 24-hour monitoring.
Several factors affect heart rate at rest and during exercise. In general, the main factors affecting heart rate at rest are fitness and state of recovery. Gender also is suggested to play a role, albeit inconsistently (more about this later). In general, fitter people tend to have lower resting heart rates. Some great athletes of the past have recorded remarkably low resting heart rates. For example, Miguel Indurain, five-time winner of the Tour de France, reported a resting heart rate of only 28 bpm. The reason for this is that, with appropriate training, the heart muscle increases in both size and strength. The stronger heart moves more blood with each beat (this is called stroke volume) and therefore can do the same amount of work with fewer beats. As you get fitter, your resting heart rate should get lower.
The second main factor affecting resting heart rate is state of recovery. After exercise, particularly after a long run or bike ride, several things happen in the body. Fuel sources are depleted, temperature increases, and muscles are damaged. All of these factors must be addressed and corrected. The body has to work harder, and this increased work results in a higher heart rate. Even though you might feel okay at rest, your body is working harder to repair itself, and you’ll notice an elevated heart rate. Monitoring your resting heart rate and your exercise heart rate will allow you to make appropriate adjustments such as eating more or taking a day off when your rate is elevated.
These same factors of recovery and injury also affect heart rate during exercise. The factors that elevate resting heart rate also elevate exercise heart rate. If you’re not fully recovered from a previous workout, you might notice, for example, at your usual steady-state pace, an exercise heart rate that is 5 to 10 bpm higher than normal. This is usually accompanied by a rapidly increasing heart rate throughout the exercise session.
An extremely important factor affecting exercise heart rate is temperature. Warmer temperatures cause the heart to beat faster and place considerable strain on the body. Simply put, when it is hot, the body must move more blood to the skin to cool it while also maintaining blood flow to the muscles. The only way to do both of these things is to increase overall blood flow, which means that the heart must beat faster. Depending on how fit you are and how hot it is, this might mean a heart rate that is 20 to 40 bpm higher than normal. Fluid intake is very important under these conditions. Sweating changes blood volume, which eventually can cause cardiac problems. The simplest and most effective intervention to address high temperature and heart rate is regular fluid intake. This helps to preserve the blood volume and prevent the heart from beating faster and faster.
Another important factor affecting exercise heart rate is age. In general, MHR will decline by about 1 beat per year starting at around 20 years old. Interestingly, resting heart rate is not affected. This is why the basic prediction equation of 220 – age has an age correction factor. As a side note, this decrease in MHR often is used to explain decreases in .VO2max and endurance performance with increasing age, because the number of times the heart beats in a minute affects how much blood is moved and available to the muscles. We have coached and tested thousands of athletes, and the general trend is that athletes of the same age who produce higher heart rates often have higher fitness scores. However, your MHR is what it is, and you cannot change it. Don’t obsess over it.
A final factor is gender. Recent studies have suggested a variation in MHR between males and females. However, the data are inconclusive with the calculations resulting in lower MHRs for males versus females of the same age, while anecdotal reports suggest that the MHRs are actually higher in males. In general, females have smaller hearts and smaller muscles overall than males. Both of these factors would support the conclusion of a higher MHR in females, certainly at the same workload. We have to conclude that the jury is still out on the gender effect.
One of the most valuable long-term pieces of information you can gather is resting heart rate. When you wake up each morning, take a minute to get an accurate resting heart rate and keep a log. You’ll find this an invaluable tool, providing feedback on injury, illness, overtraining, stress, incomplete recovery, and so on. It is also a very simple gauge of improvements in fitness. We know athletes who have gathered resting heart rate data for years and in a day or two can identify a 1 or 2 bpm elevation that precedes an illness or a bonk session. Some newer heart rate monitors have the capacity for 24-hour monitoring.
Several factors affect heart rate at rest and during exercise. In general, the main factors affecting heart rate at rest are fitness and state of recovery. Gender also is suggested to play a role, albeit inconsistently (more about this later). In general, fitter people tend to have lower resting heart rates. Some great athletes of the past have recorded remarkably low resting heart rates. For example, Miguel Indurain, five-time winner of the Tour de France, reported a resting heart rate of only 28 bpm. The reason for this is that, with appropriate training, the heart muscle increases in both size and strength. The stronger heart moves more blood with each beat (this is called stroke volume) and therefore can do the same amount of work with fewer beats. As you get fitter, your resting heart rate should get lower.
The second main factor affecting resting heart rate is state of recovery. After exercise, particularly after a long run or bike ride, several things happen in the body. Fuel sources are depleted, temperature increases, and muscles are damaged. All of these factors must be addressed and corrected. The body has to work harder, and this increased work results in a higher heart rate. Even though you might feel okay at rest, your body is working harder to repair itself, and you’ll notice an elevated heart rate. Monitoring your resting heart rate and your exercise heart rate will allow you to make appropriate adjustments such as eating more or taking a day off when your rate is elevated.
These same factors of recovery and injury also affect heart rate during exercise. The factors that elevate resting heart rate also elevate exercise heart rate. If you’re not fully recovered from a previous workout, you might notice, for example, at your usual steady-state pace, an exercise heart rate that is 5 to 10 bpm higher than normal. This is usually accompanied by a rapidly increasing heart rate throughout the exercise session.
An extremely important factor affecting exercise heart rate is temperature. Warmer temperatures cause the heart to beat faster and place considerable strain on the body. Simply put, when it is hot, the body must move more blood to the skin to cool it while also maintaining blood flow to the muscles. The only way to do both of these things is to increase overall blood flow, which means that the heart must beat faster. Depending on how fit you are and how hot it is, this might mean a heart rate that is 20 to 40 bpm higher than normal. Fluid intake is very important under these conditions. Sweating changes blood volume, which eventually can cause cardiac problems. The simplest and most effective intervention to address high temperature and heart rate is regular fluid intake. This helps to preserve the blood volume and prevent the heart from beating faster and faster.
Another important factor affecting exercise heart rate is age. In general, MHR will decline by about 1 beat per year starting at around 20 years old. Interestingly, resting heart rate is not affected. This is why the basic prediction equation of 220 – age has an age correction factor. As a side note, this decrease in MHR often is used to explain decreases in .VO2max and endurance performance with increasing age, because the number of times the heart beats in a minute affects how much blood is moved and available to the muscles. We have coached and tested thousands of athletes, and the general trend is that athletes of the same age who produce higher heart rates often have higher fitness scores. However, your MHR is what it is, and you cannot change it. Don’t obsess over it.
A final factor is gender. Recent studies have suggested a variation in MHR between males and females. However, the data are inconclusive with the calculations resulting in lower MHRs for males versus females of the same age, while anecdotal reports suggest that the MHRs are actually higher in males. In general, females have smaller hearts and smaller muscles overall than males. Both of these factors would support the conclusion of a higher MHR in females, certainly at the same workload. We have to conclude that the jury is still out on the gender effect.
Runner's gadgets
Submitted by admin on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 16:32 I dream of gadgets that keep track of training I used to log. Then upload it to my computer and it does all the analysis and planning for me. I shoot out of bed awakening from the deep dream state, shaking my head of the fog...reality begins to set in as I look at the log book.
Here's a not-so-dramatic excerpt from The Runner's Edge, regarding runner's gadgets and is with the permission of Human Kinetics.
'The stop watch may become the "8-track" of the running world, but that doesn't mean runners need to be tech geeks to keep up. Stephen McGregor, PhD, lead author of The Runner's Edge (Human Kinetics, 2010), claims that by using speed and distance devices, runners of all levels can maximize performance.
"If you can work a stopwatch, you can learn how to manage your performance effectively with a speed and distance device," says McGregor. "And don't worry: This process will not strip running of its charming simplicity."
A speed and distance device measures elapsed time, distance covered, speed/pace, and elevation change. Many devices also have the capability to estimate calories burned and monitor heart rate-and some even track changes in VO2max.
McGregor claims that the real benefit to speed and distance devices, however, does not show up on the device, but on a runner's computer. "The power of the devices really begins with downloading workout data from the device to the computer," he explains. "Performance management software allows you to determine appropriate pace targets for all of your workouts and refine those targets as your fitness changes."
McGregor gives advice to people who are interested in purchasing a speed and distance device. He and coauthor Matt Fitzgerald analyzed the five basic brands on the market.
Garmin -- The manufacturer of GPS devices includes the GPS inside the wrist display unit. The authors give Garmin's Forerunner line high marks for accuracy, reliability and ease of use. Some Garmin speed and distance devices can be mounted on a bike handlebar and used as a cycling computer.
Nike -- The Nike+, developed with the Apple computer company, sold nearly half a million units in its first three months on the market in 2006, and almost all Nike running shoes are Nike+ compatible. The authors, however, warn that the Nike+ is not suitable for more serious performance management because it becomes increasingly inaccurate as the runner's speed varies from the pace run during initial calibration. "We recommend that Nike fans wanting to commit to digital performance management purchase the Triax Elite," says McGregor.
Polar -- Runners who place great importance on measuring heart rate while running should consider Polar, according to the authors. Polar integrates a heart-rate monitor with each of its speed and distance devices and McGregor and Fitzgerald believe they are the best heart-rate monitors on the market. One of Polar's speed and distance devices has options that allow it to function as a bike computer and power meter. The authors also commend Polar's performance management application, Polar Personal Trainer, hosted online at www.polarpersonaltrainer.com.
Suunto -- A latecomer to the speed and distance device market, experts widely agree that Suunto running products are as high quality as any. One of Suunto's unique advanced features estimates excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and use these data to calculate the training effect of each workout.
Timex -- The display watch aspect of Timex's speed distance devices makes them a good choice for runners who place a high value on the wrist display quality. "They are light and stylish enough to be worn all day, they have the 'takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' factor,' and they have a better variety of information display options than other devices," says McGregor. "You can even configure your own custom display so that the watch shows the information you want to see where you want to see it."
Each model comes with performance management software, but McGregor also highlights Training Peaks WKO+, which works with all speed and distance devices. Training Peaks has cooperative relationships with most of the device manufacturers, who readily admit that WKO+ is far more powerful and sophisticated than their own performance management offerings, according to McGregor. "Because of this fact, and because you can create a basic Training Peaks account for free, we encourage every runner who uses a speed and distance device to also use Training Peaks WKO+, whether or not they use their device-specific performance management application as well," he adds.
In addition to specific device guidance, The Runner's Edge includes sample training plans and periodization guidelines--scalable to various fitness levels--for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon runners. A special chapter for triathletes explains how to integrate swim, bike, and run training within a unified performance management system.'
Here's a not-so-dramatic excerpt from The Runner's Edge, regarding runner's gadgets and is with the permission of Human Kinetics.
'The stop watch may become the "8-track" of the running world, but that doesn't mean runners need to be tech geeks to keep up. Stephen McGregor, PhD, lead author of The Runner's Edge (Human Kinetics, 2010), claims that by using speed and distance devices, runners of all levels can maximize performance.
"If you can work a stopwatch, you can learn how to manage your performance effectively with a speed and distance device," says McGregor. "And don't worry: This process will not strip running of its charming simplicity."
A speed and distance device measures elapsed time, distance covered, speed/pace, and elevation change. Many devices also have the capability to estimate calories burned and monitor heart rate-and some even track changes in VO2max.
McGregor claims that the real benefit to speed and distance devices, however, does not show up on the device, but on a runner's computer. "The power of the devices really begins with downloading workout data from the device to the computer," he explains. "Performance management software allows you to determine appropriate pace targets for all of your workouts and refine those targets as your fitness changes."
McGregor gives advice to people who are interested in purchasing a speed and distance device. He and coauthor Matt Fitzgerald analyzed the five basic brands on the market.
Garmin -- The manufacturer of GPS devices includes the GPS inside the wrist display unit. The authors give Garmin's Forerunner line high marks for accuracy, reliability and ease of use. Some Garmin speed and distance devices can be mounted on a bike handlebar and used as a cycling computer.
Nike -- The Nike+, developed with the Apple computer company, sold nearly half a million units in its first three months on the market in 2006, and almost all Nike running shoes are Nike+ compatible. The authors, however, warn that the Nike+ is not suitable for more serious performance management because it becomes increasingly inaccurate as the runner's speed varies from the pace run during initial calibration. "We recommend that Nike fans wanting to commit to digital performance management purchase the Triax Elite," says McGregor.
Polar -- Runners who place great importance on measuring heart rate while running should consider Polar, according to the authors. Polar integrates a heart-rate monitor with each of its speed and distance devices and McGregor and Fitzgerald believe they are the best heart-rate monitors on the market. One of Polar's speed and distance devices has options that allow it to function as a bike computer and power meter. The authors also commend Polar's performance management application, Polar Personal Trainer, hosted online at www.polarpersonaltrainer.com.
Suunto -- A latecomer to the speed and distance device market, experts widely agree that Suunto running products are as high quality as any. One of Suunto's unique advanced features estimates excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and use these data to calculate the training effect of each workout.
Timex -- The display watch aspect of Timex's speed distance devices makes them a good choice for runners who place a high value on the wrist display quality. "They are light and stylish enough to be worn all day, they have the 'takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' factor,' and they have a better variety of information display options than other devices," says McGregor. "You can even configure your own custom display so that the watch shows the information you want to see where you want to see it."
Each model comes with performance management software, but McGregor also highlights Training Peaks WKO+, which works with all speed and distance devices. Training Peaks has cooperative relationships with most of the device manufacturers, who readily admit that WKO+ is far more powerful and sophisticated than their own performance management offerings, according to McGregor. "Because of this fact, and because you can create a basic Training Peaks account for free, we encourage every runner who uses a speed and distance device to also use Training Peaks WKO+, whether or not they use their device-specific performance management application as well," he adds.
In addition to specific device guidance, The Runner's Edge includes sample training plans and periodization guidelines--scalable to various fitness levels--for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon runners. A special chapter for triathletes explains how to integrate swim, bike, and run training within a unified performance management system.'
New Triathlon Gear Review Pages
Submitted by admin on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 18:11 Just a quick note to point your attention toward our new Triathlon Gear Review pages. Check them out and I hope they are helpful.
