The roots of Heart rate training

The idea of using heart rate as a managing parameter of the training process is hardly new. Research and speculation in this field actually started in the late 60’s, and the web now is filled with sites offering  “scientific” coaching or training by self-proclaimed sports gurus based on this “revolutionary” insight. So what is new here, and why is it still so important to write about this subject?

The answer to this is really quite simple… most of what we have found on the top-ranked Internet pages about heart rate based training is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading.

This has enormous implications, since nearly every serious athlete (Masters included) trains today using a heart rate monitor. And although it is true that monitoring individual heart rate can be useful as a general training guide, it is NOT true that just using a heart rate monitor and following generic guidelines will automatically (or worse, magically) maximize training results or even general fitness level.

The truth is that unless the training guidance is specific for the goals and current abilities of the individual and connected to a specific training strategy, then this kind of guidance is not really particularly effective. This is especially true about the training process when it is supposed to be designed to improve or peak performance.

Although what we discovered is applicable to any age group, for purposes of this discussion we are especially interested in Masters who…

• Are generally healthy individuals, 35 years or older  
• Have some past regular training history, and are training 3-6 times a week or more (in one or more sports)
• Want to be more competitive or achieve a better level of fitness