In this article we will discover how to best use it, that is how to optimally manage training intensity, which can be measured in heart rate - beats per minute (bpm).
theoretical maximum (HRmax), level of training, sport or activity to be practiced and intensity of exercise to be followed - therefore, the specific "target" heart rate values (referring to specific training stimuli).
All heart rate monitors on the market, including the cheapest ones, allow you to set at least two thresholds, a maximum and a minimum, and to warn the user in case of trespassing from this range by means of acoustic signals. You can then set the heart rate monitor so that help us to stay in a particular class of values, what in technical language is called "target zone".
For example, assuming our anaerobic threshold is at 165 bpm, if we want to train lactic anaerobic endurance we can adjust the heart rate monitor so that it alerts us as soon as our pulse drops below 161 beats or rises above 169.
To learn more: Heart rate monitor and maximum heart rate the final. The essential variables are. age and weight. For further information: Heart rate monitor
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Target Zone
The term target zone indicates the target heart rate, which is the number of beats per minute on which to set our training. As we have just seen, just to cite an example, the ideal heart rate for endurance training is between 75 and 85% of the HRmax.
Most heart rate monitors allow you to set a maximum and minimum heart rate value, alerting you with an audible signal when you have overstepped this range of values.
Using this automatic calculator, you can instantly calculate the maximum and minimum threshold to reach your goals.
Enter your age, the resting heart rate value and the minimum and maximum value of your training zone expressed as a percentage (75 and 85% in the previous example). Click on the calculate button and read the results
Intensity bands
Let's now make a brief overview of how to use the heart rate monitor's target zone function correctly; in practice, we delimit the intensity bands (measurable in HR).
Green Line
55 to 65%. It is the ideal training zone for those who are starting to train and want to build a good base of organic endurance. In this range of values, as much fat as possible is used for energy purposes (especially in the lower part of the range). In high volume training (HVT), it is also a good training solution to lose weight and improve the efficiency of your body.
Aerobic capacity
65 to 75%. It is the ideal training zone to optimize the efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory system; this is because it reaches a significant intensity without however affecting the total training volume (which remains of medium entity). Ideal for athletes and non-athletes who want to improve their performance in aerobic endurance disciplines.
Around the anaerobic threshold
75 to 85%. It is the "theoretically" ideal training zone to improve one's aerobic power. At this heart rate level, the effort becomes intense and sustainable for a maximum of about 10 minutes in the untrained and for about 40 minutes in the trained (a big difference).
Red line
From 85 to 95%. It is the sub-maximal intensity training zone, sustainable for less than a minute or a little more (depending on whether it is 85 or 95%). It is a training with a high component of production and tolerance of lactic acid. Although a healthy heart is perfectly capable of working at these frequencies, such a level of physical effort basically makes no sense in an untrained person who does not care "agonist activity.
For further information: Heart rate monitor and training, in elderly subjects and / or carriers of important pathologies.
One of the most famous tests in this regard is the Conconi test, one of the most used in sports. Being a maximal test it is not suitable, as it is potentially dangerous, to evaluate untrained athletes or athletes with physical problems. The Conconi test involves the execution of an incremental stress test of a maximal type. First of all, the athlete must wear the heart rate monitor and perform an adequate warm-up (depending on the characteristics of the subject, a more or less intense warm-up will be proposed). By monitoring the heart rate during this first phase, important data can be obtained that allows you to choose the most suitable protocol.
