Ian Jones: What I’ve learnt from heart rate training

I’m a firm believer in heart rate training. Since trying it in 2017, it’s replaced all other forms of training. I’m preparing for my next Ironman event in March, and 95% of that has been heart rate training (the remaining five is miscellaneous track work here and there). It’s going to be beneficial no matter what the goal – from ultra-endurance events to the Round the Bays fun run.

I find I don’t fatigue as easily; I don’t get injured as much, and I enjoy my training sessions a lot more.

This type of training is exactly what it sounds like – keeping your heart rate within a specific range during a workout. This target is often a percentage of perceived effort, split into zones.

Zone one is 50–60 per cent of your maximum heart rate. Zone two, where most people do their training, is 60–70 per cent. Zone three is 70–80 per cent.

The greatest benefit of heart rate training is it factors in all elements in your life. If you’re stressed, fatigued, or if you overtrained during the week, your resting heart rate will be higher than normal, so it’s a good indicator you need more rest

Heart rate training is a good way to build yourself up in a consistent and sustainable way, so you decrease the chance of injury or training burnout.

It’s also great if you’re a little older. When I was young, I could consistently train for days on end and still recover. However, as I aged, I found that same training programme wasn’t sustainable, and I had to make some changes. Since then, I’ve never looked back.

First, calculate your maximum heart rate (which you can do in a few ways).

A simple method is subtracting your age from 220, which gives you a fairly good gauge. Keep in mind that this formula is an estimate. If you have a medical condition, are overweight are aged over 40 years or haven’t exercised in a long time, see your doctor for a medical check-up before starting any new exercise program. Your heart-rate target range may need to be professionally recalculated to take your health and general fitness into account.

If you’re keen on accuracy for your maximum heart rate, you can try performing a field test. It involves running hard for three minutes, capturing your maximum heart rate, resting for three minutes and then repeating.

After some experience, you can also settle on a personalised figure. For me, that number is 165. Whenever I train over 165, injuries and fatigue tend to arise. 

If you’re new to heart rate training, you can’t go wrong by starting with jogging in zone two (60–70 per cent of your max heart rate). If you’re feeling good, you can try training in zone three (70­–80 per cent). Keep your heart rate at the lower end of your recommended range if you are just starting regular exercise. Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts as your fitness improves.

For maximum health benefits, the goal is to work hard, but not too hard. See New Zealand’s Physical Activity Guidelines.

There are a few ways you can monitor your heart rate, but a smartwatch is often the most efficient. You could use a heart rate monitor, or you can record your heart rate the old-fashioned way by taking your pulse, but that’s a bit of a chore. A smartwatch is a great, practical middle ground.

I use a Garmin device that records my heart rate from my wrist. It has plenty of useful features for training, like tracking laps, and recording elevation and pace. I find the pace indicator to be particularly useful in a race as it gives me a measure of how slow – not fast – I need to run to finish without blowing out. The watch also records my resting heart rate over seven days and visualises it on a graph, so I can track my heart fitness week by week.

The Garmin’s daily step tracker integrates with AIA Vitality and lets me know how many steps I need to earn my Active Rewards points for the week too. It’s an inspirational target for me that I really like – plus, AIA Vitality members are eligible for discounts on Garmin smartwatches.

At the end of the day, remember heart rate training is personalised. Don’t stress about what other people think if you’re running slow in zone one or two. Slow is good – you must get your head around that – and will give you more benefits over time.