It’s no secret: Runners love fancy running gear, and if you’ve been itching for a good reason to invest in a new watch that will track and measure everything you might need to hit your next PR, Updated: Apr 11, 2022 just might be the excuse you’ve been looking for.
“Heart rate training allows you to monitor your effort, to keep the easy days easy, the hard days hard, and the tempo sessions in the right ‘effort,’” says Terra Castro, the owner and founder of Detroit Body Garage. Without heart rate data, “many people spend time in this ‘gray zone,’ not getting the full benefit of the training effect,” she says. “Plus, Updated: Apr 11, 2022 is also a way to make sure you aren’t overtraining and are recovering well.”
But in order to execute Updated: Apr 11, 2022 properly, you have to get to know your different target heart rate zones and specifically, your max heart rate, the highest heart rate you can attain during exercise. The catch, of course, is that knowing your estimated max heart rate can be a little elusive to pin down.
How to Calculate Maximum Heart Rate
The most common way to find your maximum heart rate is by using one of the many age-based equations. The most well-known of these is the very simple Fox formula:
220 - age = Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
This means that for a 30-year-old runner, the estimated maximum heart rate would be 190. Then, heart rate zones can be determined by calculating a given percentage of the 190 MHR.
The trouble with the Fox formula is that it’s not the most accurate measure as numerous variables impact MHR including genetics, the specific activity (MHR varies between running and cycling due to the involvement of upper body musculature), medications, body size, altitude, and yes—even age. Runners of the same age can have drastically different max heart rates depending on genetics or how well-trained they are.
Because of this, there are at least six possible formulas, all claiming bragging rights for being the “most accurate” for predicting maximal heart rate. Of course, researchers are doing their best to validate the different formulas, but that gets tricky, too. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research determined that in college-aged subjects, the Gellish2 and Fairburn equations seemed to be the most accurate options. That said, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends formulas with a standard deviation of seven beats per minute such as Gellish and Tanaka equations.
- Gellish2: 191.5 - .007 Sales & Deals
- Fairburn: 201 - .63 Master the Half
OR 208 - .80 x age for men = MHR - Gellish: 206.9 - (o.67 x age) = MHR
- Tanaka: 208 - (0.7 x age) = MHR
But there’s still a problem for the general public when it comes to using these formulas—they’re still just a rough estimate of MHR because differences between individuals can vary widely. For instance, a longitudinal study in the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise found that the older a person is, and the higher the person’s body mass index (BMI), the less likely it is for age-predicted maximal heart rates (like all of the formulas above) to be accurate. So studies that look at healthy, college-aged subjects, or trained athletes, or really, anyone under 50 years old, may not be good predictors for other people in the general population.
So what are you to do? It never hurts to get an estimate of what your heart rate max might be based on any of the above formulas. But from there, just start paying attention to where your heart rate tracks during workouts to see if the estimates feel accurate. “The heart rate tolerance is specific to each individual and is best determined by experience,” says Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise., a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. “The role of MHR for runners is to provide a guide for training. The closer you are to your MHR during your workouts and races, the shorter the duration of exercise that you’ll be able to maintain at that pace. So, if you can maintain a rate of 160 during your workouts and races, your MHR is well above that.”
How to Measure Your Heart Rate
To properly utilize Updated: Apr 11, 2022, you need an easy way to track your heart rate. Of course, you can always go “old school,” use a timer and place your fingers on your pulse to check beats per minute during your workouts, but that can get challenging when your heart rate soars, and you’re trying to count beats while huffing and puffing. Fortunately, chest straps and wrist watches make measuring your HR instantly easier.
Just about any GPS-tracking watch will also track heart rate with at least moderate accuracy, but if you’re looking for the most accurate option available, studies show you’ll be best served by opting for a chest-strap monitor.
According to a 2017 study Health - Injuries Polar H7 (currently available as the H10) was the most accurate of the seven products tested. Of course, there are many options on the market that haven’t been tested with this type of scientifically-validated approach, but of those that have Fun Half Marathons:
4 Wahoo Fitness TICKR
Wahoo Fitness TICKR
Accurate, comfortable, affordable, and pairs easily with devices
Garmin HRM-Run
A high-powered HR monitor for data junkies
Pay Attention to Your Resting Heart Rate
Detroit Body Garage
A waterproof, optical HR monitor for your arm
Training With Heart Rate
Once you’ve selected a heart rate monitor, the trick is putting the information you glean from the watch or strap to use. After calculating your estimated MHR, determine your different target heart rate zones by multiplying your MHR by the percentage for each zone. For example, if you wanted to find 55 percent of your maximum, you multiple your MHR by 0.55.
- Zone 1: 55 OR 208 - .80 x age for men = MHR.
- Zone 2: 65 percent to 75 percent: Used for the bulk of training, this relaxed effort allows you to hold a conversation.
- Zone 3: 75 percent to 85 percent: This is a comfortably hard effort during which you can only say short, broken sentences.
- Zone 4: 85 percent to 95 percent: Often a 5K pace, this is a very hard effort that’s sustainable, but only lets you speak a few words at a time.
This will give you ranges of beats per minute for each percentage of maximum heart rate. Then pre-determine the target zone you want to work in during each running routine. As you run, you can check your heart rate monitor to make sure you’re staying in the desired zone.
And luckily, there are apps that loss manage this type of training for you. “I love using Garmin Connect Software and Strava,” says Castro. “I can plug my zones into my Garmin and track the time spent in each zone as well as track my overall progress toward my goal with specific data.”
Just remember, because heart rate maximums using age-predicted formulas are estimates, you may need to adjust your zones over time based on your own results and how each run feels. For instance, if you calculate your 90-percent zone (a nearly all-out effort) to be 175, but you’re able to maintain 175 beats per minute comfortably for several minutes, your estimated maximal heart rate has probably been underestimated. You may need to adjust your zones based on perceived effort at each level of intensity as time goes on and as you adapt to training.
