Heart Rate Training - 2nd Edition

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 DEDICATION

Timing, chance, luck of the Irish? Call it what you want, but the writing of
this book is the result of one guy’s tutelage and mentoring. Your authors may
be separated by three decades or so (Benson was already coaching when
Connolly was in diapers), but their career paths were carefully guided by
a higher force. Shortly after meeting, they were chatting about regulating
exercise intensity. As they chatted, they realized an eerie similarity in their
philosophies. Unbeknownst to them, they had both been mentored by Dr.
Christian Zauner, or Dr. Z, as they came to know him. The experience of
being taught by Dr. Z was lasting and profound. Their postdegree paths took
very different routes, but Dr. Z’s influence was ever apparent.
In 1969, with six years of experience coaching track and cross country and
two years of teaching high school geography, Benson concluded that he’d
rather write training plans than lesson plans. A master’s degree in physical
education would give him a chance to do that full time as a college coach.
That fall he began working toward an MPE at the University of Florida. The
university did not have an extensive graduate program in exercise physiol-
ogy, but it did have an outstanding professor, Dr. Christian Zauner, to teach
the courses it offered. Dr. Zauner also happened to coach a group of young
swimmers in his backyard pool. One day in class, Dr. Z mentioned how he
used their heart rates to determine their recoveries during an interval workout.
This was an immediate eureka experience for Benson. At that time, he also
was a graduate assistant coach of the University of Florida distance runners.
He quickly raised his hand and asked how Dr. Z was measuring heart rates.
His process of measuring effort by counting heartbeats at the carotid artery
made great sense. It had always been a battle to get the runners to stop acting
so tired at the end of each repeat and asking whether the workout was finally
over. It was even harder to get them going again after each arbitrary distance
of jogging recovery as they begged for more time. What wonderful tools their
pulses became for revealing the truth about their efforts and recoveries.
That one serendipitous moment led to Benson’s work and study of cardiac
response to exercise. But his education really expanded when Dr. Z became
his mentor and they started a hospital-based business, Fitness Incorporated,
that offered fitness rehabilitation services. Their program was designed
around heart rate measurements taken manually in the days before monitors.
After several years, they sold the business to the hospital, and it served as the
cornerstone of one of the first hospital wellness centers in the southeastern
United States. Not long after, they both moved away from Gainesville and
lost touch. Years later, while visiting a friend in Corvallis, Oregon, Benson
learned that Dr. Z was chairman of the physical education department and
living just a few blocks down the street. Benson renewed and then continued
his friendship with his mentor, the one person who had the most influence
on his professional life.
Connolly’s career also benefitted from the tutelage of Dr. Z. In June 1987,
Connolly graduated with a degree in sports studies from the University of
Ulster, Northern Ireland. In the summer of 1990, he graduated from the
University of Rhode Island with a master’s degree in exercise science. While
working as a camp counselor, he applied to graduate schools around the
United States looking for funding. He spoke to the chair of the department of
exercise science at Oregon State University, Dr. Christian Zauner, who said
he might be able to find work for Connolly but not enough to fund a doctoral
degree. Connolly drove across the country and appeared on Dr. Z’s doorstep.
After explaining who he was, Connolly was given funding for three months,
although Dr. Z told him if he didn’t work out, he was outta there. By the fall,
Dr. Z increased Connolly’s funding support, gave him odd jobs to earn a few
more dollars, and shared his insights in the field. Dr. Z was widely traveled
and understood the challenges facing international students. He’d invite them
over for holidays, find them summer work, and impart worldly wisdom over
Oregon’s finest microbrews. He hosted their parents when they visited and
allowed them to call home from his phone. Above all, Dr. Z mentored them
about what was needed to be successful. Dr. Z took a chance on an Irish kid
who didn’t have much to offer and nowhere else to go. For that opportunity,
Connolly is eternally grateful. Connolly graduated from Oregon State Uni-
versity in 1995 with a PhD in exercise science and a minor in nutritional
biochemistry. He became an Irish national cycling champion, a three-time
Ironman, and head coach of the rugby football team at the University of
Vermont. In all these domains, he has used the “appliance of science” he
learned from Dr. Z to optimize athletic performance and recovery.
Sadly, in November 2015, Dr. Z passed away at his home in Portland,
Oregon. We are happy that he got to read (and of course critique) our first
edition. He spent his retirement with his wife, Betty, and as a proud father
and grandfather. He is missed by his many students who never fell for the
multiple choice answer, “the fluctuating flotary.”
 CONTENTS

Acknowledgments viii ● Introduction ix

PART I Foundations 1

CHAPTER 1 Monitoring for Maximum Performance . . . . 3

CHAPTER 2 Evaluating and Customizing Your Zones . . 23

CHAPTER 3 Getting the Most From Your Monitor . . . . 41

PART II Training 49

CHAPTER 4 Targeting Sport-Specific Fitness

With Heart Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

CHAPTER 5 Increasing Aerobic Endurance . . . . . . . . . 65

CHAPTER 6 Raising Anaerobic Threshold . . . . . . . . . . 85

CHAPTER 7 Boosting Speed and Power . . . . . . . . . . 105

vi ●
PART III Programs 123

CHAPTER 8 Designing an Effective Training Program . 125

CHAPTER 9 Walking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

CHAPTER 10 Jogging and Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

CHAPTER 11 Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

CHAPTER 12 Swimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

CHAPTER 13 Triathlon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

CHAPTER 14 Rowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

CHAPTER 15 Cross-Country Skiing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

CHAPTER 16 Team Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Appendix: Heart Rate Training Zone Calculation Chart 247

Index 249 ● About the Authors 257

Earn Continuing Education Credits/Units 260

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To readers of this second edition of Heart Rate Training, thank you for your
vote of confidence. And to you who have also read the first edition, I trust
that you will find the changes and additions worth your time and money. I
also need to express my deepest appreciation to all the runners I’ve coached,
the many who attended my Nike Running Camps, and those who have read
my magazine columns. A special thanks to everyone who used the Polar and
Nike heart rate monitors that I recommended. I hope that my belief in the
“coachly” wisdom of effort-based training has had a positive impact on your
running. Most importantly, to my lovely, loving, and patient wife, Betty: Only
with your “wind beneath my wings” has any of this been possible. Thanks
also to our children, Vickie and Ray, for sharing me with my running family.

—Roy Benson

To my wife, Shannon, whose tireless efforts with our family have allowed
me the time to work on this project and many others. Her flexibility and
pride in motherhood have given me great freedom, and I am grateful. Thanks
also to my kids—Kiaran, Fiona, Cillian, Nuala, and Cian—who have put my
work in perspective (and perhaps someday will appreciate this work). To
my parents, Charlie and Geraldine, who gave me the freedom to pursue my
goals at the four corners of the globe. Finally, thanks to my exercise friends,
who provided me the constant opportunity for tinkering and exploring.

—Declan Connolly

viii ●
 INTRODUCTION

C ongratulations! You’re about to learn why heart rate monitoring is one

of the most convenient and most effective ways to train. You’re on
your way to becoming better conditioned in a more time-efficient manner.
When you understand your heart rate, learn how to measure it, and have a
reliable monitor, you can create a scientifically designed exercise program,
individualized just for you, that will guarantee results. A wonderful aspect
of heart rate monitoring is that you can now do it all day long at work, at
home, and of course, while you exercise. All this information will allow you
to track your responses, not only for exercise purposes but also for overall
health. This will allow you to make personalized decisions to optimize your
exercise program.
The main problem with most exercise programs is that they are not based
on your unique body shape, size, physiological response, and, most impor-
tant, current fitness level. They aren’t designed just for you. In fact, it’s likely
these exercise programs have little to do with you. For the most part, they are
generic programs based on basic exercise physiology. They come in the form
of classes, training groups, clubs, or books written by self-styled experts. But
despite the quality of the teaching and the validity of the general principles,
they don’t answer the “What about me?” question. Often, you can’t figure out
how to apply the information to yourself. Everyone who wants to exercise,
get in shape, or train has the same dilemma: “Should I run? Take a spinning
class? Use the rowing machine? Just swim?” Once the choice is made, the
next question is, “Yes, but what about me? How do I go about this? Now
that I’ve picked something, how far, how fast, how hard, how often should
I go?” New technology that is personalized through smartphones and wrist-
reading watches that download data to your computer will allow you to
better answer these questions.
The what question is not hard to address. We hope that you’ve picked
something that is convenient, fun, and appealing, because research shows
that if you chose an exercise mode that fits these criteria you are more likely
to stick to it. The how question usually is the stumper.
Call it what you will, but your effort has to be individualized. It must be
based on your current fitness level, general ability, and clear goals. It also
must consider the mode of exercise and your age. The simplest way to create
an individualized program is to track your cardiac response to your body’s
movement of choice. Then you can observe the adaptations that reflect your

● ix
x ● Introduction

responses and no one else’s and consequently allow you to make individual-
ized decisions.
The good news is that modern technology has produced a wide selection
of affordable heart rate monitors. They provide instant, reliable feedback
about your body’s response to your chosen exercise and intensity. Whether
you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced athlete, there is a heart rate
monitor for you with all the bells and whistles you need. Smartphones and
wrist receivers allow you to track, observe, and record all your data, therefore
providing you with a unique opportunity for individuality.
Heart Rate Training will guide you through the necessary steps to help
you accomplish four goals:
1. Find the best way to make a heart rate monitor work for you.
2. Learn to apply the principles of exercise physiology to get in the best
possible shape.
3. Combine these two goals to benefit from training that is totally indi-
vidualized to your ability, fitness level, and goals.
4. Guide you to record and respond appropriately to your data feedback.

To help you meet the first goal, we share our collective wisdom from years
of working with heart rate monitors and doing research on a wide variety
of populations. We offer tools and ideas we and others have developed. We
show you how to be sure your numbers are reliable and how to interpret
what they tell you about yourself.
We will also dispel some of the confusion and answer the most common
questions that arise regarding heart rate training. For example, we will address
the confusion in the popular literature about heart rate training zones. One
article may claim that to get in shape, you should train at a certain percentage
of your maximum heart rate. The next article notes that you should work out
in a certain percentage zone of. your maximum oxygen uptake capacity, often
expressed as percentage of VO2max or written out as a percentage of your
maximum volume of oxygen uptake. Because both suggestions are valid, we
combine them to make it as easy as possible to calculate your target heart
rate. This solution appears in chapter 1.
A further challenge in meeting the second goal has to do with the language
used in both the lab and the locker room. Unfortunately, no laws regulate the
words used to communicate about exercise, physical fitness, or workouts. It
is simply a matter of semantics, and, unfortunately, neither academia nor the
general population has reached unanimous agreement about the vocabulary.
Rather than present lab vocabulary or dictionary definitions, we prefer to use
the language most commonly found in the popular literature. In addition,
although many other terms are used by authorities, writers, and athletes to
refer to and define other physical capacities developed while working toward
peak shape, we will talk primarily about the four components of physical
fitness: endurance, stamina, economy, and speed. Most important, we will
 Introduction ● xi

teach you how to achieve the level of fitness of those components by varying
the four principles of a session of exercise: intensity, duration, frequency,
and mode. Of those four principles, measuring the intensity of your workouts
with your heart rate monitor is the most important.
Accomplishing goal three is much easier when you use a heart rate
monitor because it allows you to perfectly individualize your training. The
principles are broad, but your response is as narrow as your ability, shape,
and goals require.
Using heart rate and recording your data will allow you to accomplish
goal four. By constantly evaluating your heart rate response to exercise, you
will rest and recover appropriately and push harder when the body is ready.
You will also be able to evaluate how well you are responding to the exercise
stimulus in terms of getting fitter by assessing and reassessing your heart
rate response to given workouts.
This book is organized progressively. First, it presents the relevant back-
ground and the basic exercise science you need to know to be able to under-
stand fitness training. Chapters 1 through 3 cover essential physiological
adaptations, equipment issues, and other information regarding your training
and fitness. Chapters 4 to 7 progress into the various adaptation stages you
will experience as you complete your exercise program. Finally, we present
a selection of exercise programs for walking, jogging and running, cycling,
swimming, triathlon, rowing, and cross-country skiing. The final chapter
covers how to use heart rate in the training of team sport athletes. These
programs contain different levels, or intensities, to cater to individual fitness
abilities and goals.
This new edition also contains updated and new material. Specifically,
we discuss “smart technology,” 24-hour monitoring, the use of heart rate
variability (HRV), how to use heart rate monitoring for weight loss, and using
heart rate to guide lifetime fitness. The prevalence of smartphone apps and
wearable technology and clothing, and the use of heart rate to guide recov-
ery, has resulted in widespread increased use of heart rate training. So, to
readers of our previous edition, we hope you enjoy the new material, and
to our new readers, many happy heartbeats!
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 PART I

FOUNDATIONS
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
 CHAPTER 1

Monitoring
for Maximum
Performance

T his chapter introduces the concept of heart rate monitoring and explains
how to monitor it accurately to get the specific adaptations you want.
Therefore, our first step is to identify those adaptations. They are the four
main components of fitness: endurance, stamina, economy, and speed.
Because these components are interdependent, they must be developed
sequentially. The heart rate approach will allow you to stay in the target zone
for the correct amount of time and prevent you from the all-too-common
problem of overreaching or overtraining. Once you understand these com-
ponents, and how long it takes to develop each higher level of conditioning,
you will find it easier to organize and design exercise programs for yourself
similar to the samples we offer in later chapters. This chapter also offers
insights into other factors that affect adaptations and describes the changes
and feelings you can expect from the various intensity levels of fitness. After
reading this chapter, you will know how to monitor your training, making
the whole process more enjoyable and more accurate.
The beauty of heart rate training is that it relies on your cardiovascular
system to reflect your overall state of stress 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It reflects when you’re tired, overtrained, sick, cold, or hot, and therefore it
can guide you in making changes to your plan. More importantly, from an

● 3
4 ● Heart Rate Training

exercise point of view, it provides immediate and consistent feedback about

your stress level, intensity level, and rate of adaptation in terms of overall
fitness. Recent advances in technology provide simple and noninvasive
methods for measuring 24-hour heart rates. Previously, 24-hour monitoring
was done only for medical reasons when a heart condition was suspected.
This usually involved wearing a Holter monitor and was performed specifi-
cally on cardiac patients with the objective of detecting irregular rhythms.
Today, however, 24-hour monitoring can be used in athletics to gauge recovery
from training sessions, predict sickness, and ultimately allow for real-time
manipulation of training loads and sessions. Collecting heart rate data over
a 24-hour period allows one to detect very small, but meaningful, changes
in resting and exercise heart rates. Data that reveals abnormal responses
consequently allows both coach and athlete to manipulate rest, recovery, and
workload. We do this with the specific objective of maximizing performance,
minimizing injury, optimizing rest, and ensuring adequate recovery during
exercise sessions such as interval workouts. Collectively, this allows for
better overall progress and avoidance of cases of overtraining that so easily
lead to injuries and illnesses.
Of the many benefits of 24-hour monitoring, here are four:
1. It allows an athlete to gauge the overall stress load outside of the exer-
cise routine. Often an athlete’s daily routine can add significantly to his
or her daily exertion, necessitating nutritional or recovery intervention.
2. It gives a greater overall view of total caloric expenditure.
3. It can provide feedback on sleep quality (another recovery indicator).
4. It gives more real-time feedback about the body’s response to an indi-
vidual workout and consequently allows for real-time adjustments to
subsequent workouts, meaning it allows for smarter training.

Of course, all this requires that you use and analyze your heart rate data
correctly. So, understanding the basics of heart rate monitoring and training
is necessary for you to achieve results. Once you understand how to monitor
and interpret your heart rate response to any given exercise scenario and
how to respond (e.g., rest, increase intensity, decrease intensity), you will be
able to optimize your fitness adaptations. This chapter provides the informa-
tion that will give you the independence to confidently individualize your
workouts. But before we go into details, we have important background
information to cover.

Four Components of Physical Fitness

The process of getting in shape involves the four components of fitness—
endurance, stamina, economy, and speed—and these are developed in phases.
This is also their order of progression as you train. Figure 1.1, the basic
model for training, shows these components schematically. Each is devel-