HEART RATE MONITORING
By Dr. Russ Ebbets
Off The Road Column
Children Running Can v. Should
Some structured this program to loosely follow Arthur Lydiard’s "Hard-Easy" principle that was the new fad – or at least that is the way the LSDers (long slow distance runners) saw hard-easy. For the LSD crowd the longer, the better, no matter what you were training for.
One of the unique features of distance running is that coaches or individual athletes might champion a particular method and be very successful. Others might champion programs that significantly differed and have equal success. For a young coach it was difficult to figure out which way to go.
About 15 years ago I was introduced to the concept of periodization – the use of undulating change in one’s training regimen. Periodization is really an evolution of Lydiard’s hard-easy principle but it is more sophisticated in that the components of the training change significantly as the season goes on.
With a periodized schedule the athlete "cycles" through phases of training that will lead them towards a predictable, superlative performance in the terminal meets of a season.
The understanding and application of the work of sports physiologists became the underpinning of this work. What we have learned is that by training at different paces one can tax different physiologic systems in the body and that with planning these stresses can be used to mimic the stresses of actual competition. The only problem was how to figure out the ingredients.
And as the coaches’ understanding of the problem of training evolved they came to realize that all athletes have a different physiologic make-up and would require individualization in their workouts. The reason for this is the ratio of fast twitch and slow twitch fibers in our bodies. Some runners are built for speed (fast twitch) and some are built for endurance (slow twitch). Individualization is no big deal if you have two runners; it is a big deal if you have 40 runners.
But even if you have a 40-person team it isn’t that big a deal. Individual workouts could be tailored by adjusting the volume (the total distance or number of repetitions) or the intensity (the time of the effort or length of recovery). With a little tinkering one could manipulate the factors and give a challenging workout for everyone.
Now some coaches, egalitarian in nature, would write one workout for the team – 10x 400m in 75 seconds figuring the best kid would get tired and the slowest kid would get faster. This type of planning probably did help some but in time the slowest kid got rundown and hurt. Not everyone can wear the same size shoe.
But with heart rate monitoring the coach could accurately and efficiently train athletes of different ability levels in the same workout without having everyone go off in all different physiologic directions.
Let’s say the goal of the workout is to run the 10 x 400m and we have an age range of 9-12 graders who range in ability from a 4:30 miler to 5:30 miler. It is mid season. Everyone is in good shape and the 4:30 and 5:30 times have already been run.
Target times for the intervals can get assigned. The lead kid might want to average their 400’s in 70-72 seconds where the 5:30 miler might want to run the 400’s in 83-85 seconds. Better to have a range in both times and reps as this reduces the psychological stress of having to complete a workout perfectly.
They’re off, they run, and they finish. It is very important to take a heart rate within 15-20 seconds after they stop the run. Count the heart rate (HR) for 6 seconds, multiply by 10 and resume the recovery walk or jog. At the end of the run the heart rate should be 15-17 beats for the six seconds or about 150-170 beats per minute (BPM).
How long does one rest? Ideally it should be the time it takes for the HR to return to 120BPM or 12 beats for a six-second count. In a properly designed interval workout the recovery period should be between two to three minutes. In this example we’ll use two and a half minutes – time is up and the next interval is run.
How do you know when the workout should end? Once again the heart rate will tell you this. If at the end of the interval the athlete’s heart rate is now in the 17-18 beats per six seconds the athlete becoming too tired to do the work. Another clue will be that after the two and a half-minute recovery the athlete’s heart rate does not return to 12 beats but rather stays around 13-14 beats per six seconds. The workout should end. By designing a workout with 6-10 x 400m this allows every athlete the opportunity to achieve and have feeling of accomplishment building their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Heart rates can also be used to monitor steady state runs. To do this one could periodically stop and take a heart rate or one could use a heart rate monitoring watch and preset the zone one would like to train in. This makes one’s training less left to chance. One could run 20-30-40 minutes with the heart rate between 140-150 BPM and stress the development of the efficiency of the cardiovascular system.
Heart rate monitoring has made us more aware of some of the numbers we should pay attention to. The cardiovascular training effect is said to take place when the heart rate reaches 120 BPM. At 140-150 the long-term efficiency of the heart is developed and this is an excellent range for steady state distance runs.
Heart rate training above 160 BPM is achieved with significant efforts with the short burst/high intensity of interval runs or the repeat of miles done at race pace. In both types of workouts there is high intensity, low reps.
The application of heart rate monitoring allows one to fine tune training and develop both strengths and weaknesses. One can better gear efforts and expect improved performance. The purchase of a heart rate monitor is a simple way to upgrade the quality of one’s training and safely monitor more intense workouts