Operation NightHawk Training Tips #1 - Training With Your Heart

By Jonathan Fong
Exercise Consultant (Racers’ Toolbox)

One of the best methods of managing your training intensity is by monitoring your heart rate when exercising. The beating of your heart can tell many stories and it is important to listen to what story is being told.

First we need to understand why this is important and why we need to be able to listen to it speak. The heart is the core of the circulatory system in the body and is the main muscle that drives various nutrients to the body through the bloodstream. Take for example oxygen bring carried by blood, an increase in training intensity would mean the muscles would be working harder. This causes heart rate to increase because the muscles require more fuel to support the activity, which clearly shows the relationship between exercise intensity and heart rate.

At various heart rate zones, there are different physiological components that will be developed and individuals need to understand this to fully utilize this information and benefit from it. For example, low aerobic activity is more suitable for fat burning and will in turn improve fuel efficiency. Steady state aerobic training is followed to develop the body’s ability to actively clear lactic acid, which will improve muscular performance.

It is not accurate enough to go on perceived effort during training unless you are already a seasoned athlete and are very tuned into your specific training zones. Most budding endurance athletes already have heart rate monitors but many have given up using them because all they get back as feedback is a number. That’s why it is important to acquire the software so that you will be able to better use the hardware. Understanding what those numbers mean and what it is telling you about your body during training is so crucial.

The information that you get cannot be accurately determined by a generic formula and sports science testing also proves that it is specific to the individual. The body is a very smart but complex machine and if you know how to tweak it correctly, you will be amazed at the kind of results that you will see.

By monitoring heart rate during training you are also taking into account factors that add to cumulative fatigue, illness or signs of stress. These factors will cause your heart rate to be elevated above normal zones and if not determined correctly, can lead to sickness, injury and even burnout. If you are doing your training based on specific heart rate zones and according to duration rather than distance, you are less likely to over-compensate and dig yourself into a hole which will be much more difficult to climb out of at a later stage.

Understanding how to use a heart rate monitoring device and to interpret the information given, can be empowering to any individual and will allow you to train smarter, which in the long run will see you improving to achieve the goals you have set for yourselves.