A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise are becoming more popular and fashionable these days. It is good that people have begun to actively monitor their health and appearance. Everyone chooses what he likes best.
This could be workout in a fitness club, dancing, or just jogging in the park. But in order for all the loads to be only beneficial, it is necessary to carefully monitor the heart rhythms during exercise.
The heart muscle begins to work more actively during any workout, and it is important to keep it from premature wear. And if you correctly monitor your pulse, then your heart will work like a clock.
What a runner should know about heart rate training
Athletes who run know that their workouts are aimed not only at the main muscle groups, but also at pumping the heart and working out breathing.
How does the heart work while running?
When a person runs, he starts spending a lot of energy. At this time, he begins to breathe more often and deeper, as the body needs more oxygen and nutrients. Blood saturated with oxygen must carry it throughout the body as quickly as possible, which means that the heart begins to pump it and beat faster.
It is quite difficult for a beginner athlete to overcome long distances, since the heart muscle is almost never trained in everyday life. Regular walking and lifting small weights does not force her to work as actively as she would like.
Experienced runners, on the other hand, are capable of running large marathons quite easily, even at an advanced age. Since a strong heart is able to distill large volumes of oxygenated blood much faster.
How are pulse and load related?
Simultaneously with the increased work of the heart, blood pressure begins to rise, since the blood moves faster through the vessels. In addition, the muscles, while running, work alternately, then contracting, then relaxing and thereby serve as a second heart for blood, slightly relaxing our heart.
Pulse while running
If you count your heart rate during exercise, you can determine when the load is exceeded, and when you can further intensify the workout.
The heart rate is primarily affected by:
- level of physical fitness;
- body weight. The greater the mass, the harder it is for the heart muscle to work and thus the pulse rises rapidly even from minor loads;
- smoking and alcohol. They directly affect the work of the muscle and it will be much more difficult to run;
- emotional mood;
- weather conditions and body temperature. If it's cool outside, the heart works more slowly. And as soon as the degree rises, then the heart begins to work more actively.
Calculation formula
Regardless of how intense the load will be, you need to calculate your maximum heart rate.
To do this, subtract your age from 220 - this formula is suitable for men. Women need to subtract from 226.
If the age exceeds 30 years, then you need to subtract from 190 and 196, respectively.
Optimal heart rate for regular runs
For regular jogging to be safe, it is necessary that the heart rate does not exceed 60% of the possible maximum, which was calculated by the formula.
But for the training to be effective, the heart rate should not fall below 50% of the maximum. The same rule applies to warm-ups before running.
Pulse on acceleration
During acceleration, the upper limit of the heart rate should not exceed 80% of the maximum. And do not go below 70%.
Rapid pulse
It is no more than 90% of the maximum and does not fall below 80%. Such training actively develops the respiratory system.
Pulse in untrained athletes
You need to start with jogging. You do not need to immediately use interval running or with acceleration, so you will fizzle out very quickly and it is unlikely that you will return to this sport again later.
In the first workouts, it can only slightly exceed the indicators in a calm state. For example, in men in their 30s, it can leave 120 beats per minute.
If you can run at this pace for 30 minutes, then after that you can speed up a little.
Fat Burning Pulse
In order for excess fat to begin to actively burn during jogging, the heart rate should not exceed 70% and decrease by more than 60%.
Running at low heart rate
Even if you have been going to a fitness club for a long time and think that your muscles are well trained to run long distances at once, it is unlikely that you will succeed, since the main muscle, the heart, is not prepared.
The value of the low pulse of 120-130 beats per minute was not chosen by chance. It is with this parameter that the heart is able to withstand the load and this is the maximum value for almost any person, especially for beginners.
Why is it important?
Running at a low heart rate perfectly trains the heart muscle, making it more resilient to long runs. If you start to prepare your body correctly, then in the near future you can easily run long distances without feeling shortness of breath and pain in your heart.
During such a properly aligned workout, the walls of the heart chambers gradually begin to stretch, which allows the heart to pass through the blood saturated with oxygen in large volumes. This can achieve a reduction in the frequency of beats per minute.
So, for an experienced runner, in a calm state, he can reach 35 beats per minute, while for an ordinary person this figure is at least 60, and for most of 90.
But if the rhythm is higher during running, then perhaps some of the weight will go away faster, but the unprepared heart will wear out a lot and you can forget about further training.
Also, running at a low heart rate will be a kind of prevention of myocardial hypertrophy. If you start to overcome distances with great acceleration, then the heart will be forced to pump large volumes of blood through itself and at the same time very often.
Unprepared and unstretched walls can get microtraumas, which later, although they tighten, will no longer allow the heart to become as elastic as before. Therefore, running at a low heart rate is also health-improving.
How to train your heart rate?
How to learn to run at a low heart rate?
To strengthen your heart with running, you need to start with 3-4 workouts per week for no more than half an hour. In this case, the heart rate should be 120-140 beats per minute, that is, a low indicator. If on the first run it becomes more frequent, then you need to switch to walking.
For the first runs, it is advisable to purchase a heart rate monitor or fitness bracelet that will show the state of the heart rate.
Increase the intensity only if you can keep your heart rate low while you run. On average, the duration of your runs can be increased by 5 minutes every week if you do them regularly.
The main stages of training
Before you start jogging, you need to perform a small complex for stretching and muscle preparation. The warm-up should take at least 5 minutes to warm up all the muscles, make them more elastic, and develop joints. Jumps, squats, bends - during their execution, the rhythm should also be maintained at 120-130 beats per minute.
Taking into account the weather conditions, you can complete the whole complex at home and immediately go for a run. For the first workouts, you will definitely need a heart rate monitor. Perhaps the pace will show too slow and you will run the first kilometer in 8 minutes.
The run must last at least 30 minutes. Then, if the heart rate remains normal, then you can extend it for another 10-20 minutes.
You can run in this for the first week. In this case, the number of runs should not be less than 3. After a week, add another 5 minutes. And add further in the same sequence.
Using the heart rate monitor
Anyone can use a heart rate monitor:
- with a strap on the chest;
- contact;
- optic.
It is not always convenient to wear with a strap on the chest and only some companies can be used so that they do not fly off during running.
The optical heart rate monitor can be either on modern phone models or in special smart watches. This handy device reads the rhythm every 5 seconds. If you configure it initially, it will notify you if the permissible level is exceeded.
Conclusion
Running heart rate plays an important role. If you do all the calculations correctly, then training can be health-improving and fat-burning. And such a useful invention as a heart rate monitor will help protect your heart for many years.
