Heather: We're individuals. We run at different speeds. We have different levels of fitness.
Despite all of that, could there be a perfect heart rate for running? Is there a number
that we should all be aspiring to? Well, I'm going to be rewinding and covering the basics
of running to heart rate and then do my best to answer that question.
[music] Our heart rate reflects the effort that we're
putting in. The harder we work, the more oxygen that our muscles demand. To react to that,
we'll start to increase our breathing rate and our heart rate at the same time, but it's
worth pointing out before we go any further that there is a lag in your heart rate increase
that reflects your effort level. Once you start working harder, it's going to take a
few seconds or more depending on that effort level.
Obviously, we're all different as to how quickly your heart rate will catch up, and the same
goes at the other end of the spectrum. When you stop exercising, your heart rate is going
to take longer to go back down to normal than your effort level will. Imagine if you're
running for the bus. For example, you get on the bus, sit down, and you can probably
feel your heart rate racing even though you stop moving.
[music] We need to cover some of the variations between
person to person before we can go on and answer this question. There's factors such as your
age, your fitness level, the air temperature, caffeine, stress, any medication you might
be on, the terrain that you're running on, the list goes on. To be able to compensate
for all of those differences, we need to work out what is normal for you. A good starting
point is by working out your maximum heart rate. Now, there's a really old-school rough
calculation you might have heard of before, which is 220 minus your age.
Say you're 30 years old, that would mean, in theory, your maximum heart rate would be
190, but that is a rough guide at best. If you do want to have something that's more
accurate, you're going to need to do a heart rate running test, which admittedly is hard
work, but it'll give you a really nice accurate number that you can work from. For more details
on that, I'd recommend checking out our GTN video on how to run to heart rate. Now, I'm
not sure if you guys can see right now, but it's pouring down outside. I think we're going
to have to move in to finish the rest of this video.
[music] Okay, we've escaped the rain. I've got my
coffee. It is time to crack on with the rest of this video. Hopefully, you've got that
magic number. We can now start to turn our focus towards heart rate zones. We are actually
still getting closer to answering that question of whether there is a perfect heart rate for
running. Heart rate zones, when it comes to running, are usually divided into five.
That reflects how hard you're working. You'll find that some watches will automatically
actually tell you what zone you're running in often using a color. They'll work this
out by seeing how hard you normally run and guessing or estimating your maximum heart
rate. It's quite typical for Zone 3 to come up as green. You'll often see, that's kind
of the zone you'll quite often find yourself in.
Whereas, for example, Zone 5, quite often is reflected as red because it just shows
that you're working extremely hard. If you don't have a smartwatch or you want to work
out your zones manually, it can be done. Just have to hope that you're quite good at math
because there's some percentages that needed here. Zone 1 is between 50% and 60% of your
maximum heart rate. Zone 2 is 60% to 70%. Zone 3, 70% to 80%. Zone 4, 80% to 90%. Yes,
you guessed it. Zone 5 is 90% to 100% of your maximum heart rate.
I expect you're starting to see that the thought of having an exact perfect heart rate for
running is looking a little bit like a myth. There are so many variables that can affect
your heart rate by just a few beats per minute from day to day, from activity, from temperature.
You get the picture. If you went out and did exactly the same run two days in a row at
the same time of day you ran at the same pace, I would still be really surprised if your
heart rate was exactly the same. That's where zones come in handy because they're
going to give you an indication of the fact you're running at the same intensity but leaving
room for those slight variables that happen normally. Well, with all of that in mind,
I thought I probably need to reword the question and ask, is there a perfect heart rate zone
for running? Well, it's complicated. There is no exact answer still. Were you really
expecting it to be a black and white, yes or no? If it was, it would have been a rather
short video. [music]
Each heart rate zone has different benefits and is used depending on what you're training
for and what your purpose of running is. If you take someone who's running purely to lose
weight, well, they're going to be training in a very different zone and a different program
to someone who, say, is trying to run a fast 5K. I'm going to break it down and look at
each zone and what's happening physiologically when you're running at that heart rate.
[music] Zone 1, this is very light. It's super easy-feeling.
You should feel that you could run at this pace all day and quite happily have a conversation.
This zone is perfect. If you've got a recovery run at your door, you simply want to go for
a social run. Zone 2, this is light. It's still easy and conversational, but you might
find that your sentences are maybe just a little bit shorter and your body is going
to be working aerobically here. This is a very low intensity, so it doesn't
actually mean that your body can convert fat and use that as fuel. It does sometimes get
referred to as the fat-burning zone, not to be confused with the best weight-loss zone
because that's purely about the amount of calories that you're burning. This is just
using a different type of fuel to fuel your run. Because it is such a nice low intensity,
it means you can hopefully stay in this zone for quite a long time.
It's great for building that aerobic base, which you can then do your faster work on
top of. The natural factor relevant of what distance or speed you're training for, Zone
2 is often recommended to make up about 80% of your training intensity. Okay, that 80%
figure was probably a little bit of a giveaway. Zone 2 is actually the closest you're going
to get to the perfect running zone, but we're going to come back to that one once we've
covered the final three zones. Zone 3, this is a medium level of effort.
You're very conscious that you'll be working at this intensity and you can only maintain
this pace for somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes. It's still going to be predominantly
aerobic and it's greater boosting that aerobic capacity. It's often termed as a "tempo pace."
Zone 4, you're working hard at this zone. Think of running to your 5K PB pace, that
really uncomfortable yet you know you're really going for. It's a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic
work, but your body is going to be predominantly still using carbohydrate as fuel in this zone.
Working in Zone 4 is great for doing some intervals at race pace and just boosting that
aerobic threshold. Zone 5, this is really pushing it. It's basically a max effort. Think
sprint finish at the end of a race. Really, though, you're not going to be spending very
much time in Zone 5, especially in your training, unless, say, you're a sprinter or maybe you
do team sports which involves lots of short sprinting intervals. When you do find yourself
in Zone 5, you're not going to be able to stay there very long. If you are using it
at the finish of a race, make sure you don't go for it too soon.
[music] I touched on that magic zone a moment ago,
but it could be a little bit confusing. You might think, well, you want to run a 5K PB
and the majority of your 5K race is going to be in Zone 4. Yes, it is, but that doesn't
mean you need to do all of your training in Zone 4 as you would simply burnout. In actual
fact, you need to do the majority of your training for 5K in Zone 2. You're building
that aerobic base and then you add in spikes of more intense work, and then also a little
bit in Zone 1 when you're doing some recovery, and then you could be someone who's trying
to lose weight. Well, Zone 2 is the fat-burning zone as I
mentioned. That doesn't mean you have to stay purely in Zone 2. That's just a way that your
body is using fat as fuel. If you want to do some shorter, sharper intensity efforts,
that will burn more calories and will help with the balance in a shorter period of time,
and also help keep your running more interesting. I think to conclude, you have realized that
there is no such thing as a perfect heart rate or even a perfect zone to do all of your
running in. That said, I would say Zone 2 is that magic
zone that you do want to spend most of your time in as it just has that wonderful ability
to build a base, and then you can add in bits around that. Remember, when it comes to running,
you want to keep your body stimulated with changes of pace, but also that mental stimulation
so you keep interest and you keep enjoying your running. Well, hopefully, this has slightly
answered that question and made things a little bit more clear as to what intensity you should
do your running at. Give us a like if you have enjoyed it. Remember, you can check out
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