Wholistic Fitness

ACTUAL ONLINE TRAINING DIALOGUE

subject: CARDIO Training

between Teacher Sheader and Student Toby

Dear Teacher Sheader:

When you have time, can you talk to me about max heart rate (and lactate

threshold)? �My age predicted max is 220 – 41 = 179. Last summer I measured a max while MTBing of 190. �Based on my average

heart rate during ~1 hour MTB races, I estimated my LT to be about 175. During the first skate race of this season I measured it at 193. �During

last night’s relay race I measured 196.

? Sounds about right. Max heart rate is very subjective and does not match well the athletic, especially cardio athletes. Max HR is in theory at about where zone 5 would have ya! �LT is generally around zone 3-4.

Meanwhile, my friend Rob, who is in similar shape and skis at about the

same speed as me, says his max in the 170s.

So I guess I have two questions:

RE: 1. �Do you think as I have gotten in better shape my max has increased or

had I just not truly hit/measured my max previously?

? Your measurement could be off though none of this matters as much as learning to listen and concern yourself with your state of fitness. There are so many variables involved from red blood cell count to V02 to… the list goes on and the intuition and poetry is lost. This is why we utilize the HR zones as they are actually much more accurate, effective, and enable anyone to gauge where they are and what they can do.

A lower HR both at rest and while working out generally means you are in better shape. For instance Repeat miles at 5:00 minute pace when early in your training might be a zone 5 effort. After a few weeks the same pace is a zone 3 perhaps. At the same time increased fitness can enable you to push yourself to higher heart rate than you might have been able to attain before, at least without a good bit of suffering. Does this make sense?

RE: 2. �What does it mean to have a higher heart rate than someone else? �Does

it mean that I can pump more blood faster and so should be able to more

quickly supply my muscles with oxygen. �Or does it mean that my system is

less efficient and so has to work harder to supply the same amount of

oxygen as someone with a lower max?

? Generally the lower your resting heart rate the better shape one is in though only compared to themselves, not others. A better determination of cardio fitness is how fast one recovers between intervals for instance. Stay true to your practice and all these ‘complexities’ will fade away and a noble warrior will be left standing there instead.

Namaste,

Teacher Sheader