Triathlon Training

Triathlon Training and the heart rate monitor   by Jessica

How hard to I have to workout? How far do I have to go? I workout 2 hours every other day of the week and I still can’t lose those last 10 pounds. Why do I keep getting injured when I try to run? These are all questions and comments people make about their training that seems to have no simple solution.

I want to give you that solution. It’s called a heart rate monitor. Whether your goal is to win a race or just live a long healthy life, using a heart rate monitor is the single most valuable tool you can have in your training equipment arsenal. And using one in the way I am going to describe will not only help you shed those last few pounds, but will enable you to do it without either killing yourself in training or starving yourself at the dinner table.

I came from a swimming background, which in the 70′s and 80′s when I competed was a sport that lived by the “No Pain, No Gain” motto. My coach would give us workouts that were designed to push us to our limit every single day. I would go home dead, sleep as much as I could, then come back the next day for another round of punishing interval sets. It was all I knew.

So, when I entered the sport of triathlon in the early 1980′s, my mentality was to go as hard as I could at some point in every single workout I did. And to gauge how fast that might have to be, I looked at how fast the best triathletes were running at the end of the short distance races. Guys like Dave Scott, Scott Tinley and Scott Molina were able to hold close to 5 minute miles for their 10ks after swimming and biking!

So that’s what I did. Every run, even the slow ones, for at least one mile, I would try to get close to 5 minute pace. And it worked…sort of. I had some good races the first year or two, but I also suffered from minor injuries and was always feeling one run away from being too burned out to want to continue with my training.

Then came the heart rate monitor. A man named Phil Maffetone, who had done a lot of research with the monitors, contacted me. He had me try one out according to a very specific protocol. Phil said that I was doing too much anaerobic training, too much speed work, too many high end/high heart rate sessions. I was forcing my body into a chemistry that only burns carbohydrates for fuel by elevating my heart rate so high each time I went out and ran.

So he told me to go to the track, strap on the heart rate monitor, and keep my heart rate below 155 beats per minute. Maffetone told me that below this number that my body would be able to take in enough oxygen to burn fat as the main source of fuel for my muscle to move. I was going to develop my aerobic/fat burning system. What I discovered was a shock.

To keep my heart rate below 155 beats/minute, I had to slow my pace down to an 8:15 mile. That’s three minutes/mile SLOWER than I had been trying to hit in every single workout I did! My body just couldn’t utilize fat for fuel.

So, for the next four months, I did exclusively aerobic training keeping my heart rate at or below my maximum aerobic heart rate, using the monitor every single workout. And at the end of that period, my pace at the same heart rate of 155 beats/minute had improved by over a minute. And after nearly a year of doing mostly aerobic training, which by the way was much more comfortable and less taxing than the anaerobic style that I was used to, my pace at 155 beats/minute had improved to a blistering 5:20 mile.

That means that I was now able to burn fat for fuel efficiently enough to hold a pace that a year before was redlining my effort at a maximum heart rate of about 190. I had become an aerobic machine! On top of the speed benefit at lower heart rates, I was no longer feeling like I was ready for an injury the next run I went on, and I was feeling fresh after my workouts instead of being totally wasted from them.

So let’s figure out what heart rate will give you this kind of benefit and improvement. There is a formula that will determine your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate, which is the maximum heart rate you can go and still burn fat as the main source of energy in your muscles. It is the heart rate that will enable you to recover day to day from your training. It’s the maximum heart rate that will help you burn those last few pounds of fat. It is the heart rate that will build the size of your internal engine so that you have more power to give when you do want to maximize your heart rate in a race situation.

About the Author

How hard to I have to workout? How far do I have to go? I workout 2 hours every other day of the week and I still can’t lose those last 10 pounds. Why do I keep getting injured when I try to run? These are all questions and comments people make about their training that seems to have no simple solution.triathlon-off-season
Fitness Factor with Chad Hawker topic Heart Rate Monitors

POLAR S625X HRM heart rate monitor triathlon watch $0.00

Timex Womens Ironman Triathlon Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Black Watch NEW $0.00

Brand New Garmin 310XT Watch w/ Premium HRM Triathlon $0.00

Brand New Garmin Forerunner 910XT watch GPS Premium HRM Triathlon Run Swim Bike $0.00

Brand New Garmin Forerunner 910XT Watch Receiver GPS Triathlon Run Swim Bike $0.00

Timex Ironman Triathlon Sleek Fitness Tracker – Black $0.00

Timex BodyLink Heart Rate GPS Speed Distance Watch Ironman Triathlon T5E671 $0.00

Timex Ironman Data Exchanger Two-Way USB Devuce $100.00 The Timex USB Data Xchanger provides wireless two-way communication between your Timex Ironman Race Trainer watch and your PC or Mac. Once connected, your watch and computer can easily transfer data, record heart rate information, or change heart rate settings. The Timex Trainer online software is available online….

Garmin Bike mount, quick release, quarter turn $5.99 Use this replacement bike mount to mount your Edge 500 to your bicycle’s stem or handlebars. Includes bike mount, rubber disc, and elastic bands….

Timex Ironman Men’s Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch $64.50 REVIEW:Get the most out of your workout with the Timex Ironman Men’s Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch. This mid-sized watch can be worn for everyday time-keeping–and when you’re ready to hit the road, track, or trail–the Ironman becomes a full function workout computer. With multiple modes to help you track and interpret your heart rate as you exert, the easy to read Ironman Road Trainer he…

Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black) $169.95 Only then you can truly make sense of your training and be sure it’s worth all the effort.Train at the right intensity with personal training zonesDisplays calories burnedFitness test measures aerobic fitness at rest and shows progressCompatible with S1 foot pod and G1 GPS sensor to combine heart rate with speed and distanceTracks your latest 16 training sessions and your last 16 weeks of training…

Timex Ironman Men’s Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Grey/Red, Full Size $69.00 A handy training companion that makes a bold statement, the Timex Ironman Road Trainer digital heart rate monitor series offers performance and comfort in a next-generation style. The watch is designed for both fitness enthusiasts and weekend warriors to help them meet their exercise goals. It allows you to preset your desired heart rate exercise zone and have it sound an alarm when you are not in…

Garmin FR60 Black Fitness Watch Bundle (Includes Foot Pod, Heart Rate Monitor, and USB ANT Stick) $102.49 This FR60 bundle (in men’s black) includes a foot pod, a USB ANT stick, and a heart rate monitor.Log every mile and every minute with FR60, a sleek fitness watch plus workout tool that tracks your time, heart rate and calories burned. When bundled with the wireless foot pod (included), FR60 also tracks speed and distance, indoors or out. Use FR60′s training tools to get the most out of your workou…

Nashbar Tempo Heart Rate Monitor $34.99 Nashbar Tempo Heart Rate Monitor. Get more out of your workout. This heart rate monitor keeps track of important details like heart rate zones, calorie consumption, fat percentage and puts the data right at your fingertips, so you can stay more informed during your training. This watch is also waterproof up to 50m, so you can use it in the water if you’re training for a triathlon.

Mio Heart Rate Monitor $212.99 MIO Heart Rate Monitor at Power Systems, Inc.

Heart Rate Monitor & Strap (Replacement) $39.94 Heart Rate Monitor & Strap (Replacement) Heart Rate Monitor & Strap ( Replacement)

Pyle PHRM36 Heart Rate Monitor $25.72 Pyle PHRM36 Heart Rate Monitor

PylePro PPDM2 Heart Rate Monitor $56.3 PylePro PPDM2 Heart Rate Monitor

5F001 Ironman Triathlon Heart Rate Monitor Unisex Rubber Watch $97.5 Stylish enough for the weekend warrior yet technical enough for serious athletes, the Timex Ironman Triathlon heart rate monitor (model T5F001) can be worn by both men and women. It features a chest strap heart rate monitor, large 3-line display for easy viewing of your workout data, and a full range of sport timing features. This watch features a silver face, durable black resin strap, and large buttons for easy access to timing functions. For integrating heart rate monitoring into your training, this watch enables you to track your avareage heart rate and pre-set target heart rate zones with data for time spent within that zone and alarms. It also offers up to four linked interval timers, each with its own target zone, and a recovery timer that measures your heart rate after a timed recovery during or after your workout.

Timex T5F001 (Unisex) $130 Stylish enough for the weekend warrior yet technical enough for serious athletes, the Timex Ironman Triathlon heart rate monitor (model T5F001) can be worn by both men and women. It features a chest strap heart rate monitor, large 3-line display for easy viewing of your workout data, and a full range of sport timing features. This watch features a silver face, durable black resin strap, and large buttons for easy access to timing functions. For integrating heart rate monitoring into your training, this watch enables you to track your avareage heart rate and pre-set target heart rate zones with data for time spent within that zone and alarms. It also offers up to four linked interval timers, each with its own target zone, and a recovery timer that measures your heart rate after a timed recovery during or after your workout.