Heart rate training. It sounds like something an elite athlete would do, on their way to priming their body for a race PB. But it’s actually a really simple technique that most runners can follow, and offers loads of benefits.

We’ve asked our team of experts to tell us all about heart rate training, how to do it and the benefits it offers. Read on for our guide to heart rate training…

What is heart rate training?

Put very simply, heart rate training is training according to your heart rate. It means forgetting the pace you’re running at, and instead focusing on the heart rate zone that you are in as you run. You’ll aim to be in different heart rate zones according to the type of run you’re doing.

What are the benefits of heart rate training?

Heart rate training can improve your fitness, increase your running speed, help you to run further and even reduce your risk of injury. It can also help us to navigate the ups and downs of training. We’ve all experienced runs where a pace that felt easy a few weeks ago suddenly feels much harder. This can be due to several factors, from sleep to our periods. Heart rate training levels the playing field, which can help us both physically and mentally with our running progress.

Does heart rate training work for everybody?

The great thing about heart rate training is that is is totally personalised to you and your fitness. This means that its benefits can be enjoyed by most runners, whether you’re a speedy racer or a steady plodder. But there are some things to bear in mind before you get started, or if you’re doing heart rate training and finding it challenging.

Beginner runners may find it harder to do heart rate training, as our heart rates are usually higher when we first start out. It doesn’t mean that we can’t do it. It just means that we may need to expect more variability of heart rate.

As we mentioned, sleep, periods and other factors can affect our heart rate. This can make it harder to track our ‘normal’ heart rate zones, which will make heart rate training less effective and potentially frustrating. If there’s a lot of external factors going on around you at the moment, running to time not distance could be a better option to give you focus but take away the pressure of heart rate stats.

Finally, heart rate training does involve spending quite a lot of time interacting with smart watches and running apps. For some of us, apps can lead to anxiety, and get in the way of enjoying our run. If this is something you relate to, it might not be the best way for you to train.

So, how does my heart rate affect my running?

Our heart rate is a measure of how hard our body is having to work to perform a specific task. It will range from our resting heart rate (when we’re relaxing on the sofa) up to our maximum heart rate (MHR). If you’ve ever pushed yourself to run extra fast in the last few hundred metres of a run, you’ll likely have made it to that MHR! Other daily activities, from walking up stairs or an easy run, will be somewhere between our resting and maximum heart rate. These are split up into different zones.

These zones each correspond with different energy systems. These are the way in which our body converts fat and glycogen into energy. Runners training for endurance events (5K training plans and over) are mainly using their aerobic energy system, which uses fat for fuel. In order to build aerobic fitness, we need to train within our aerobic energy heart rate zone. The problem, however, is that most of us run our easy and long runs too fast to fully capitalise on improvements to our aerobic fitness. This is where heart rate training can help.

What are heart rate training zones?

The heart rates between your resting and maximum heart rate can be split into a number of training zones. It’s generally agreed that there are five heart rate zones that runners should pay attention to. These span from Zone 1 which would be used for recovery runs up to Zone 5, which you’d only use for very fast interval workouts or in those closing metres of a PB effort.

A well-rounded training programme should see runners working in all training zones at different points in their week, but with the majority of their training done in Zone 1 and Zone 2. As surprising as it may sound, runners often have as much difficulty sticking to the lower zones as they do pushing themselves up into Zone 5. The majority of training is therefore done in the middle of the heart rate range, which means missing out on the benefits to be gained from working in all zones.

How do I find out my heart rate training zones?

Before calculating your various training zones, you’ll need to find your maximum heart rate (MHR). While elite runners will be subjected to lab testing to find theirs, most of us have to rely on some rough maths.

The common calculation used to determine MHR is 220 minus your age. So a 35-year-old runner would have a MHR of 185. A more recent way of working it out is [208 – (0.7 x age)]. For that same 35-year-old runner, this would come out as 183.5.

Once you have your maximum heart rate, you can use it to determine the training zones you should be trying to stay within on your runs.

The most widely used method for amateur runners is to follow five zones.

• Zone 1: Recovery runs. Very light, 50% to 60% of MHR.
• Zone 2: Easy runs. Light, 60% to 70% of MHR.
• Zone 3: Longer, tempo runs. Moderate, 70% to 80% of MHR.
• Zone 4: Interval training. Hard, 80% to 90% of MHR.
• Zone 5: Very short intervals. Very hard, 90% to 100% of MHR.

What kit do I need for heart rate training?

First things first: you need a way of measuring your heart rate. Most running watches do offer a heart rate function that will display as you run. It’s worth noting that wrist heart rate trackers are usually less accurate than a chest strap, so it might be a good idea to invest in one for heart rate training. They often sync with running watches to display your up-to-date heart rate.

If you don’t enjoy looking at numbers during your run, you may want to consider a heart rate tracker that does the hard work for you. They calculate your heart rate zones based on your heart rate as you exercise, and display the zone you are in instead of your heart rate. We reviewed the MyZone MZ-Switch, which displays your zone via a coloured light as you run.

How do I do heart rate training?

OK, you understand the science, you’ve got the kit, you’ve calculated your zones and you’re ready to run. What now?

How you do heart rate training will very much depend on your goals. Essentially, you’ll aim to keep your heart rate within a certain zone or zones as you run. It may be the same zone throughout, or it could be intervals. Following a heart rate training plan is the best way to get started – you’ll find one below.

One thing to note: heart rate training can sometimes feel as though it’s not working, as you often initially need to reduce your pace to keep your heart rate in the correct zone. Stick with it! Experts suggest that you can expect to notice changes after around 6 weeks of training.

What if I’m struggling to get down into the lower zones?

As we mentioned, reducing your heart rate into the lower zones can often be the trickiest part of this type of training! It’s important to remember that walk/running is an option, especially if you’re just getting used to running by heart rate. A walking break will allow your heart rate to come back down. The more you do the training, the less you’ll need to walk to do this. Also consider your route. Hills will spike your heart rate even if you’re running slowly. Flattish runs are best at first.

What is heart rate variability?

One final measurement of heart rate that is useful for runners is Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Simply put, Heart Rate Variability is a measure of the variation in time between each of your heartbeats. The gap between each heartbeat isn’t always the same. There might be 0.8 seconds between two beats and then 1.05 seconds between the next two.

Simply put, your HRV is a snapshot of how stressed your autonomic nervous system is. If it’s relaxed, it tells your heart to slow down, which allows room for changes between beats and produces a higher HRV. If it’s stressed, it speeds up your heart, reducing the space for change and lowering your HRV.

Is monitoring your heart rate variability important for runners?

HRV can definitely be a useful tool for runners. It gives you insight as to whether your body is ready to train or if you’re pushing too hard on that day.  That being said, it’s important not to get too caught up on it. “HRV does not account for other key fitness pillars, such as strength, oxygen, sugar availability, muscle memory, or reaction speed” says Dr Greta Dalle Luche, scientist and former professional athlete. “There are also other things that may influence someone’s run more than the recovery that they had the night before, such as mental state and self-belief,” she explains.

It’s also important to remember that there are a number of factors that affect our heart rate variability itself, including age, gender, and sleep patterns. While you’re asleep, your HRV will increase and decrease significantly in the hours just before you wake up. This is why you should measure your HRV in short snapshots across a few minutes or hours, rather than thinking of it as a long-term measurement like you would with VO2 Max, for instance.

Heart rate training plan

Here is a six-week heart rate training plan for intermediate runners. It will introduce you to different training zones and allow you to see some progress.

Keep a note of your heart rate and pace of your first easy run in Week 1. Compare this to the pace and heart rate of your easy runs in Week 6. You should see that you’re able to run faster, while maintaining the same heart rate.

Week 1

Run 1: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 2: easy run, 40 minutes in Zone 2
Run 3: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 4: long run, 60 minutes in Zone 2

Week 2

Run 1: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 2: easy run, 45 minutes in Zone 2
Run 3: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 4: long run, 70 minutes in Zone 2

Week 3

Run 1: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 2: intervals, 10 mins in Zone 2, 4 x 5 mins in Zone 4 + 3 mins in Zone 2, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 3: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 4: long run, 75 minutes in Zone 2

Week 4

Run 1: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 2: intervals, 10 mins in Zone 2, 5 x 5 mins in Zone 4 + 3 mins in Zone 2, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 3: tempo run, 10 mins in Zone 2, 10 mins in Zone 3, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 4: long run, 75 minutes in Zone 2

Week 5

Run 1: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 2: intervals, 10 mins in Zone 2, 5 x 6 mins in Zone 4 + 3 mins in Zone 2, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 3: tempo run, 10 mins in Zone 2, 12 mins in Zone 3, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 4: long run, 80 minutes in Zone 2

Week 6

Run 1: easy run, 30 minutes in Zone 2
Run 2: intervals, 10 mins in Zone 2, 3 x 8 mins in Zone 4 + 3 mins in Zone 2, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 3: tempo run, 10 mins in Zone 2, 15 mins in Zone 3, 10 mins in Zone 1-2
Run 4: long run, 90 minutes in Zone 2

Want to stick this on your fridge door? You can download and print the full plan by clicking the button below. You’ll be joining our weekly Edit newsletter list to help support you with your training, as well as the odd promotional message, that you can unsubscribe from at any time. Here’s a preview of what your plan will look like…