Training by Heart Rate – Get Fit with the Right Pulse
Training by heart rate is an important tool for improving your fitness level and achieving better performance on the road.
Training by Heart Rate
You're training for the next big cycling event, a race or a triathlon and always give it your all, riding at maximum speed, but your performance only improves slowly – if at all? This is because with bike and running training, the saying "more is better" isn't quite right. The best training results are achieved when you adjust your heart rate to your training goal. Only when your muscles, your organs, and especially your heart are effectively supplied with oxygen can you achieve the best training results. We'll explain here how you can effectively adapt your training to your personal heart rate zone. All you need is a device for measuring your pulse on your chest or wrist. Additionally, to endure your endurance training as long as possible and with enjoyment, you'll need the right ergonomic bike saddle and bike grips that offer you good control and relief, your bike – and this guide.
Training by Heart Rate – Calculate Your Training Pulse
To find out where the different heart rate zones lie for you, you first need to determine your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate can only be changed slightly through training; it primarily depends on your age. Your body weight and gender also play a role, as well as variable factors such as your training condition, the type of sport, or environmental influences like heat or cold.
Maximum Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate (also referred to as HRmax) can be calculated in different ways. Here are the two most common methods for calculating HRmax:
The Spanaus Method: Named after sports scientist Winfried Spanaus, you can quickly and easily calculate a guideline value with this formula. You simply calculate 223 - (age x 0.9) for men and 226 - (age x 1.0) for women. However, this formula is only a rule of thumb that works if you're in the middle range of your body weight, as being overweight or underweight is not taken into account here.
The Sally Edwards Method: Former marathon runner Sally Edwards developed a method that factors in your weight. It looks as follows: For men, you calculate 214 - (age x 0.5) – (body weight x 0.11) and for women 210 - (age x 0.5) – (body weight x 0.11)
Resting Heart Rate
Resting heart rate depends largely on your training condition and decreases the fitter you become. In addition to your fitness level, daily form also determines resting heart rate. If you partied the day before or, especially as a beginner or not well-trained athlete, completed a tempo endurance run, this can influence your resting heart rate (upward). For those not particularly (endurance) trained, the resting heart rate should average between 60 and 70 beats. If you're already trained, your resting heart rate probably measures around 50 beats. You can find your exact personal resting heart rate by performing a pulse check five times a week directly after waking up while lying down, and then calculating an average from this data. You should not choose a particularly stressful week with unusual strain, but rather a time that's close to your everyday life.
Especially beginners should have their resting heart rate determined by a coach or sports physician before the training period to avoid health complications and ensure high training efficiency. Even if you're planning to tackle a major athletic challenge, such as a half marathon or a triathlon, you should have your resting heart rate determined by a professional.
Training by Heart Rate – The Heart Rate Zones
For different training effects, you must maintain different heart rate zones, which are given as a percentage of your HRmax. You can read the heart rate zones and their effects in the following table:
| Maximum Heart Rate Percentage | Heart Rate Zone | Effect |
| 50-60% | Health Zone, also Warm-up Pulse, Recovery Pulse | Serves regeneration and strengthening of the cardiovascular system |
| 60-70% | Metabolism Zone, also Fat-Burning Pulse | Serves to optimize metabolism and fat burning, as well as improve basic endurance |
| 70-80% | Aerobic Zone, also Aerobic Pulse, Endurance Pulse | Serves to increase endurance, cardiovascular training, improvement of basic endurance with higher calorie consumption |
| 80-90% | Anaerobic Zone | Serves to increase performance and shift your maximum performance limits upward |
| 90-100% | Extreme Exercise Pulse, Competition Exercise Pulse | Serves to increase performance in the peak range; more performance at maximum pulse. Training in this heart rate zone is only suitable for experienced athletes! |
Please note that the heart rate zones can vary by about 10 beats depending on fitness level and the individual characteristics of your body.
Training by Heart Rate – The Right Training Intensity
Depending on what you want to achieve with your training, you should plan your sessions accordingly. Your training level and goal determines not only the heart rate zone you should aim for, but also influences the training duration and the riding or running pace.
When you begin your bike training, you should move in the metabolism zone at 60 to 70 percent of your HR max and plan somewhat longer sessions of between 60 and 90 minutes. For the basic endurance range, you should initially target the aerobic zone; in advanced training, increasing portions in the anaerobic zone are then added. Training length varies greatly depending on which cycling sport you're training for and is far too complex to be covered in a few sentences.
With every training session on the bike, you should also make sure that you're using the right components. Why? To have fun during endurance training and be able to ride long distances enjoyably, the contact points between body and bicycle should be as comfortable as possible. Only with correspondingly frequent and long training will the heart become stronger and fitness improve. That's why you need a saddle that meets the requirements of your sport, as well as grips or bar tape that offers you enough grip and the best relief on and off the road. You should also ensure that all components on your bike are adjusted to your individual measurements. For this, we recommend an Ergon Fitting Box. With this, you can easily perform a professional bike fitting at home and then train according to your desired intensity – and heart rate.