Heart rate zone, wassat??

Heart rate zones, simplified

HR Zone is a concept that's widely spread among runners and athletic folks, however still a lot of people never heard of it.

As a good thing to know and as an introduction to my next review, let me try to explain it in a few words.

Let's start with your heart beat. When you're sleeping or rushing out not to be late, you are aware that your heart is not pumping at the same speed, right?

Well you got it all already. Heart rate zones are here to describe at which speed your heart is pumping blood in your body.

So first, Zone 0 describes a lower heart beat, typically at rest when you're seated in front of your computer.

Zone 1 is when you're out of your couch, walking at a low/normal speed.

Zone 2 is let's say, heart beats during a jogging. So your heart is pumping moderately during this easy exercise and you should be able to talk freely without gasping.

Zone 3 happens when you start to speed up and sweat. Running to catch your train for example or climbing a few floors using the stairs.

Zone 4 is where you really push yourself out of your comfort zone and get the sweat flowing. You can start hearing your heart bumping in your chest.

Zone 5 is your maximum effort before well.. collapsing. You feel your heart is going to explode at some point.

Now we know how to determine broadly the HR zones but what is it useful for already?

This is for people keen to do real sport, not going to the gym pushing weight (jk).

I have nothing against it but for weight lifting HR zones are irrelevant unless your focus is cardio.

That's it for the interlude. Now back to how to use it, it will all depend on your respective goals. Weight loss, speed or general performance improvements?

One crucial thing you need to bear in mind is your cardiovascular system will need as much immediate energy as your intensity workout is. Still with me? Meaning that since processing fat to be ready for your body to burn it out during exercise takes time, it won't be rightly available if you do a HIIT session thinking that you will lose 5kgs of fat in one go. The only thing you will lose in great amount is water but not fat. I know this is counter intuitive but trust me, there is nothing better than a slow boring jogging to burn that Christmas belly.

So having said that:

Z1 will be you friend for weight loss, keep it low intensity but steady for a long time. In short, walk or jog more than an hour for each session and you'll see great results over a few weeks (even weight lifting will do but a way less effective).

Z2 is your endurance buddy. If you want long lasting results over the month and years, focus on this area so it won't damage your body or heart but will actually reinforce them in the long run. Jogging is also recommended here but you can cruise a bit more than in Z1.

Z3 is for people who can't decide. It's good for general fitness but should be limited to when you haven't got the time to train properly. Still better than nothing though but don't expect a lot of progress if you always stay in that zone.

Z4 is what's also called "threshold" either in intervals for speed improvement or steady during your session. Push to your limits as much as possible but not to the point of blowing you up. You should be able to sustain this big effort more than 10 minutes but less than an hour. It's recommended to follow up a Z4 session with a Z2 one to get the maximum benefits from it and build up from it.

Z5 is your all out maximum power or your red zone where you'll experience high discomfort. I would not recommend you to go to that level for training and this effort should only be at your peak level during a race or a sprint but should not be prolonged for a few minutes at all.

Well folks, that's about it for this article and you got the main concepts. I'll follow up later with another one on how to determine precisely your heart rate zones but with what's above you already have the basics.

Stay safe, sweat and train well.