Heart Rate Zones EXPLAINED!

Training in the correct heart rate zone can be a total game-changer for a lot of runners; if done correctly, it can maximize how efficient and effective your training time is and can go a long way toward preventing injuries. In this video Coach, Dan will help you understand what heart rate zones are, tell you how to calculate yours, and tell you which heart rate zone to spend most of your training time on.

[sarahwinter]

Coach Dan is so rad. Short video super packed with info. Love it!

[HeatherJergensen]

Thank you for not saying 220-age. It makes me CRAZY! This is such a great explanation, and welcome to TRE team!

[ignaciomayenthegoldenrule]

My friend that runs a 40 minute 10K is so competitive he was telling me not to run slow. Lol. I just want to get to a 50 minute 10K. Slow running builds heart strength for fast runs. Thank you.

[matildami]

I'm so happy that you didn't mention the 220 - age calculation that you see everywhere saying that's how you find out your maximum heart rate, even though it really doesn't work for most people, especially women. :)

[conradburdekin]

I think this is the best, most comprehensive and easy to understand video I’ve ever watched on zones. Thank you! It’s also reassured me that I’m doing it right with my zones.

[froggerd]

I know the theory, but running in zone 2 is hard. As soon as I transition from walking to running I hit zone 3 and if I don't watch out I'm in zone 4 in no time.

[jojosworld]

THAT'S my dang problem! I always try to stay in a zone 4 or 5. I wanna be a superhero i think 😎 Makes a lotta sense brother. I appreciate the video!

[ohaiitsarielle]

My running coach calculated my maximum heart rate last year through a test that involves the treadmill. He had me increase the speed and incline (don’t remember the exact numbers) every X amount of time.

I had to keep going until I was gassed out or until I felt like I was going to fly off the back of the treadmill 😂

He has me doing 80/20 training and wearing the chest strap for a more accurate heart rate!

[Mercury]

This was great!! I live in the foothills of the Sierra mountains in Cali and every run is a hill run🤪. Now I know why it’s so hard for me to keep the pace my watch wants me to keep!

[scout]

Excellent addition to TRE - I love this guy!

[petergibbs]

What a genuinely brilliant video - thanks 👍

[iggalan]

Let me add a bit of information for those that have sport watches. Your watch will calculate for you the heart rate zones based on some formulas that only take into account the personal data you input: age, gender, weight and little more. So your zones will end up the same as an Olympian with these same stats, they don't take into account your fitness level. As you run with your watch it will start to get a better insight into your fitness level, but heart rate zones will most often stay the same, so you really want to customize them as soon as you are comfortable doing this.

In my case every once in a while I calculate my max heart rate with a specific session (there are plenty of videos out there); this session is really really though. And my minimum heart rate is automatically calculated. I've set my watch to calculate heart rate zones based on reserve heart rate which takes into account both the minimum and maximum. I wonder how different it would be using the LTH method. But this 20 minutes all out effort doesn't look enticing 😅 .

[jacobfeldman]

Great Video Dan. Very much appreciated, good to see some high quality fitness content on youtube

[lizday]

I love the “sciency” stuff!! Keep it coming!!!

[KaylaLahti]

Useful way of calculating the zones and seems pretty accurate for me!

[theclaritylab]

This guy is the Alton Brown of running. Excellent!

[easkey]

Very funny and very informative. Thank you hugely. Lactate test tonight! 😬

[darrenl]

I struggle with zone 2 running it’s so hard and since doing it I’ve felt my top end start getting slower over the weeks for my 1 mile effort but my 5k time is slowly getting faster. I have gone from 25-21minutes, hoping for sub 20 by the end of the year, I think I’m just impatient for results though because I have a few friends who cruise 7:30min miles and I’m stuck at 9:10 zone 2.

[cospinan]

Nice video, especially regarding the feeling of how should be zone 2, for example. However, regarding the calculations for LT hear rate and the HR zones. I would encourage you to make clear that a particular method is one of many. I personally believe doing the calculations using the maximum HR is better, and considering the HRR hard rate reserve. to then calculate the percentages as follow rest HR + (max HR- rest HR)*%/100. as propouse by Stephen Seiler.

[utalap]

Thanks for these tips! I'll try this out.