Your heart rate acts like a car governor but on your body. If you start to hit the higher end of your heart rate, your body will react, and you will have to slow down after a short period of time. But with the help of an affordable, quality treadmill, you can improve your ability to stay near the high end of your heart rate so you can sustain faster and longer runs.
Start By Finding Your Ideal Heart Rate Training Zones
It is important to establish what your max heart rate is and work from there as you will need to know it to effectively switch between heart rate training zones.
Women looking for their max heart rate need to take 88% of their age and subtract it from 206. After that, you can target specific training zones by multiplying your max heart rate by the percentage you are trying to train in.
To help clarify this idea, say you are a 30-year-old woman. You will need to multiply 88% (0.88) by 30, which will yield the number 26.4. Then, subtract 26.4 from 206, to find your max heart rate number is 179.6. From there, you can choose your training zone, which are:
Very light – 50%-60% used mostly for injury recovery and beginners
Light – 60%-70% ideal for endurance training and fat burning
Moderate – 70%-80% range for aerobic fitness targeting
Hard – 80%-90% used for max capacity improvement, done in short sessions
Max – 90%-100% used for max capacity improvement, done in short sessions
So, if you want to target your endurance and want to shoot for the mid-light range of 65% effort, multiply 65% (0.65) by 179.6. A 30-year-old-woman will end up the heart rate number to aim for of 116.74, which you can feel free to round up or down.
Men have a slightly more simple way to find their max heart rate. They will need to subtract their age from 220 to find their max heart rate. From there, they can multiply their max heart rate by the heart rate zone they want to train in.
Ways To Use Your Treadmill For Heart Rate Training
You can do the most effective heart rate training on a treadmill, thanks to the precise control a treadmill offers. Some ways to utilize your treadmill for heart rate training are:
- Use a heart rate chest strap – Many runners use a wrist heart rate monitor to track their heart rate, which is not as accurate due to its position on the body. On a treadmill, you can use a wireless heart rate monitoring chest strap and receive accurate, real-time feedback on your heart rate. Some treadmills, like the ProForm Pro 5000 even include a chest strap with your purchase!
- Alter pace easily to target heart rate – If you notice that your heart rate has fallen below or gone above the training zone you are targeting, you can fine-tune your speed on a treadmill. With the ability to make 0.1 speed increment adjustments as well as full interval changes, you can be sure to find your speed sweet spot as you train.
- Combine hills and heart rate – It is common for heart rates to spike when going uphill, causing runners to drop pace dramatically. To avoid burning out on the uphills, you can combine your hill training with heart rate zone training. By targeting both at once, your next race will see you flying past the competition when the hills come up.
If you don’t have a treadmill or your current machine doesn’t meet your training needs, you can use our ProForm promo code to save on a top-rated ProForm treadmill. A favorite with many runners is the Pro 2000, so you may want to start your treadmill search by looking at that treadmill.
