Understanding training zones is essential for proper training. Five training zones are distinguished by heart rates or the rate of perceived exertion. Knowing your training zones will assist you in your exercise selections.
heart rate
Knowing your heart rate and the percentage of your maximum heart rate (HR max) is the best way to determine your training intensity. You can determine your heart rate using a heart rate monitor, a smart watch, or by checking your pulse.
The first step is to determine your maximum heart rate.
Maximum Heart Rate (HR max)
There are many ways to determine your maximum heart rate, with the majority only using an approximation. An EKG in a hospital would certainly be helpful but not very appropriate for testing when exercising
Easy Method
The easiest non-clinical method is by using the following formula:
(220 – age) = HR max.
I am 70 so my HR max is (220 – 70) = 150
70% of 150 is 105 beats per minute (bpm). If I exercised at this heart rate I would be exercising at 70% of my HR max.
Although easy to use, this gives an approximate value but can either be an under or over estimate of the actual heart rate.
There are a number of other formulas to determine HR max but none are 100% accurate.
Karvonen Formula
This formula is a little more accurate but is still an approximation, it includes your resting heart rate and is:
Target heart rate = [(max HR – RHR) x %intensity] + RHR (resting HR)
To determine my Target Heart Rate for an intensity of 70% where my RHR is 60 bpm. The maxim Heart Rate uses the previous formula of 220 – age, which is 150 bpm for me.
(150 -60)*.7)+60= 123
Norwegian heart Rate Formula
Yet another heart rate calculator is one developed by NTNU, which takes into account both age and the sex of a person is:
211 – 0.64*age = HR max
Again, for me this would be
211 – 0.64(70) = 162.2
To work out at 70% would be 113.54
Large VARIANCE
I went online and looked at a study that compared eight HR max formulas with an actual clinically measured maximum heart rate. My HR max varied between 150 and 162.9 bpm. The average was 156.61. That’s a difference of 13 bpm!
Testing for HR max
You can easily do field testing to determine your HRmax. On a treadmill, warm up for five minutes and then increase your speed or elevation every two minutes. Take your heart rate every two minutes. Increase the intensity until you are breathing heavy and unable to carry on a conversation. Go for a couple of more minutes, and your heart rate should be near its max.
Testing it via cycling or on a track is similar. You will find, though, that your running HRmax, your cycling HRmax, and your swimming HRmax will all be different. The running will be the highest. Of course, jumping out of an airplane without a parachute will give you the highest heart rate. That is, until you hit the ground!
Why HR max for Exercise Selection
I have suggested that you train for the type of work your body does while performing tasks related to police work. Low-intensity work is normal for police work until … The until is the chase, the arrest, or assisting in a disaster. These are high-intensity tasks, so training for them is paramount.
Training in a Heart Rate Zone
Heart rate training is associated with the types of energy systems. The ATP-CP system requires short, intense training at 90 – 95% effort, while the glycolic system requires work performed in the 80 – 90% range.
Aerobic Thresholh
Before extensive anaerobic training, you will want to build your aerobic base by training under the aerobic threshold. This would be around 76% of your HR max or RPE on the scale further down.
Heart Rate Zones
The following heart rate zones will be used for this blog. Further on, different methods will be shown to help determine training levels
| Zone 1 | Inactive | 40% – 50% HR max |
| Zone 2 | Health Improvement | 51% – 60% HR max |
| Zone 3 | Fitness | 61% – 75% HR max |
| Zone 4 | Performance | 76% – 85% HR max |
| Zone 5 | High Performance | 86% – 100% HR max |
Heart Rate Monitor
A heart rate monitor is an excellent tool for ensuring you are hitting and staying in a target zone. I have a chest strap heart rate monitor and an Apple Watch. Both work well and are synchronized concerning my beats per minute. Because the Apple Watch is so versatile, I use it all the time.
One nice feature is that it will give me an average heart rate. For my HIIT my goal is for my average heart rate to be around the 85% range (132 bpm). The earlier part of the workout would be below that, but the latter stages are above,
I can see how a particular exercise stimulates the heart rate on weight days. My average will be lower but I will have spikes of higher intensity.
Monitoring my heart rate can also determine my rest times. My HIIT is usually 45 seconds of work with 15 seconds of rest. If I see my heart rate staying elevated, I will take a longer rest so it can come down, and I stay in my target zone.
Taking Your Pulse
You can take your pulse at either the neck or wrist. For the neck, gently touch the hollow on either side of your esophagus. The pulse point on the wrist is on the underside of the wrist. Turn your hand over and touch just under the thumb with two fingers.
For both locations, count the number of beats you feel in six seconds and multiply by ten to get your heart rate. For instance, if I count seven beats in six seconds then my heart rate would be 70 bpm.
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
Without taking your heart rate, you can determine your perceived exertion to stay within your training zones. There are two scales. One is the Borg Scale of RPE, which goes from 6 to 20. The second is the Modified Borg Scale, which goes from 1 to 10. I find the latter easier to use.
Talk Test
Yet another method to determine Your training zones is the talk test. As our heart rate increases, our lungs work harder to get oxygen into our bodies. This means our rate of breathing increases and our ability to talk decreases. An easy jog usually means we can carry on a conversation. As our intensity increases, we get to the point where we have to breathe in between sentences. Then we huff and puff, finding it very hard to talk. At full intensity, we are not even able to talk.
Comparing Methods to Determine Training Zone
| Zone | RPE | Talk Test | Breathing | % HR max |
| 1 | 1 -2 | Full Conversation | Light Breathing | 40 – 50% |
| 2 | 3 | Full Conversation | Light Breathing | 51 -55 % |
| 2 | 4 | Full Conversation | Moderate Breathing | 56 – 60% |
| 3 | 5 | Full Conversation | Heavy Breathing | 61 – 67% |
| 3 | 6 | Only 1-2 sentences between breaths | Heavy Breathing | 68 – 75% |
| 4 | 7 | Broken Sentences | Heavy Breathing | 76 – 80% |
| 4 | 8 | Speaking in syllables | Very Heavy Breathing | 81 – 85% |
| 5 | 9 | Can’t Talk | Very Heavy Breathing | 86 – 92% |
| 5 | 10 | Can’t Talk | Gasping for breath | 92 – 100% |
It should be noted that once you move into zone 5, you are in an anaerobic state and cannot perform any function for long as too much lactate has built up. You have crossed over from utilizing oxygen to form ATP to relying on glucose.
UTILIZING Training Zones
Training zones and the body’s energy systems go hand in hand. Zone 3 will primarily work the aerobic system. Zone 4 and partially into Zone 5 work the anaerobic glycolysis system. The ATP-CP system is trained in Zone 5 at the 90 – 100% HR max intensity.
Proper Planning
Knowing which training zone develops which energy system is important. Just as important is training within your capabilities. Although the anaerobic systems are highly utilized during the “action” phases of policing, the aerobic system needs to be established first.
It is the aerobic system that will rebuild the other two systems as they get depleted.
Likewise, it is important to establish a strength base before embarking on an intensive anaerobic program.
A starting program will concentrate on building both a strength and an aerobic base. The initial training emphasis is to build up your muscular, aerobic, and central nervous systems to prepare your body for more intensive training.
The second stage will be developing your conditioning so you can not only perform your duties but also have a substantial reserve. This reserve will get you through those times when you are physically taxed.
The final stage will be a program that maintains your fitness and conditioning.
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