Recalculating your training zones
 

I was thinking about this the other day, and was curious to know when everyone (who trains with an HRM) recalculates their heart rate training zones. Is it a monthly thing, yearly thing etc... I know it would depend on the method you used to calculate these zones in the first place, but obviously as you get older :( or fitter :D , your RHR and MHR would change, I assume. Any takers? I did search for this before posting, but couldn't find much.

I don't really train in Heart Rate zones but if I am thinking straight, wouldn't you always train at the same % of your heart rate, hopefully you would just be faster at that percentage? therefore your training zones would progress with your fitness.

For instance, I will run today at 6:00/ mile and typically this puts me at 160bpm, or %80-81 of my max heart rate(I'm 22). If in 3 months I have gotten fitter and I still want to train at %80-82 the YMCA better get new treadmills, so I can run around 5:50-5:55.

As you training progresses you will want to up the amount you spend at your anaerobic and lactate thresholds, as to increase fitness but this is more to do with peaking for certain races than progressing in your training.

Maximum heart rate doesn't really change, how you feel close to it does

Hi Triguy, cheers for picking this up. I assumed your MHR would change with age/fitness, therefore so would the BPM you want to train at in terms of % MHR.

Your MHR will change as you train... but very slowly, and only by a few beats. Maybe over years, it will get higher... but basically it naturally goes down and fitness increases it.. so they cancel each other out. More than likely, your MHR is the same every year.....

SO to answer your question... nope.. I keep training at the same BPM, but I keep getting faster.

In general your maximum heart rate will decline at around 1bpm per year. This changes only slightly with increased fitness. Your hearts stroke volume and efficiency are changed much more than your hearts beat rate when you exercise.

Your max HR declines as you age. However, your HR zones are sport specific.
I believe the correct way is to determine your LT heart rate and calculate your
zones base on it. Joe Friel has these tables in his book..