The Importance of Base Building: Heart Rate Training

Heart rate training has gone through its ups and downs throughout the years. To some it is considered a fad, much like fads such as low carb diets. To others it is considered the most effective training method still. In my reviews of literature, I fall somewhere in between, however sway more toward the side of heart rate training being one of the most effective means by which to train (with important considerations...so make sure you read the entire article).

The majority of people that monitor their heart rates during workouts really don't have much of a clue about why they are doing this or what their goal is in doing it. The goal of heart rate training should be to build a base fitness level that is enough to take you through your goal event feeling strong. To adequately build this base, science generally says it will take 4-6 months of heart rate training to build a base, depending on the distance/amount of time the event will take.

The ideal heart rate to train at is debated a bit, however most equations result in numbers that are similar. The equation for determining your ideal training heart rate I like best (because of the research behind it) is that developed by Dr. Phil Maffetone. His equation is 180 minus your age. If you have had injuries caused by training (knee pain, ITB syndrome, etc), or have been sick in the last 3 months you should subtract 5. If you have been training consistently for at least 6 months without any sickness or injuries, you can add 5. If you have a chronic health problem, such as heart disease or diabetes, subtract 10.

As an example of calculating an ideal base building heart rate, we will use a 32 year old that has only been consistently training for 2 months thus far, so we will not add or subtract anything. Their ideal heart rate would be 148.

In setting a plan for base building, you first must consider your race distance. If your goal is an Ironman 70.3, most evidence says you will need at least 4 months of base building at your ideal heart rate. If it is a full Ironman (140.6), at least 6 months of base building is necessary.

While base building, all of your training is done at your ideal heart rate. Speed work, intervals, progressions, and such are thrown away. For most triathletes, this concept is VERY hard to do because we have it engrained in us that we will lose speed if we don't do speed work. I ensure you, this is not true at all, and in fact the research, both anecdotal and empirical says you will gain speed. The goal of base building is to increase aerobic speed (the speed you can go at heart rate). Building aerobic speed is relatively easy with heart rate training. After 3-4 weeks of base building you will find that you are able to run faster at the same heart rate. Throughout the rest of base building, you will continue to improve.

Now, let me share my personal experience with training in this manner. When I first began, I had been training 4 months consecutively without injuries. I was doing a lot of speed work and going anaerobic in nearly every workout. My body constantly felt like it was recovering. Initially, I could run a 7:50 pace at a heart rate of 148. While training at heart rate, I felt MUCH better. My body nearly always felt fresh, long runs didn't kill me, back to back runs were now possible, and I got sick less often. After 3 months I was able to run a 7:25 pace at a heart rate of 148. Then I hit race season (without having done any speed work at all). Here are the results in the run:

Race 1 (sprint tri) - 6:14 pace (compared to 6:55 the prior year)
Race 2 (sprint tri)- 6:13 pace after averaging 25.0 mph on bike (didn't do this race the prior year)
Race 3 (olympic tri) - 6:37 pace after averaging 24.1 mph on bike (compared to 6:53 the prior year)
Race 4 (olympic plus tri) - 6:23 pace after a bike route that had 1500 ft of climbing (7:03 prior year)

Following every race I would look at my watch and wonder where these times were coming from. They also had me standing on the podium after each race.

Regarding my improvements, they fall exactly in line with what the research says you can expect. After your base building period, I usually recommend adding speed work 1-2 days per week. In my case in the year referenced above, I didn't get to add speed work because I began my base building so late. I used my races as my speed work.

Heart rate training is effective, reduces injuries, and reduces general stress on the body. It remains one of the most effective means of training for endurance athletes.