Heart Rate Question -- AN Zone

[gliderguy]

I got a heart rate monitor for Christmas and have jumped into the Interactive 2k plan from the UK site. I like the monitor and enjoy having another number to study while rowing.

I'm finding that I have a hard time getting into the AN Zone during the AN workouts. I know the pace associated with the heart rate is just an estimate and that we all vary. Nonetheless, it seems I have to row at very near max to get into the AN Zone.

Today was 8X45s. I wasn't sure how long to rest so I picked 1 min. That may have been too much. I rowed a little above my 500 pb pace and never made it to AN.

Was I resting too long? Should I just add intervals until I reach AN?

I did a little better a couple of weeks ago. That was 10X1 and I made it to AN (barely) in the last two.

Other than that, I did get to AN during a recent 30' pb.

Any thoughts? Don't get me wrong, I'm huffung and puffing in these sets, just not getting the HR to target.

[Tinpusher]

My HR rarely makes it into the AN zone on 45s intervals, even pulling low 1:30s with 45s rest, until maybe the 7th or 8th. A long TR session of 3 or 4 minute intervals works much better at that. I thought my max HR was unusually low a while back as I couldn't get above 165. Its been up to 168 recently but not in a short AN session.
In my last 2K test I maxed out at 168 and my theoretical max is 180. I wouldn't worry about it. I don't.

Dave

[almostflipped]

The intervals used in AN workouts are generally not long enough to get the HR up. Focus on pace instead. Regarding rest, I would use a 1:1 to 1:2 work to rest ratio for the given intensities.

As for the actual HR not matching theoretical, I would be shocked if it did. Most theoretical HR formulas produce what the average hr for someone of your sex and age would be. The actual one can easily be 15 beats off. From personal experience I had a predicted HR of 199 in college but actually topped out around 211, so you can fall on either side of the average and its still normal.

[tbartman]

I agree that it is hard to get the HR into that zone with a short burst. For AN generally I just go flat out for the 45-60 seconds, which for me is about 1:35.

When I was at Craftsbury, VT this summer, I was told by a physiologist that your workout was in the target zone if you are at that HR at the end of the workout (i.e., for 10' at AT, you don't need to have the HR in the AT zone the full 10'; if at the end of the 10' you are in the AT zone, then you did it right).

What I've assumed is that as long as my HR gets into the AN zone by the end of the whole workout (during that 8th interval), then I did fine.

[johnac]

An excellent explantion of Max HR is on the C2 UK Training wesite at: http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/guide.p ... ical_tools.
I found it really worthwhile doing this test as the formula 220 minus 59 (my age) gives me a max of 161 but I'm tall (2m) and heavy 114kg and so the formula is a bit wide of the mark for me.9Big guys tend to have low h.rates (my resting is 44bpm). Doing the test my max is 148 (and dropping naturally with age) and in 5 years of serious training I've never been above that number.
Jack
Sydney Australia

[gliderguy]

Thanks to all for the input. It sounds like my results are more or less normal and that I'm doing the AN workouts more or less correctly.

I have considered doing the test for max HR. I guess I'll break down and do it if I continue to "worry" about the HR target.

Since I already have a thread going here...

During the higher intensity workouts I find myself slapping myself in the stomach with the handle . It happens whether I row strapped or not. It also happens to a lesser degree at lower intensities.

I suspect this is indicative of a flaw in my form... but what? anyone seen this in a newbie before?

[philrow]

Not to hijack, but here's a heart-rate question: how the hell did I hit 216bpm today on 30'r20 at 1' left after 2' of 100% pressure? My resting heart rate is usually 58 +/- 2, giving me a heart rate reserve of 158? I don't know the significance of that.

Doug,

Back last spring when I was terribly out of shape and new to rowing, I would really kill myself every workout to try to make progress. Despite only being on a erg maybe 2 days a week, I would consistently have many bruises basically forming one mega-bruise on my sternum due to really pulling in hard with the handle. Yea, I thought it was really hardcore, and so did the guys in the locker room. With time it went away, as technique got better. Perhaps you're just using too much arms and pulling in to much?

Phil

[Big Fish333]

I have been rowing for about a year and a half and have only bruised my self on two occations. Both times were a result of going full pressure on a sprint interval piece. I learned that the flaw in my form was related to me pulling into my chest and using it as a tool to stop the handle instead of focusing on just tapping the chest. Getting your arms away from the body a little faster at the finish might help.

Furthermore, bruising yourself could also mean that you are relying on your arms for power in your stroke , snapping the into your chest to shave off those few seconds off your split, instead of using your legs.

[iain]

I too hit my chest sometimes art higher intensity. I have read about the handle moving around an oval at the finish which should stop this. Does anyone have anything more specific on this?

Thanks

Iain

[gliderguy]

Bruising ???

If I hit myself that hard, I'd stop !

For me, it's more a matter of making contact.

I do try to get my hands away quickly. The higher the intensity the more my form falls apart. There's probably a lot of that going around

[almostflipped]

Yeah, bruising isn't uncommon either for very high intensity pieces. It isn't appropriate and does happen much less with better technique. However I've seen some spectacular rowers still walk away with a mark on their chest because they were concentrating more on pulling hard than rowing perfect during AN workouts (most had no idea they were even hitting themselves). The advice above is spot on. Focus on the legs and an oval at the finish.

Phil: As for your HR question, how hot was it? Were you well hydrated? Were you recovering from illness or potentially heading towards illness? Were you sleeping enough? Were you eating enough? Was there possible interference with the monitor? Was the monitor still fitting appropriately or slipping due to sweat? Starting to see the complications of HR training?

HR training is valuable, but it is not an exact science. You need to know how your body reacts to different variables that can influence the HR in any given workout. Also, a max HR should really be determined several times before you decide to use it for training. Again, with all the variables it is possible that the max HR you achieve in any given test is skewed. Try to average out the max HR from 3 different tests before determining a specific number. As for your specific case, it may be a fluke, it may be your real HR (what was it looking like prior to that and exactly what was the pressure you were at earlier), or it could be an arrhythmia (mine was discovered by unexplainable fluctuations during SS). If it has never happened before and doesn't happen again, it probably is nothing to worry about. If you have more odd fluctuations it may behoove you to get checked out to be safe (for what it's worth, 218 is the highest HR I've seen in a healthy college aged athlete achieve so a 216 could be normal).