Treadmill Trekking With a Heart Rate Monitor

Posted 14 January 2008

by Dr. Alinda Perrine

Treadmills are the inside “quick fix” answer to the popular form of outside exercise — walking or running. Some treadmills are simple units with no fancy technology, some are programmed for specific workouts using the latest technology, and some are elite machines that include force plates and wattage. Regardless of the treadmill, you can use a heart rate monitor to direct and evaluate your workout.

What do you need to know about heart rate monitors and treadmills before you begin your trek?

The following treadmill workout is designed with heart rate as your guide. Prior to performing the workout, wear your heart rate monitor and complete the activity:

SETTING YOUR ANCHOR POINTS
Setting anchor points for heart rate is the first step in using your heart rate monitor and setting zones. Zones describe your work effort or exertion level according to heart rate. Zones are heart rate ranges. Good training programs incorporate multiple zones. For the following workouts, you will establish three anchor points and three zones.

Step 1:
Warm up by walking or easy jogging for 5-7 minutes. Warm-ups “prime” the pump — your heart. So, start slow and increase your effort gradually. Observe your heart rate monitor; your heart rate will increase according to your effort.

Step 2:
Observe and record your heart rate as you perform the following assessment. The assessment is divided into three stages: easy, moderate, hard. If you are a walker or do not feel comfortable with the hard stage, perform only the easy and moderate stages. Each stage lasts for 3 minutes and you should sustain the heart rate during the 3 minutes. (If you cannot sustain the heart rate at a particular effort, then you have overestimated your “rate of effort” and should back off at least 5 beats per minute.) Identify each stage based on your breathing effort, using a rating scale of 1 to 10. A rating of 8, 9, or 10 is an extreme effort. You do not need to experience 8, 9 or 10. Use the Breathing Effort Chart to assist you in evaluating your effort.

Helpful hint: For most fit people, the moderate effort is the most accurate assessment and anchor point. For “new to fitness” exercisers, use the easy and moderate assessment. For elite athletes, the moderate and hard effort data is more helpful in calculating the appropriate zones.

Step 3:
Set your anchor points and your zones. Your anchor points are the heart rate numbers you sustained for 3 minutes. Remember, if you cannot sustain the heart rate at the designated effort, then you may have overestimated your effort and need to decrease the heart rate by approximately 5 beats per minute.

A zone is a range of 20 beats. For this assessment, subtract 10 beats below the anchor point (sustained heart rate). This is the base of each zone. Add 10 beats above the anchor point (sustained heart rate). This is the ceiling of the zone.

TREADMILL TREKKING WORKOUT
Try this heart rate focused workout useful for progressive steady-state training. Approximate Time: 45 minutes.

Dr. Alinda Perrine is a nationally-recognized fitness authority, author, presenter and master trainer. Since completing her 2001 cross-country bike tour, Alinda has made heart rate training an integral part of her own fitness endeavors as well as her work as a professional coach and personal trainer. She has completed numerous marathons and endurance cycling races, and shares her expertise in coaching others with her ZoneX™ method of sensible heart rate training. In 2005, she coached a Mt. Kiliminjaro Climbing Team using heart rate training to prepare for the high-altitude climb. She co-authored the Timex Heart Rate Monitor Book and has trained other personal trainers at more than 400 fitness facilities and resorts nationwide. She and husband Bobby operate Free Spirit Adventures, a cycling shop and bike tour business based in Greenbriar County, West Virginia.

Click here to check out the NuMetrex line of heart rate monitoring fitness apparel.

© 2007 ZoneX™ Sensible Heart Rate Training

Comments

  1. I’m intrigued by the idea of using heart rate training to prepare for a high-altitude climb (am headed to Kilimanjaro in the fall) and would like more specific information. Has Dr. Perrine written anything that outlines her program? Are there other resources that incorporate HR training for high altitude endeavors? Thanks.

    Ruth Gustafson ~ May 23, 11:14 AM

  2. You can also walk for extended periods at a treadmill desk like the TrekDesk at www.trekdesk.com and burn more calories while you work.

    Josh ~ May 30, 05:31 PM

  3. An excellent comprehensive resource on training including high altitude training is Lore of Running by Tim Noakes,MD, Human Kinetics (publisher), 2003. Noakes reviews training methodology by a number of experts. His book does not include workouts, but helps in the preparation of planning your complete training plan.

    Currently, I am writing a book on distance, speed, altitude, and heart rate. My emphasis is the practical application of using feedback to plan, implement, and assess training. Here are a few helpful hints for training for altitude:

    1. Zones change at high altitude because maximum heart rate changes. It appears that for every 1,000 feet in elevation change, maximum heart rate decreases by approximately 1 beat per minute. At altitudes over 10,000 feet, maximum heart rate may decrease greater than 1 beat per minute per 1,000 feet elevation change. Thus, your working zones will change. As you climb, you need to lower the actual numbers in the zones.

    2. Develop a big endurance base before high altitude training and events. High altitude training places big demand on the body. The fitter you are prior to high altitude training, the better your climb. However, every person responds differently to altitude due to respiratory demand, coronary capacity, and/or concentration of circulating red blood cells. A good endurance base lays the foundation for greater physiological demands that automatically come with altitude training.

    3. Train high. During your training program, include training at higher altitudes. Plan a few days at elevations higher than where you live. Many athletes report that 2,000 or more feet in increased elevation affect their performance. Of course, a change from 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet has a greater effect than sea level to 2,000 feet. When training at increased elevations, increase time before increasing intensity.

    4. Acclimate and hydrate. Arrive a few days early for the climb to acclimate to the new environment. Your body needs plenty of rest and hydration prior to, during, and after the climb. Don’t rush, drink before you need water, and watch your heart rate. Heart rate will elevate. This is an indication of increased total stress on the body. Hydrating and resting will usually help monitor heart rate.

    One of my favorite coaching experiences includes coaching a group of people to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The group lived at less than 1,000 feet elevation. The 7 month training plan included heart rate training using flights of steps because they had little opportunity for mountain hiking. Using a zone system was essential in determining when to add more intensity, time, and weight in the backpack. The group hiked extremely well. Two people were affected by altitude sickness and did not summit. The majority reached the peak according to the plan. They placed one foot slowly in front of the next, conscious of heart rate and breathing.

    Coach Alinda, ZoneX™ ~ Jun 3, 01:05 PM
 
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