ASK THE WH FIT SQUAD

Our resident sports scientist explains the benefits of heart-rate tracking

Want to run further, lift heavier or nail your first pull-up? Each month, we put your questions to our team of the finest fitness brains to give you the tools you need to make good on your goals. Here, Amanda Ngonyama reveals how heart-rate monitoring can help you level up your training Q How can I use my fitness tracker to get better results?

Whether you use one for pacing and pushing yourself on runs, tracking calorie burn or just getting your steps up, fitness trackers are worth their weight in kettlebells. But when it comes to hacking your workouts, one of the most useful metrics is also one of the most basic: your heart rate. As technology evolves, fit-tech brands are increasingly incorporating wrist-based pulse monitoring in their devices – so it’s pretty likely your tracker has Hr-tracking functionality, too.

While you don’t need numbers on your wrist to tell you you’re working hard, being able to understand that data means you’ll know what effect your workout is having on your body in real time. The best way to measure that is using the different heart-rate zones. They’re totally unique to you, because they’re calculated as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. While your tracker may do the maths for you, the generally accepted way of working it out is to subtract your age from 220. A well-rounded training plan should include workouts in all five zones. Generally, it’s beneficial to limit time spent in the upper reaches to short bursts during workouts two or three times a week, depending on your fitness level. Using a tracker to monitor active recovery sessions on rest days – say a 30-minute easy walk – is useful, too, to make sure you’re not overexerting yourself. You’re not going to reach your goals without adequate time to recover. Here’s how you can use heart-rate zone training to train smarter.

Zone 1: Very light 50-60%

Think of this as your recovery zone. Very light exercise in this range is a great way to increase blood flow to muscles on rest days.

Zone 2: Light 60-70%

If you’re a runner, this is your

‘easy’ pace. Light exercise in this zone is good for building general endurance and boosting the body’s ability to oxidise (burn) fat.

Zone 3: Moderate 70-80%

This is your aerobic zone, in which your body uses oxygen to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – an energy-carrying molecule within cells. This is where you’ll be during steady runs and strength workouts. It’s great for building muscular and cardiovascular endurance.

Zone 4: Hard 80-90%

The anaerobic zone, where you’re working so hard your body can’t deliver oxygen to your muscles fast enough, so it uses glucose stores to create energy instead. Lactic acid is produced as a by-product, meaning you won’t be able to sustain this for long (one to three minutes in the upper reaches of this zone). Training in zone four will increase your lactate threshold and anaerobic capacity, so you can go faster or lift heavier for longer.

Zone 5: Maximum 90-100%

Your cardiorespiratory system is working at its full capacity. You’re working anaerobically, so you’ll likely still have lactic acid to contend with. At the upper reaches of your effort levels, your body will start using a chemical called phosphocreatine for energy. This produces limited energy and is even harder to sustain – we’re talking seconds here. This is an all-out sprint, or your toughest

HIIT interval. When you’re in this zone, you’ll know about it.

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