Welcome to the May, 2003 edition of The Heart Zones e-Newsletter
copyright: Heart Zones, your source of heart rate training information

1. Measuring your Pain Threshold
2. Stay Alert - Stay Alive
3. Are you Heart Smart?Are you Heart Smart?
4. Heart Rate and Children
   also...
   
5. Workout Challenge: Water-rate
6. Sports Instruments' Fit One Heart Rate Monitor Review
7. WEB Special of the Month
8. Heart Zones International Fitness Training Conference 2003 Seattle, Washington

For many, there is a sense of urgency during this time of the year of loading on the training miles in preparation for the upcoming season of athletic events. Jumping into a different program of training can make you susceptible to injury. But beware of loading too much to soon. A good way to measure soreness and injury is by paying attention to your pain threshold. Using the emotional training chart to set your limits is an easy way to assess whether you should cut back your mileage or intensity. Cross training is an excellent way to stay active while relieving the muscle groups and joints that need a rest. Taking time off, while difficult for some - is usually the best approach. Whatever the activity - always reintroduce yourself into a gentle regimen that eventually progresses to regular, steady activity. For running - walk. With cycling - spin. For swimming - spend time on drills. All of us at Heart Zones use the emotional training system for various issues; from helping to identify our moods, assessing our response to a situation, or measuring our pain threshold. Take a look at Heart Zones Emotional Training System and share with us how you implement the use of 5 zones into your emotional, spiritual or physical life. http://www.heartzones.com

(Editor's Note: I am writing from the Mayan Riveria in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, where I am training in the 1.3 million acre biosphere called Sian Kaan, 19 degrees above the equator. I've been using the emotional training system for evaluating my training performance against the heat of the day. At 6:30 in the morning Zone 3 is doable, by 9:00 a.m. the same workload effort easily brings me up to Zone 5 emotionally and physically.)

Communication with training partners, particularly in cycling, is key to keeping yourself safe - from yourself and the from the larger environment. Fitness breeds new acquaintances and new training experiences. In cycling, new training routes with different riders can place you and other riders at risk if you don't first communicate the basics.

The basics: Find out the language of the group. In cycling for example, does the training group typically "call out" or use hand signals to identify road hazards or their positioning? Talk about the route and the expectations of the ride - are you riding with hammer heads or is there an actual training plan that most are riding by? If you get dropped - will they "group up" at a certain point? In some instances, if you flat or break down you may be on your own; prepare by making sure you have phone change or a cell phone. Inquire about any particular areas along the route that extra caution is warranted (gravel, no shoulder, blind spots for drivers etc).

Be humble with your abilities to ride in a pace line. This is critical, many accidents are caused by inexperienced riders joining in on a pace line that is too fast for their ability. On training runs/rides make sure you understand the terrain, distance and pace. Particularly if you are unfamiliar with the route, insure that you have enough water or access to more water in case you haven't planned correctly. On trail runs/rides - is the trail marked and do you understand the route in case you fall behind? You don't have to submit or request a health questionnaire from your teammates - but it is helpful to know things like: Allergies to bee stings, bad knees and weak ankles, asthma or susceptibility to bonking - all are easy and important pieces of information to keep note of.

Ask what you are in for so that you can make decisions about equipment and clothing needs. Know the water hazards and typical conditions when ocean and lake swimming. ALWAYS insure that you are not swimming near boat traffic. Finally - if you are on your own - whether you are training at home or someplace new - let someone know or simply write a note and leave it on the kitchen table that notes being out with an approximate time of return. Fitness is fun, healthy and it also needs to be safe. Happy trails and tri everything with your heart!

Do you get enough daily physical activity? Every adult should make a habit of getting at minimum 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily. What defines "moderate"? This depends on your fitness level. For someone who is just getting off the couch or perhaps coming back from an injury, Zone 1 and Zone 2 work is going to be moderate for them. Once a base of sustained physical activity is achieved then its time to explore Zone 3 and when appropriate peek into the other zones. How much? How soon? How long? The "cliff" notes version of this answer - it depends on your goal.

Check out the Heart Zones Training Tree, a way of periodizing your training program, to see where you fall - base, endurance, strength, speed, peak - and calculate the time you have available for physical activity against a time you wish to make another assessment about achieving your goal. The training tree is a valuable tool, it illustrates the fact that just training in one zone is not going to give you the benefits of speed, power, and strength. And more importantly, if fat loss is a goal, training only in one zone is not going to enlarge your fat burning range! Learn more about the health and physical benefits of training in multiple zones, enlarging your fat burning range, and how simple it is to write your own training plan from one source: Read the White Paper at http://www.heartzones.com

The question: Is it appropriate to use the 5 Heart Zones with children as one does with adults?
The answer: Whether adult or child, ensure that whomever you are working with has no medical problems. You can use the same protocol to determine heart zones and training systems for children as you would for adults (described in Sally Edwards' book, The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook).

Never use formulas to estimate maximum heart rate for anyone, especially kids. Kids maximum heart rates are all over the charts - from 185 to 240 beats per minute. This means you may need to extend the Heart Zones Maximum Heart Rate chart above 220 bpm. There are some exciting descriptive ways to teach children about the 5 zones and what is happening in their bodies while spending time in each zone. Be creative with using analogies and telling stories. Remember that as adults, you are in the most powerful position when it comes to encouraging children to be active. Simply by increasing their activity, and finding out what activities they enjoy, you can jump start them to a lifestyle that will stick with them forever. And the fitness example you set can help cement a love of fitness in children. A great resource for implementing heart rate training in the zones with children is a copy of either of Heart Zones Education books: Middle School Healthy Hearts in the Zone and High School Healthy Hearts in the Zone. Contact: http://www.heartzones.com

This workout started out as a swim ladder interval, but because of the combination of shallow and deep pockets of water, the plan changed to this exciting combination of plyometric power drills with jumps and bursts of speed and power. Try it out on your next ocean or lake outing and definitely in the pool. Alternate these exercises with 5 minutes of steady state swimming.

Warm up: 0-10 minutes @ 65% of your Max HR - remember to allow your body to adapt to the temperature of the water.
Work Drills: RUNNING: Elevate heart rate to the ceiling of Zone 2 by running forward and backward either by 2-4 pool lengths or timing yourself for 1 - 2 minutes one direction. Pay attention to form - don't lean too far forward or back and be careful to not fully extend the toes so as not to overstress your calves. Most athletes are quad dominant and hamstring/glut weak so running backwards is a good opportunity to work your gluts and hamstrings. Rest for 20 seconds and repeat running forward and backward - increase heart rate by 8-10 beats.
GRAPEVINE: Heart rate target is between 10 beats of the ceiling of Zone 2 to 10 beats above. Moving sideways to your right, cross the left leg in front of the right, bring the right leg out, then cross the left leg behind the right. Continue to alternate for 1 minute. Return moving toward your left, crossing right leg in front, then behind. Lateral movement develops balance and joint stability, moving muscles differently from the typical forward and back motions of running, cycling or swimming.
FROG TUCKS: Heart rate target is mid-point of Zone 3. In a crunched position in waist to chest deep water, start with your feet apart and knees bent. Jump straight up, pulling your knees toward your shoulders. Press down with your palms against the water between your knees as your legs come up. Keep your torso upright so you land evenly on your feet and heels.
BASKETBALL DUNKS: Heart rate target is mid-point of Zone 3. With your feet together, hop like you're on a pogo stick. Bring your arms up over your head and jump high, like you are going to dunk a basketball.
COOLDOWN: On your back floating gently bring your heart rate down with easy breathing until your body feels motionless.

This workout was created in Ascension Bay on the Mayan Riviera by Jessica Menendez, Enewsletter Editor.

This little monitor is packed with features that most other monitors make you pay for. The Fit One is a great value monitor with more than just the standard watch features and continuous heart rate read. It features three pre-set zones for choosing the intensity parameters you wish to train in. (Health Zone 50-70 % of maximum heart rate, Fitness Zone 70 - 80% of MHR and the Performance Zone 80-100% of MHR). The Fit One also has a calorie expenditure calculation and audible alarms to let you know that you are not within the training zone you wish to be in. One of the best features of this monitor is that it is simple to set and navigate through its features. You can view your heart rate in either the time display, caloric expenditure display or in heart rate display mode. You can also see your heart rate represented as a percentage of your heart rate. The numbers are easy to read but this watch does not have a nightlight. Batteries can be changed without sending the watch or transmitter away. The Sports Instruments' Fit One is our pick of the month heart rate monitor because it's a lot of bang for your buck. Visit our site at http://www.heartzones.com for a special price.

Each month the Heart Zones USA website offers a "special" for you to take advantage of and as a reason to come visit us. This month's special is this sweet small sized monitor by Sports Instruments, the Fit 1. With 11 functions packed into one watch, you can't go wrong, and with $10 off for the next 30 days, it's a great value and high tech all in one. Retail price is $59 but this month you can snag one for $49 and enjoy the best value imaginable.

Join Zoner and the entire Heart Zones faculty for your start or advancement in fitness and health activities. The annual conference is held in Seattle, Washington and provides you with the latest information on how to get fitter, how to get faster, and how to perform at your best. One of the featured keynoters is Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., the education director of American Council on Exercise. Join us for a weekend of fitness training, education, social events, and workouts that put you in touch with your most important muscle - your heart.

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If you would like to contribute to the newsletter content, or have ideas, questions, or concerns for us to address, please contact the editor by email at: jessica.menendez@heartzone.com

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The Heart Zones e-Newsletter is a Heart Zones publication
Publisher: Sally Edwards
Editor in Chief: Jessica Menendez

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