Finding Your Threshold Heart Rate

We've already highlighted the difficulties of trying to establish your maximal heart rate. Now you’ve mastered that, here’s another problem: once you’ve found your true maximum, how do you know exactly what heart rates you should be training at? We often see round figures quoted in general guides, ranging from 70-90 per cent of MHR. Unfortunately, the reason they’re so vague is that – as we’ve found out – we’re all different.

Performing A Conconi Test

• Ideally, you need a heart rate monitor that will record and store heart rate information for assessment afterwards. Alternatively, take along a partner who can write down your measurements as you give them
• Perform the test on either a running track or a treadmill
• Warm up thoroughly, as you would for a race or track session
• Your starting pace should be about 70 seconds for 200m (or 10km/h on a treadmill)
• Once started, you need to increase your pace each and every 200m
• At each 200m point, press the store button on your HRM (or tell your partner your rate)
• Speed increase should be about 2-3 seconds per 200m (or 0.5km/h on a treadmill)
• Keep going until you can’t increase your pace
• Jog gently afterwards to cool down gradually
• Plot your heart rate on a graph, against speed
• Find the deflection point
• This is an intense test – only perform it if you’re in good physical health

in runnerworld.com