Establishing work load for training

Mats Edenfeldt · February 18th, 2007, 12:10 AM

First of all we need to establish some kind of speed ladder. The easiest way to measure how you train and to keep the right load is to go by pulse. A good scale to go by is the BORG-scale. If this is to be used the swimmer needs to be aware of the plus rate of which he/she is operating under. Max and minimum and no load pulse. This takes some effort from the user to measure but is highly usable when combined with this scale to be able to accurately predict load and to get the body and the muscles to work in the right span.

How to Use the Perceived Exertion Scale
While doing physical activity, we want you to rate your perception of exertion. This feeling should reflect how heavy and strenuous the exercise feels to you, combining all sensations and feelings of physical stress, effort, and fatigue. Do not concern yourself with any one factor such as leg pain or shortness of breath, but try to focus on your total feeling of exertion.
Look at the rating scale below while you are engaging in an activity; it ranges from 6 to 20, where 6 means "no exertion at all" and 20 means "maximal exertion." Choose the number from below that best describes your level of exertion. This will give you a good idea of the intensity level of your activity, and you can use this information to speed up or slow down your movements to reach your desired range.
Try to appraise your feeling of exertion as honestly as possible, without thinking about what the actual physical load is. Your own feeling of effort and exertion is important, not how it compares to other people's. Look at the scales and the expressions and then give a number.

6 No exertion at all
7 Extremely light
8
9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace)
10
11 Light
12
13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue)
14
15 Hard (heavy)
16
17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued)
18
19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace)
20 Maximal exertion

To compare this to pulse rates and % of maximum pulse:

Estimated -------------- of Max pulse
< 9 -------------------- < 35%
10-11 ----------------- 35-59%
12-13 ----------------- 60-79%
14-16 ----------------- 80-89%
> 16 ------------------ > 90%

For a person with a maximum pulse of 200 this scale somewhat compares to the pulse rate.
11 on the scale is about 110 beats per minute. In general a pulse of 155 is about 75-80% for a person at the age of 25-30. The 80% load pulse decreases with age. Pulse is highly individual and hard to apply on a bigger crowd but lets say you are a none athlete and wants to start training the maximum pulse is around 200-210, for medium athletes the max is about 190, and for highly active athletes the max can vary between 165-185. But I have trained with people that have a max around 200 even though they are the best in the world so its very individual.

DanPartelly · February 18th, 2007, 09:35 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Mats Edenfeldt)

, for medium athletes the max is about 190, and for highly active athletes the max can vary between 165-185. But I have trained with people that have a max around 200 even though they are the best in the world so its very individual.

Generally, is easy to calculate your target hearth rate by Karvonen formula:

RHR = resting hearth rate

age predicted hearth rate = 220 - age (APMHR)
hearth rate reserve = APMHR - RHR (HRR)
Target hearth rate = (HRR x intentisty)+RHR

DIR princess · February 18th, 2007, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Pulse is highly individual and hard to apply on a bigger crowd but lets say you are a none athlete and wants to start training the maximum pulse is around 200-210, for medium athletes the max is about 190, and for highly active athletes the max can vary between 165-185. But I have trained with people that have a max around 200 even though they are the best in the world so its very individual.

Hmmm...I thought your maximum pulse actually increases a little bit as you get in better shape because you can "handle" to push your self harder...and that it decreases with age...and that you cannot reach the same maximum pulse while swimming as you can in running or cycling???

I did a maximum pulse test last week...just want to make sure I understood it right

TIA

Dawn · February 19th, 2007, 12:07 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by DIR princess)

Hmmm...I thought your maximum pulse actually increases a little bit as you get in better shape because you can "handle" to push your self harder...and that it decreases with age...and that you cannot reach the same maximum pulse while swimming as you can in running or cycling???

I did a maximum pulse test last week...just want to make sure I understood it right

TIA

Hi Dijana,

You are right on two out of three

If you look at Dan's post, the Karvonen Formula takes age into account:

APMHR (age predicted max heart rate): 220 - age (or 226 for women because their hearts are smaller and beat more times per minute)...so as sedentary individuals get older, that value will decrease.

HOWEVER, this is just a mathematical formula to estimate and does not apply to active individuals. IF you maintain a good level of conditioning your MHR will not decrease due to age.

Your MHR is a set number if you are fit. It does not increase with fitness, and is not a predictor of fitness. Your resting heart rate changes and drops when you get fitter. Your anaerobic threshold heart rate changes and increases when you get fitter, but not your MHR.

For swimming, the MHR is 204-age, taking into account that swimming is a non-weight bearing activity, it uses primarily "smaller" upper body muscles which place less of a cardiac demand, the body is in a horizontol position, and the water itself has a cooling effect.

I hope this helps!
Dawn

DIR princess · February 19th, 2007, 12:58 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Dawn)

Hi Dijana,

You are right on two out of three

If you look at Dan's post, the Karvonen Formula takes age into account:

APMHR (age predicted max heart rate): 220 - age (or 226 for women because their hearts are smaller and beat more times per minute)...so as sedentary individuals get older, that value will decrease.

HOWEVER, this is just a mathematical formula to estimate and does not apply to active individuals. IF you maintain a good level of conditioning your MHR will not decrease due to age.

Your MHR is a set number if you are fit. It does not increase with fitness, and is not a predictor of fitness. Your resting heart rate changes and drops when you get fitter. Your anaerobic threshold heart rate changes and increases when you get fitter, but not your MHR.

For swimming, the MHR is 204-age, taking into account that swimming is a non-weight bearing activity, it uses primarily "smaller" upper body muscles which place less of a cardiac demand, the body is in a horizontol position, and the water itself has a cooling effect.

I hope this helps!
Dawn

Yea, that's what I thought!!! Thanks, Dawn!

(One of the instructors kind of confused me when he said that MHR can increase, but I suspect that he only meant by a beat or two...mearly because one gets better at pushing one self to the maximum when one is fit, while unfit people "give up" before they get as high up as their "real" MHR)

Dawn · February 19th, 2007, 04:33 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by DIR princess)

Yea, that's what I thought!!! Thanks, Dawn!

(One of the instructors kind of confused me when he said that MHR can increase, but I suspect that he only meant by a beat or two...mearly because one gets better at pushing one self to the maximum when one is fit, while unfit people "give up" before they get as high up as their "real" MHR)

You're welcome Dijana!

Just fyi - I wrote:

"For swimming, the MHR is 204-age..."

It is 204, but 204-age for the age predicted max (APMHR), as there is a difference as mentioned before.

Sorry for any confusion!

Best,
Dawn

February 18th, 2007, 12:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
Mats Edenfeldt(Offline) Cave is fun :) Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sweden - Stockholm Posts: 157	Establishing work load for training First of all we need to establish some kind of speed ladder. The easiest way to measure how you train and to keep the right load is to go by pulse. A good scale to go by is the BORG-scale. If this is to be used the swimmer needs to be aware of the plus rate of which he/she is operating under. Max and minimum and no load pulse. This takes some effort from the user to measure but is highly usable when combined with this scale to be able to accurately predict load and to get the body and the muscles to work in the right span. How to Use the Perceived Exertion Scale While doing physical activity, we want you to rate your perception of exertion. This feeling should reflect how heavy and strenuous the exercise feels to you, combining all sensations and feelings of physical stress, effort, and fatigue. Do not concern yourself with any one factor such as leg pain or shortness of breath, but try to focus on your total feeling of exertion. Look at the rating scale below while you are engaging in an activity; it ranges from 6 to 20, where 6 means "no exertion at all" and 20 means "maximal exertion." Choose the number from below that best describes your level of exertion. This will give you a good idea of the intensity level of your activity, and you can use this information to speed up or slow down your movements to reach your desired range. Try to appraise your feeling of exertion as honestly as possible, without thinking about what the actual physical load is. Your own feeling of effort and exertion is important, not how it compares to other people's. Look at the scales and the expressions and then give a number. 6 No exertion at all 7 Extremely light 8 9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace) 10 11 Light 12 13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue) 14 15 Hard (heavy) 16 17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued) 18 19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace) 20 Maximal exertion To compare this to pulse rates and % of maximum pulse: Estimated -------------- of Max pulse < 9 -------------------- < 35% 10-11 ----------------- 35-59% 12-13 ----------------- 60-79% 14-16 ----------------- 80-89% > 16 ------------------ > 90% For a person with a maximum pulse of 200 this scale somewhat compares to the pulse rate. 11 on the scale is about 110 beats per minute. In general a pulse of 155 is about 75-80% for a person at the age of 25-30. The 80% load pulse decreases with age. Pulse is highly individual and hard to apply on a bigger crowd but lets say you are a none athlete and wants to start training the maximum pulse is around 200-210, for medium athletes the max is about 190, and for highly active athletes the max can vary between 165-185. But I have trained with people that have a max around 200 even though they are the best in the world so its very individual. __________________ GUE: DIR-Fundamentals, Cave 1, Cave 2 NAUI: Trimix 1, Technical diver, Instructor, DM, Wreck penetration, Oxygen service technician IANTD: Advanced Nitrox, Nitrox Various: Apeks tech, Poseidon tech "Doing it right really means to do it properly. No skimping and no compromises. It sounds easy enough but it is not - it requires balls of steel" Peter Steinhoff

February 18th, 2007, 09:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
DanPartelly(Offline) New Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Romania Posts: 147	Quote: (Originally Posted by Mats Edenfeldt) , for medium athletes the max is about 190, and for highly active athletes the max can vary between 165-185. But I have trained with people that have a max around 200 even though they are the best in the world so its very individual. Generally, is easy to calculate your target hearth rate by Karvonen formula: RHR = resting hearth rate age predicted hearth rate = 220 - age (APMHR) hearth rate reserve = APMHR - RHR (HRR) Target hearth rate = (HRR x intentisty)+RHR __________________ “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” Marcus Aurelius Ad 121 - 180

February 18th, 2007, 11:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
DIR princess(Offline) New Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 15	Quote: Pulse is highly individual and hard to apply on a bigger crowd but lets say you are a none athlete and wants to start training the maximum pulse is around 200-210, for medium athletes the max is about 190, and for highly active athletes the max can vary between 165-185. But I have trained with people that have a max around 200 even though they are the best in the world so its very individual. Hmmm...I thought your maximum pulse actually increases a little bit as you get in better shape because you can "handle" to push your self harder...and that it decreases with age...and that you cannot reach the same maximum pulse while swimming as you can in running or cycling??? I did a maximum pulse test last week...just want to make sure I understood it right TIA __________________ D.

February 19th, 2007, 12:58 AM	#5 (permalink)
DIR princess(Offline) New Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 15	Quote: (Originally Posted by Dawn) Hi Dijana, You are right on two out of three If you look at Dan's post, the Karvonen Formula takes age into account: APMHR (age predicted max heart rate): 220 - age (or 226 for women because their hearts are smaller and beat more times per minute)...so as sedentary individuals get older, that value will decrease. HOWEVER, this is just a mathematical formula to estimate and does not apply to active individuals. IF you maintain a good level of conditioning your MHR will not decrease due to age. Your MHR is a set number if you are fit. It does not increase with fitness, and is not a predictor of fitness. Your resting heart rate changes and drops when you get fitter. Your anaerobic threshold heart rate changes and increases when you get fitter, but not your MHR. For swimming, the MHR is 204-age, taking into account that swimming is a non-weight bearing activity, it uses primarily "smaller" upper body muscles which place less of a cardiac demand, the body is in a horizontol position, and the water itself has a cooling effect. I hope this helps! Dawn Yea, that's what I thought!!! Thanks, Dawn! (One of the instructors kind of confused me when he said that MHR can increase, but I suspect that he only meant by a beat or two...mearly because one gets better at pushing one self to the maximum when one is fit, while unfit people "give up" before they get as high up as their "real" MHR) __________________ D.

February 19th, 2007, 12:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
Dawn(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 153	Quote: (Originally Posted by DIR princess) Hmmm...I thought your maximum pulse actually increases a little bit as you get in better shape because you can "handle" to push your self harder...and that it decreases with age...and that you cannot reach the same maximum pulse while swimming as you can in running or cycling??? I did a maximum pulse test last week...just want to make sure I understood it right TIA Hi Dijana, You are right on two out of three If you look at Dan's post, the Karvonen Formula takes age into account: APMHR (age predicted max heart rate): 220 - age (or 226 for women because their hearts are smaller and beat more times per minute)...so as sedentary individuals get older, that value will decrease. HOWEVER, this is just a mathematical formula to estimate and does not apply to active individuals. IF you maintain a good level of conditioning your MHR will not decrease due to age. Your MHR is a set number if you are fit. It does not increase with fitness, and is not a predictor of fitness. Your resting heart rate changes and drops when you get fitter. Your anaerobic threshold heart rate changes and increases when you get fitter, but not your MHR. For swimming, the MHR is 204-age, taking into account that swimming is a non-weight bearing activity, it uses primarily "smaller" upper body muscles which place less of a cardiac demand, the body is in a horizontol position, and the water itself has a cooling effect. I hope this helps! Dawn

February 19th, 2007, 04:33 AM	#6 (permalink)
Dawn(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 153	Quote: (Originally Posted by DIR princess) Yea, that's what I thought!!! Thanks, Dawn! (One of the instructors kind of confused me when he said that MHR can increase, but I suspect that he only meant by a beat or two...mearly because one gets better at pushing one self to the maximum when one is fit, while unfit people "give up" before they get as high up as their "real" MHR) You're welcome Dijana! Just fyi - I wrote: "For swimming, the MHR is 204-age..." It is 204, but 204-age for the age predicted max (APMHR), as there is a difference as mentioned before. Sorry for any confusion! Best, Dawn