Heart Rate Zones

Hi! I am currently using the heart rate zones that Garmin devices use by default, but I wonder if there is a more correct way to set the zones, without doing lab tests? Or is the Garmin zones correct enough?

More correct way would be to figure out your actual Max HR and not relying on Garmin algoritmic guestimate. You don’t need a lab test to do that, field test is perfectly fine.
There is quite a few protocols described for example on Reddit but I think it’s overly complicated - you can just join some nearby race that is at least 30 minutes long and take maximal HR you had. Assuming of course you will be finishing with all out effort:)

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Thx for the input. I know my Max HR, but wonder if the percentages (60-70% 70-80 80-90 90-100%) are correct enough. Have seen some i fo that says Zone 1 is all the way to 80%…so interested how to set zones more correctly, or if Garmin is correct enough.

I’ve collected a lot of Zone charts over the years and I’ve never seen that. Perhaps you were looking at FTP. If not, whose chart is that?

80% in David Seiler’s 3-Zone model is 80% of FTP at the top of his Low Intensity Zone 1. As a point of interest, in most every other chart I have, 80% of FTP is in a Tempo Zone.

You can do a drift test to find lactate thresholds. Scott Johnston explains how in some YT videos on his Evokeendurance channel. He’s interesting to listen to even if you never end up doing the drift test.

Maybe your zones are not based on MaxHr but LTHR? Then it would make sense.
Here is the setting on my Garmin watch where you can choose what are your HR zones based on:

If you choose LTHR then Z1 is 65% - 80%.
But if you choose MaxHR then Z1 is 50 - 60%, Z2 is 60% - 70% and Z3 is 70% - 80%.

As you’ve figured out by now, HR Zones are widely variable depending on the source. I have 4 charts that place Zone 1 at 83, 84, 84, 85% of LTHR and now Garmin adds a 5th although when I Googled to get Garmin chart what I got was a hit from the owners manual of one of their watches that used Maximum HR. Go figure.

In reality we are talking at most about a heart beat every 15 seconds or so. That is not nearly enough to impact training. There is no advantage to attempting to train at the edge of Zone 2 or Zone 3 for example to get the most out of an exercise. That just is not the case. The bodies metabolic systems do not turn on or off at set points and in fact all of them are working all the time. The relationship between them is a long slow curve accelerating towards at the end. So, in fact, the boundaries on the charts are not boundaries at all. There is no ledge your body falls off of into another physical state.

Can anyone tell me how to specify the date range for zones, whether HR or power?
I’ve just realised my zones are off, but the correction only seems to apply from today. Can it be applied from a specific date in the past?
thanks for the help!
Marvin

Go to list view on the calendar page.
Select your date range
Tick all activities
Edit
Update zones

Great, that works. Thanks a lot Gerald, really appreciated.

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