Running-filter: Any success with Maffetone / low heart-rate training?
October 24, 2014 8:58 AM Subscribe
I'm an experienced runner who is intrigued by the "Maffetone method", or doing the bulk of training at a very low heart rate to improve aerobic endurance. Has anyone here tried it? If so, what were your results? Would you recommend it?
Katie from the blog Runs For Cookies tried it this summer. Here's a link to all her entries tagged with MAF.
posted by purpleclover at 9:41 AM on October 24, 2014
posted by purpleclover at 9:41 AM on October 24, 2014
Best answer: I tried it for 8-12 weeks a couple years ago (end of 2010/beginning of 2011) I didn't notice any improvement at any point during the process, and I found it really boring to do all my workouts so slowly, so I didn't stick with it and resumed normal training. Following that I had a period of several months where I improved quite quickly relative to my previous progress. It's impossible to say, but I think that period of low HR training provided a fitness foundation that I really needed in order to reap a greater benefit from the faster tempo/interval type workouts.
That said I think some people benefit more than others, and it is quite a frustrating process. I think if you can commit at least 8 weeks to it, it may be worth trying, especially if feel like you're at kind of a plateau in your running fitness. Feel free to ask me more; there's also a quite good LHR forum at runningahead.com, where quite a few people are reporting their progress over time.
I would definitely try it again, with the understanding that the benefits may not show for quite a while.
posted by matcha action at 10:02 AM on October 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
That said I think some people benefit more than others, and it is quite a frustrating process. I think if you can commit at least 8 weeks to it, it may be worth trying, especially if feel like you're at kind of a plateau in your running fitness. Feel free to ask me more; there's also a quite good LHR forum at runningahead.com, where quite a few people are reporting their progress over time.
I would definitely try it again, with the understanding that the benefits may not show for quite a while.
posted by matcha action at 10:02 AM on October 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
I did heart rate training based off of Friel's book (Total Heartrate Training), which throws a lot of shade on any formula method for calculating heart rates. Instead, he suggest measuring your "aerobic threshhold" heart rate by exercising as "hard as you can" for 30 minutes and using the average heartrate from the last 20 minutes as your thresshold, and deriving the slow workout heart rates from that.
Then, Friel's suggest that you work out for time instead of for distance -- that way going slower doesn't make your workouts a million times longer.
I found it nice to have permission to run slower, and to run for time instead of distance so pace didn't matter, only effort level mattered. Training with this book (as apposed to following Hal Higdon's training plan) for a local 10 mile obstacle course race drove my time down from 10:30 / mile to 9:00 / mile and my finishing position from top 1/3rd to top 10%.
posted by garlic at 11:25 AM on October 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Then, Friel's suggest that you work out for time instead of for distance -- that way going slower doesn't make your workouts a million times longer.
I found it nice to have permission to run slower, and to run for time instead of distance so pace didn't matter, only effort level mattered. Training with this book (as apposed to following Hal Higdon's training plan) for a local 10 mile obstacle course race drove my time down from 10:30 / mile to 9:00 / mile and my finishing position from top 1/3rd to top 10%.
posted by garlic at 11:25 AM on October 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't run, but I train for bike racing. This part of the season (from the end of racing season to about 2 months before it) is "base miles" which is mostly low heart rate stuff. I don't stress about every minute of the workout being low HR (in cycling any hill or stiff wind is going to be very hard to do at a low heart rate)
So, first of all, in the beginning, restricting your HR is hard. My max target rate was 148 (calculated from my true max, not a formula) and it was so boring, etc, etc. But here's what happened over the course of the season: I got much more efficient at this heart rate.
I went from averaging 15.5 mph at this low rate to more like 17.5 (this might not sound like much but it's a LOT). I gained speed in every HR category above that also. By the end of the season I'd go on rides that used to be brisk for me - not hard exactly but where I was working for most of them, say HR around 150-155, and now they were more like 135.
Oh and yeah, I ride for time, not distance. As the season goes on my rides get longer in miles but stay the same in hours.
posted by RustyBrooks at 8:29 PM on October 24, 2014
So, first of all, in the beginning, restricting your HR is hard. My max target rate was 148 (calculated from my true max, not a formula) and it was so boring, etc, etc. But here's what happened over the course of the season: I got much more efficient at this heart rate.
I went from averaging 15.5 mph at this low rate to more like 17.5 (this might not sound like much but it's a LOT). I gained speed in every HR category above that also. By the end of the season I'd go on rides that used to be brisk for me - not hard exactly but where I was working for most of them, say HR around 150-155, and now they were more like 135.
Oh and yeah, I ride for time, not distance. As the season goes on my rides get longer in miles but stay the same in hours.
posted by RustyBrooks at 8:29 PM on October 24, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks for all these responses. (And yeah, I realize that the Maffetone formula is crude - however when I calculate based on <7>
I think I will give it a try for around 8 weeks, since I'm recovering from a marathon anyway right now. Once my training really starts up again in January I'll probably go back to my regular routine and see if it has made a difference.
posted by barnoley at 6:51 PM on October 25, 2014
I think I will give it a try for around 8 weeks, since I'm recovering from a marathon anyway right now. Once my training really starts up again in January I'll probably go back to my regular routine and see if it has made a difference.
posted by barnoley at 6:51 PM on October 25, 2014
Response by poster: Sorry, I'm not sure what happened with my last comment. The <7> was supposed to say "my max HR, it also ends up being in the 140-150 bpm range)."
posted by barnoley at 6:27 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by barnoley at 6:27 AM on October 26, 2014
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posted by barnoley at 9:07 AM on October 24, 2014 [1 favorite]