heart rate training
Personal fi tness tool An app is being designed for the iPhone to assess the HR variability parameter
training impulse method (TRIMP), a tool used to model an individual’s aerobic endurance capacity. Most software packages also allow
raw data to be exported to external destinations, making additional data manipulation relatively easy to achieve.
hardware developments – real time analysis & heart rate variability
In the past, a major issue with heart rate monitoring during a session was the necessity for exercisers to continually check their wrist unit, or worse still, wait until their session had ended before reviewing the data. Neither scenario allowed for effective real time monitoring. Times change, however, and technology moves forward. There are now a number of systems
on the market that offer the ability to simultaneously view the individual heart rate response of a number of people in real time (see p40–41). It’s my opinion that projecting this sort of computer display at the front of a group cycling class, for example, would be an excellent selling tool for clients and really help them get the most out of their session. The only requirement is that each person wears a heart rate transmitter belt. In addition to real time monitoring
of the heart rate response, there are also systems on the market capable of assessing heart rate variability. Heart rate variability assesses the contribution of the autonomic nervous system to our cardiovascular function. When in a rested state, we tend to exhibit
technical briefing
greater heart rate variability – that is to say, larger and more irregular gaps between each heart beat (R-R interval). Conversely, a number of factors – including a relative lack of recovery, anxiety, illness and lack of sleep – can elicit reductions in heart rate variability. From a practical standpoint, higher
heart rate variability has been shown to accompany augmented VO2 max values, while reduced variability accompanies increased mortality and cardiac events. Assessing heart rate variability can also inform day-to-day session content. For example, if we have a client who, after a hard interval session the day before, exhibits a marked reduction in variability the next day, we may recommend a strength or active recovery session. There are complications with such measures, most notably in the stability of the measure over time and the magnitude of changes following exercise. However,
over time the experienced practitioner should be able to spot trends and make well-advised recommendations.
physiological assessments
Of course, the accuracy of heart rate monitoring in guiding the intensity of training sessions becomes much greater when it’s teamed with additional physiological data, for example the blood lactate and ventilatory response. This represents the top end of
the market and would probably be reserved for those actively engaged in long-term training for specifi c events of an endurance nature. Saying that, despite the time commitment involved in training for such events, there’s no shortage of amateur competitors – and many participants conduct their rigorous training routines without any systematic monitoring or progression. Some health clubs might feel well
placed to provide this service in-house, while others might prefer to outsource it to a specialist local organisation – here in Edinburgh, Sportsactive provides a range of comprehensive physiological assessments and in-depth analysis. Results are then sent back to the health club practitioner for interpretation. Either way, through a comprehensive
understanding of a client’s physiology, a thorough and effective training intervention can be designed which the client can monitor over time. Never before has the term ‘training smarter, not harder’ been more appropriate.
Group motivation The Activio system is designed for group exercise classes (see p40)
healthclub@leisuremedia.com
32 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
healthclub@leisuremedia.com
neil gibson, BASES-accredited senior
www.bases.org.uk
sport scientist, Heriot-Watt University
june 2010 © cybertrek 2010
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/SENAI AKSOY
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