(17Bii) Some heart rate zone calculation for runners

[jthole]

As a recreative runner, I try to vary my training between long relaxed runs, intervals, race like distance runs, and everything in between. One way to approach this, is to train in different heart rate zones. Here are two small and handy equations for the HP 17Bii that can tell you which heart rates to aim for.

Heart rate zone calculator:

HRZONES:HUPP = 0 x L( D : HM - HR ) +
IF( ZONE > 3 : ( 0.9 x ( G( D ) ) + HR ) :
IF( ZONE > 2 : ( 0.8 x ( G( D ) ) + HR ) :
IF( ZONE > 1 : ( 0.7 x G( D ) ) + HR :
0.6 x ( G( D ) ) + HR ) ) )

Training heart rate range calculator:

TRZONES:MX = L( D : HM - HR ) x 0.95 + HR + 0 x L( FR : G( D ) x 0.8 + HR ) x L( WL : G( D ) x 0.6 + HR ) x ( FR + WL )

The way to use them is as follows, assuming that you know your maximum and rest heart rate.

To find the training zones, execute the TRZONES equation.
Enter the HM (179 in my case) and HR (43 in my case) values.
Press the soft button corresponding to MX, and the calculator returns 172. That is basically the peak heart rate you should go for in an "all out" training (approx. 95% of your maximum heart rate)
The FR variable now contains the upper value for the fitness range (the heart rate range where you want to be to exercise your cariovascular fitness). In my case that's: RCL FR = 151.8 so for practical purposes 152.
The lower value of that range, and the upper value for the weight loss range is found via RCL WL (131.4 for me). The weight loss range is where you want to be for recovery training, or generally for your easy long distance runs.

Anther way to look at the heart rate ranges is to use the heart rate zones (there are different ways to calculate these), as percentages of your maximum heart rate (HM)*. Basically:

Zone 1: Healthy Heart Rate Zone: 50-60% HM

Zone 2: Fitness Heart Rate Zone: 60-70% HM

Zone 3: Aerobic Heart Rate Zone: 70-80% HM

Zone 4: Anaerobic Heart Rate Zone: 80-90% HM

Zone 5: Red-Line Zone: 90-100% HM (if you can stay here for longer than two or three minutes, you have not found your true HM yet)

This is where the HRZONES equation comes in. Suppose that my training plan says that I should do a long run in zone 2, then I enter: (or reuse the existing values of HM and HR)

HM=179
HR=43
ZONE=2

and calculate HUPP. The answer is "138.2" which tells me that the highest value I should aim for is 138.

How to find the lowest value for zone 2? That is simply the highest value for zone 1. So entering 1 for the ZONE variable gives me HUPP = 124.6. Now I know that I should aim for a heart rate between 125 and 138 for my zone 2 training.

On the other hand, if I want to do intervals where I want to stay in zone 4 for most of the time, I should find the HUPP values for ZONE = 4 and ZONE = 3, for the upper and lower bounds respectively. Between 152 and 165 in my case.

I did not add an "IF" for zone 5, because the upper limit is simply your HM value. In fact, the equation of course interpretes everything over "3" as zone 4

* there is some discussion on whether to take your resting heart rate into account. In my experience, it is relevant, because the simple maximum heart rate percentages are very conservative for zones 1 and 2.