Training intensity using heartrate monitor

J

jjester

0
I'm 56 years old and have been in pretty good shape most of my life. I have recently started training using a heart rate monitor. Two days a week I do an interval workout on an aerobic machine. Though I know its only an estimate but I guess it would be fairly accurate that at 56 my max heart rate is 164 (220-56). Now when i do my intervals I do 5 where I work my HR up to 158-160. Let it go back down to 140 then do it again. So this results in by training between 85% and 95% of max.

Most of the literature I can find on the web doesnt seem to address training above 90%. My question is "Is training above 90% too intense?" Do i get additional benefit from training that high or am I just working harder than I need to?

A little more color on my activities. I am an avid tennis player and generally on play singles so I do need a fairly high level of aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

Thanks for any suggestions/comments.
 
There are interval protocols that encourage people to work at their max effort level (Tabata Training [Anaerobic Exercise, Aerobic Exercise, HITT] - Fitness.com), but the high intensity intervals are very short. Normally, when a client first starts this type of high intensity training, I recommend building up tolerance to high intensity very gradually, and keeping the "rest" intervals longer. I normally will get people to allow their heart rate to get a bit lower before starting the next interval (around 120).

What are your work/rest intervals right now?
 
I really only use my heartrate to determine the work/rest intervals rather than a predetermined length of time. I generally will do a 15 minute warmup then do 4 or 5 intervals working up to about 160 then down to 140. This generally will take 10-12 minutes and then I do a 5 minute cooldown. Seems what you are saying is to let my lower level be less than the 140 thereby lengthening my rest period. By the way, I have been doing interval training for a while..just being guided by perceived exertion.
 
It does sound like you're going about things the right way. If you are planning on trying higher intensity intervals, just make sure that you have your doctor's clearance to do so. Training higher than 90% in theory would create additional benefits, however, it's unlikely that you actually need to train at this high of an intensity. If you do choose to do these intervals, just keep them VERY short... 20 to 30 seconds maximum, with ample recovery in between.
 
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