Two Fingers to Ten

If you, like me, refuse to purchase every new training gadget that pops onto the radar, this is the old school methodology that works to this very advanced, high-tech day and age in which we test and train. You need two fingers and be able to count to ten. I use this method in the PowerBarn and a Polar HR monitor in the gym. The simplified method is to use a watch, or in our case, the countdown timer in our videos, and take your pulse (I use the carotid) for ten seconds and then multiply by six to get your heart rate. I have created the following schematic to make it easy. 

There are two advantages in knowing your heart rate, one, the most obvious, is to keep within the workout parameters for your workout. We often go too hard on our easy sessions and too easy on the hard days, landing in the mid-range zones where not much is accomplished and value is diminished. Secondly, and in my specific case, I want to know how my heart is responding to the load and intensity of the session as that relates to my chronic atrial fibrillation. This is doubly important because of late it seems that I am suffering from intensity induced AFib. Monitoring this can help by creating good data so that proper zones can be established as required. I could toss a grand at it and have even more detailed analysis, but for now, the ‘two finger to ten’ method is fine. 

I wish the solution to the initial issue was as easy. 

Beats per 10 seconds to BPM

15 = 90

16 = 96

17 = 102

18 = 108

19 = 114

20 = 120

21 = 126*

22 = 132*

23 = 138

24 = 144

25 = 150

26 = 156

27 = 162

28 = 168

29 = 174

30 = 180

Percent of Max to RPE

Zone 1, 50-60% or very light

Zone 2, 60-70% or light

Zone 3, 70-80% or moderate

Zone 4, 80-90% or hard

Zone 5, 90-100% maximum

* = my target zone (85% of max)