A recent Vern Gambetta blog criticized heart rate based training and the use of heartrate monitoring systems. If you read Vern’s blog, and I do not unless directed to a particular post by a reader or a friend, you already know that at least half of the posts are critical of someone or something. However in this case I want to state clearly that I think Vern is wrong. Heart rate based training is a huge improvement over timed based interval work as it gives us an actual physiological measurement to work from. Is it perfect? Obviously not but, it is a quantum leap forward. To read more about the difference between time based and heart rate based interval, click here.
I’ll take this a step further and say that heart rate recovery ( how quickly your hear rate drops after an interval) may be the best indicator of fitness for a field or court sport.
Vern states;
“in 95% of the sports and situations I work with it or have worked with, it ( heartrate monitoring) would not enhance my ability to more effectively monitor the training and coach the athletes. Pass up the heart rate sideshow and go watch the lion tamers.”
I can only speak for ice hockey but I know it helps our training significantly and I have only scratched the surface of what our Polar Team System can do.
Vern goes on to say that many of those who are pro heart rate training are on company payrolls. I will be clear. I get no money from Polar and we paid for our system. I like it and I use it. Take it for what it’s worth.
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Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog 