Progressive Heart Rate
- Ideal for hitting a range of intensities
- Great for those who take a little bit longer to warm up
- A good way to break up a longer run
A progressive heart rate run is a good way of breaking up a continuous run and perhaps working a bit harder than usual.
Equipment
A heart-rate monitor is essential for this session.
The Session
A progressive heart rate run is simple to explain and simple to execute. Simply start at a low/comfortable heart rate and gradually increase the intensity of the run so your heart rate climbs throughout the session.
Try and plan ahead so that for the final section of your run you are running fairly hard, then for the very last minute put in a really big finishing effort. Building up gradually like this can often mean you spend more time running at a higher intensity than might otherwise be possible.
Depending on the length of the run, it's best to increase the intensity every 3–5 minutes or so. This will give you a chance to adapt to the new intensity and to let your heart rate stabilize.
If you're familiar with your heart rate zones then you could break the run up into five sections, one for each zone, and spend a different amount of time within each zone. When you're planning, keep in mind that you will be able to spend much longer in the lower zones than the higher zones, so adjust the durations of each section accordingly.
If you like you can take a formal approach and set an alarm on your watch to alert you periodically, at which point you increase the heart rate by a set amount. If you are taking this approach then work out in advance what is manageable in terms of both overall length and heart rate increments.
Progressive heart rate runs work well for runs of anything from 30 to 90 minutes
Variations
Progressive Pace
Another great workout that's similar in approach, but different in execution, is progressive pace, where you progressively increase pace instead of heart rate.
Real World Example
A runner with a maximum heart rate of 200 bpm decides to perform a progressive heart rate run of ten-minute intervals, with the final ten minutes performed at 90% of his maximum heart rate (180 bpm).
He wants the run to last for 60 minutes, so it will need to include 60 ÷ 10 = 6 laps.
He decides on a gentle intensity of 130 bpm (65% max heart rate) for the first ten minutes, and to increase the intensity by 10 bpm for each of the following ten minutes. This yields the following plan:
Progressive Heart Rate Session
Lap 1 130 bpm (65% max heart rate) Lap 2 140 bpm (70% max heart rate) Lap 3 150 bpm (75% max heart rate) Lap 4 160 bpm (80% max heart rate) Lap 5 170 bpm (85% max heart rate) Lap 6 180 bpm (90% max heart rate)
He jogs for five minutes to cool down.
Be wary of starting the run too hard. You want to leave yourself space to increase the intensity.
No need for a separate warm-up since you'll be starting at a lower intensity and gently easing yourself into the run anyway. A good option for a cool down is to just add an extra easy five minutes on to the end of the run.
Take care on steep downhills where you might end up having to run extremely fast to stay at a particular heart rate. It's better to be cautious and just allow the heart rate to drop a little rather than to take any unnecessary risks.
Also See
Find your personal heart rate zones and get customized session suggestions with out heart rate zones calculator »
Read more about training by heart rate in our guide »
Find out whether or not maximum heart rate formulas work »