Everyone loves to get the most out of their training. We all have goals of reaching our full potential and performing at our very best. From the food we eat to the supplements we add to our diet, we want the most that life can deliver. Most of us workout with watches and roughly know the distances we’ve run. But how many of us truly know the intensity of our workouts? We can say “that 9 minute pace felt faster than yesterday” or “why can’t I break into a sub 8-minute mile?”. The intensity of our training should be a priority when scheduling our workouts. Not only to improve, but to enhance our recovery and eliminate overtraining.

In order to be specific in your training, you need to have accurate information. Data such as the frequency, duration, and intensity of each workout allow you to chart your progress and stave off overtraining injuries. Frequency and duration are pretty simple to nail down, but intensity necessitates a closer look into your personal physiology. There are a million variables that can effect how you feel day to day, all of which can affect your ability to perform. Your intensity will also dictate your body’s ability to tap into high-energy fat stores during the workout. So if intensity is perched on a sliding scale of variables, how do we get an accurate idea of our true workout intensity?

Heart rate is the only accurate way to judge intensity, and is the easiest way to maximize your time spent working out. The only way to know your ideal training intensity zones is through a VO2 test, where your Anaerobic Threshold is revealed and used as the foundation for your training program. Knowing your Anaerobic Threshold (the point where lactic acid begins to accumulate) is the single most valuable piece of information you can have in your training program. It’s the only way to be certain that you’re working at the right intensity to meet and surpass your goals.

In the past, formulas such as 220 – your age were considered to be the best way to find your target intensity zones. These estimates have a major flaw - they do not take your personal physiology into account and can be as inaccurate as 20+ beats per minute. VO2 testing takes all of the guesswork out of the equation and gives you personalized zones that are accurate and based on your physiology. VO2 is defined as the volume of oxygen (O2) consumed. A VO2 test measures the amount of oxygen that your body can uptake and use during exercise and is the most accurate indicator of fitness. It is the only way to be sure that you are training in the right zones.

Heart rate is the only true indicator of intensity. If you’re not using a heart rate monitor to train with, you’re not taking into account important variables such as cumulative fatigue, stress, and the possibilities of overtraining; you simply are training in the dark. Judging your intensity by the pace you’ve run or how you feel can be misleading and many times too unspecific. If your goal is to optimize each workout, improve strength while avoiding injury, avoid overtraining, maximize fat burning, and increase your aerobic capacity, heart rate training is for you.

We often reach plateaus in our training that are usually due to overtraining, lack of base-training, or using unspecific workouts that don’t target our goals. These plateaus are easy to surmount with individualized training intensities.

The only true way to know your optimal zones is to have a VO2 test that provides your anaerobic threshold and peak VO2. These are the foundation for your training intensity zones which will personalize your workouts and tailor each workout with specificity.