@shipo wrote:
@bcalvanese wrote:
Before I started jogging I would try to keep my heart rate in zone 3 (70 - 80%) and zone 4 (80 - 90%) of my max heart rate. In zone 3 I would be huffing and puffing, and zone 4 i would be realy huffing and puffing. I did hit zone 5 (90 - 100%) for short times, and in zone 5 I would be gasping for air.
When I first started jogging (1 to 2 minute intervals), my heart would get to zone 5 pretty quickly. Now (after only a few months), I can jog over 3 miles non stop and have noticed a big change in my breathing. Zone 5 feels like zone 4 used to feel like, and zone 4 feels like zone 3 used to feel like, and zone 3 feels like I am barely breathing heavy at all. I can actually stay in zone 5 for quite some time now without gasping for breadth.
Would it be safe to assume that it's because my fitness level is improving?
Has anyone else experienced this?
Yes, lots of us experience it, errr, kinda-sorta. As many of y'all have seen in my posts, the Heart Rate Zones are basically wrong for a huge chunk of the population, regardless of which of the various formula are used to calculate said zones.
In my case, the calculated Zone 5 would equate to 144-160 BPM; however, given I can push my heart rate up into the mid 170s when busting hump up a long steep grade, I guess that means I can hit high into Zone 6 or even into Zone 7. 😛
All joking aside, what you are now experiencing is the adaptation your lungs have made to accommodate your running; you are now able to process more oxygen than before, and that in turn means you can push your body harder without getting out of breath. What it also means is the 220-Age formula for calculating your heart rate zone is very likely incorrect.
Thanks @shipo
In my case the formula is accurate. I had a stress test done about a year and a half ago and my MHR was 163. I was 57 then so it turned out to be what the formula says. I do agree it is not the case for many people though.
I do feel good knowing that my fitness level is improving, and being able to breath better at higher heart rate zones makes it easier to run longer distances. Today I was able to stay in zone 5 for 47 minutes.
About the same time i had the stress test done, I had my lungs tested too. They told me that I had COPD (I smoked for over 40 years) and gave me all these inhalers to use. I never felt like i needed an inhaler so I never used them. Back then my fitness level was extremely poor and I was obese (5'8" & 230 lbs.). I did quit smoking using electronic cigarettes and have not smoked for over 6 months now, and I was smoking 3 packs a day when I quit.
Also, the stress test showed a difference so they did a catherization and found that a small part at the bottom of my heart was slightly enlarged. They said I could have had a mini heart attack at some point. I had to get all these tests done for pre-surgery fo diverticulitis. They had to remove an 8" section of my colon.
I was in pathetic shape a year and a half ago, and was told to start exercising and lose weight or else I wouldn't be around much longer. This motivated me to start this journy, and I would like to thank you and others on this forum for your support and montivation.
