Most Heart Rate Training Is Bull****

“220 minus your age” is demonstrable garbage. Semi-informed people pipe back, “BUT The Karvonen formula is pretty good!” I’m sorry. Do you actually know what the Karvonen formula is? Because, just a reminder, it assumes max HR within it. So it’s still total garbage for most people. The en vogue fitness franchises referencing zones without testing are knowingly dishonest, and capitalizing on the layperson’s insecurities and lack of education on the matter.

I wish that everything popular in fitness weren’t complete trash. I do. That would be great. But, alas, it is. There is a single reliable way to determine respiratory exchange ratios, your individual cardio respiratory curve, ideal fat burn, thresholds and max heart rate. It involves an appointment with an exercise physiologist and/or metabolic specialist, a chest strap, breathing apparatus, computers, and spreadsheets.

According to pop fitness, my max heart rate is 182. The Karvonen formula tells me my working range is around 110-130bpm and 85+% effort is in the 150s. I warmed up at 185bpm for 10 minutes, then pushed a little to hit 196 (with A LOT left in the tank - video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Z4-ZMj5OV/). This video alone proves almost every heart rate training recommendation is bogus.

I don't know what else to tell people. I am literally sacrificing my body and time to prove to you that the popular recommendations out there are a waste of your time. This is a video demonstration disproving almost every heart rate recommendation you've seen, heard, or read. And I'm just gifting this to you, so that people can be sane in their approach to health and fitness. There is no call to action here. I am not marketing my methods, my product, my opinion. I am not asking for a donation to the website. These blog entries are my charity work for those who might like to learn from someone with almost 50,000 hours of professional experience in the fitness industry.

I just want the insanity to stop. I'm so incredibly tired of the infomercials, the social media ads, the side bar search results, the trendy fitness boutiques and "influencers." They're all fake. They're all bogus. They are just sales funnels. Most heart rate training is bull****.