Heart rate zones: how to read them

TriCoo splits heart rate into four bands. On this scale the reserve is the difference between threshold heart rate and resting heart rate. The band bounds are shares of the reserve: 70, 82 and 95 percent for running, 58, 78 and 91 for cycling. Above the third bound is the fourth band. Heart rate alone cannot reliably distinguish work around threshold from work above it, so the fourth band is not split further.

These bands describe a workout you have already done, on its page. They are not used to set targets, which is why there is no calculator with your beats here. TriCoo sets heart rate targets in the plan with a separate table and only after checking your threshold heart rate. In the water, heart rate is not used as a signal.

Common questions#

Why not 220 minus age?#

That formula estimates maximum heart rate from age. It does not measure your own maximum and does not give your threshold heart rate. Such formulas describe an average across a group of people, and they apply to one person only with limits.

How is this different from the Karvonen formula?#

The usual Karvonen calculation runs from resting heart rate to maximum heart rate. TriCoo uses the range from resting to threshold heart rate. The same percentage with a different top point gives different beats.

How do I find my threshold heart rate?#

With a field test, as described on the Threshold tests page. A running threshold heart rate cannot simply be carried over to the bike.