Running
Maffetone Method Tips: Average Heart Rate
I am grateful for the huge reception that my Maffetone Method article got recently. Out of the 8,000 people who read it, I am sure at least one person is trying it and undoubtedly struggling. My goal is to provide more tips and guidelines that go further than the introductory concepts and help others get the most impact from the training method.
While the current heart rate is essential to make sure you are staying under the recommended beats per minute (bpm) during your run, the average heart rate is probably the most important metric for Maffetone runners. After a run, people look at the average bpm on their watch or app to see how well they stayed under their prescribed Maffetone heart rate essential to aerobic conditioning. The problem is, averages can often be deceiving and don’t always mean you are running true to the method.
Averages are tricky
Person A has a Maffetone heart rate of 145. They take a steady run today, with bpm ranging from 135-145, ultimately leading to an average of 140.
Person B has a Maffetone heart rate of 145 as well and takes a run today. Their bpm ranged from 115 to 165 and averaged at 140 bpm too. They ran around 160-165 and then walked some at a lower bpm to cool down.
