[Alex]

Hello,

I’m a total noob and did the HR Drift test today. Wasn’t sure at what HR to start the test so I aimed at 150 (according to the MAF formula my AeT would be 148. I can nose breath all the way up in the low 160s, but when I hike I try to keep it under 150 because I’m pretty sure I have ADS).

Maintaining 150bpm proved to be quite difficult after the warm up and my HR dropped to ±137. In order bump it back up I’d have to run but because I’m kind of an aerobically deficient fatass and my mechanical efficiency is terrible I figured it’d be quite difficult to maintain 150 on flat ground so I settled for 137 at a fast walking pace.

Here’s the link to the test: http://tpks.ws/PZKGJQNITEFWRTI4FEYTRMETSU

Is it usable? Anything I can learn from it? Should I redo the test?

Thanks in advance!!

Topic

[Shashi]

Shashi on November 3, 2020 at 11:08 am #46507

Alex,

Welcome to the forum.

Based on what you said, I think you should redo the test at a lower target HR.

Maybe you can do an indoor AeT test on a treadmill. Here is the link to the article on UA about the indoor test –

Indoor DIY Guide to Determining Your Aerobic Threshold: Treadmill Test

Hope this is helpful.

[Rachel]

Rachel on November 3, 2020 at 3:15 pm #46511

I would also try to limit your HR to a narrower range during your test. I looked at an hour of your workout and the HR range was quite large (it went up to 163 bpm, much higher than the average HR overall).

When I test outside I try to keep it within a 5 beat range or so. I also am a sucky runner but I did my AeT test on a track. I would jog then walk as needed to keep my HR in the zone. It was a wake up call at how bad my running is…

Normally I would use an inclined treadmill so I can walk fast but with COVID-19 that’s not an option right now. The treadmill is nice because once you are warmed up you can set your pace and you don’t have to think about HR at all until you analyze the results. But you kind of need to control one variable — HR or pace.

[Alex]

Alex on November 4, 2020 at 4:51 pm #46540

Thank you all for the reply!

My plan was indeed to do it on a treadmill but gyms are closed and we’ve just entered a new lockdown here in Italy. I’ll just have to wait until we can go outside again and redo the test. Hopefully infection numbers will go down and gyms will reopen as well in the not too far future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on November 26, 2020 at 6:45 am #47409

Also:

* You need to warm up first. Your heart rate went from 109 to 173 in the first minute. That fast an increase will fire up your anaerobic system. Once it’s “awake”, it’s hard to get it to shut up. So it will influence the rest of the test.

* It’s hard to tell what HR you should target in your next test. However, when just starting out, the AeT test is pretty low-impact, so you can do it frequently and dial in the results.

* As Rachel said, it’s important to keep one variable within a narrow range. That can be pace if you’re on a treadmill or heart rate if you’re on a flat track.