Base training

biggest load of bs i have seen. and i have seen some sh!t.

31 with -10 and -5 and that is 134 which, is too low for me based off my maximum heart rate. I should base build within 140 and 160.

Well I guess you could use this partially. My number was 161, and my max HR is about 200. That's 80%, but for tempos i might go 85-90%. Furthermore, if I went 80% every day I would be working too hard. Easy runs should be done at no more than about 70% max HR (arguably).

I was in this category:

•If you have been exercising for up to two years with no real problems and have not had colds or flu more than once or twice a year, subtract 0.

this might work for the general population, but not trained endurance athletes

It's not a bad approach. I've used it. It's actually great for beginners to get started safely without overcomplicating things. It is also excellent for those of us who never learned how to train properly (aerobically).

Certainly you can argue the weak points of the approach, but in my observations it has many excellent points.

1) it will absolutely help someone that is aerobically weak (most everyday runners).

2) it helps avoid many of the mistakes runners make

3) it forces many people to slow down initially, enough to stay aerobic, which is where many many people go wrong.

It is an estimate using age and some adjustment factors. No way will it be perfect. An obvious example is that at 1 year 364 days my aerobic max heart rate is 145, and the next day it is 150.

For many people that have been training correctly for several years, Maffetone (the guy whose philosophy you are quoting) says they will tend to have higher heart rate targets since their max HR doesn't fall as quickly as a sedentary individual's does.

Salberto Alazar wrote:

this might work for the general population, but not trained endurance athletes

Yes, I'm sure you're right. (sarc)

Mark Allen, 7-time IronMan champion, used this method. He cycled between this base period and a more intense anaerobic phase. He credits this approach to winning his first, and his successful career.