What's my training pulse? The Maffetone Method

What's my training pulse? The Maffetone Method

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Luis's interview

by Luis Alvarez
Winner at Ironman Honolulu - World Record Holder - First and only person to compete at every Ironman venue in the world.

"Master Amino Acid Pattern (MAP) has helped me so much, not just in competing and qualifying for the Hawaii world Championship, but has helped me to recover to compete in an IRONMAN averaging every 3 weeks and to win IRONMAN Honolulu." - Luis Alvarez

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In 2001 I participated in Ironman Lake Placid in the CEO category. One of the advantages we had was that an eminence on training gave us a lecture. This eminence was Dr. Phil Maffetone. Dr. Maffetone trained Mike Pig and Mark Allen , among others.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I use to train to my maximum heart beat of, 170 + bpm all the time. At this intense training level for over ten years I was not able to improve my time in the Ironman. And I was not able to qualify for Ironman Hawaii , which was my lifelong dream. Using what I learned from Dr. Maffetone, I have not only qualified 4 times in the last 5 years for Ironman Hawaii , but I have lowered my time dramatically, from 10:58 in 1991 to 10:06 in 2006.

Dr. Maffetone's main premise is that all the stresses in life add together to reduce health and recovery. No matter if it comes from work, family, trips or exercise it's the total toll on the body that must be considered if we are going to improve fitness and health. Very hard or too frequently done very hard workouts cause more breakdown than buildup and lead to injury and diminishing health. This was what happened to me between 1991 and 2001.

Dr Maffetone has a formula to help a person train at the correct heart beat intensity. The formula is 180- your age. If one has been injured in the last 3 months, has a chronic illness like asthma, or has a lot of other stressors in life, then subtract another 5 points. If one has been training for a couple of years and has been healthy overall without any illnesses in the last six months one can add 5 points.

I will use my self as an example: I am 43 years old so …

180 – 43 = 137 Maximum Aerobic Frequency (MAF)

137 + 5 = 142 I added 5 point to my MAF because I am healthy and in good fitness level.

So my maximum training frequency is 142 bpm

Well, this formula is good for most of us and it is the way I have been training for the last 6 years and have been improving my personal bests in the Ironman.

Here is how I apply this:

First I measure where my fitness level it at. I do this with the MAF test.

MAF test:

Go to a track or a place where you have a flat uninterrupted measured area.

Pick a time of day where you could always repeat this test.

Warm up with an easy jog for 15 minutes until your heart rate is at the value calculated above.

Stop and stretch for a few minutes.

Then start running as and soon as you get to your target heart rate note where you are on the track and note this a start point “0.”

Each mile (4 loops) take your split.

Keep your heart beat at the MAF frequency (for me 142) and don't exceed it.

Run a total of 5 miles.

Write down the data. It will look like this:

Date

Weight

Bpm in am on waking up

Mile 1

Mile 2

Mile 3

Mile 4

Mile 5

Total Time

Average Bpm

1 Jan

70kg

40 BPM

8:10

8:15

8:19

8:21

8:26

41:31

144

22 Jan

68 kg

38 BPM

8:00

8:05

8:10

8:19

8:21

40:55

144

This is only an example; the test should be performed every 3 weeks, according to the theory and my experience you will always show improvement but if you are training and you are not improving then you are over trained. If you are performing the test the way it should be, every 3 weeks then you will notice this on time and within a couple weeks of good rest you can recover, On the other hand, if you keep training with over-training symptoms this could leave you out of improving your racing time for months…

For more reference on this subject look for “Training for Endurance” By Dr. Maffetone, this book changed my training life and gets me to Ironman Hawaii !

All the best,
Luis Alvarez

Articles from Luis:
Nutrition Tips for an Ironman - The heart rate monitor as a daily tool - Competions in cold weather - How to do 10 IRONMAN in a year without injuries - 250 MILES BIKE RIDE IN EXTREME CONDITIONS - Health or Fitness - Thanks to MAP I broke my PR 4 years in a row - Quality or Quantity - Three Òfamilies" of Injuries - Mountain Training for Triathlon - How I have been able to really increase my IRONMAN racing speed - What's my training pulse? The Maffetone Method - Lesson in Overcoming - Lesson in Overcoming - Luis Alvarez does it again! Amazing! - MAP not only for athletes - RUNNING WITH THE POSE METHOD - MAP Team Member Luis Alvarez does it again - Ironman Pre-Season - An spectacular New Years Eve MAP. It is not only for training

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