Karvonen formula
The Karvonen formula (according to Martti J. Karvonen ) is used to determine the optimal heart rate (HR) for various forms of endurance training or participants with different levels of training.
Heart rate reserve according to Karvonen
The so-called heart rate reserve as the difference between the maximum heart rate (HR max ) and the resting heart rate, HR rest ( resting pulse , RP), is used as a criterion. Multiplied by a specified percentage, which is based on the performance of the trainee, this intermediate result and the HR at rest are now added:
HRtrain = HR rest + ( HR max - HR rest ) x factor
The following factor is specified:
- for intensive endurance training: 0.8
- for extensive endurance training: 0.6
- for untrained people: 0.5 (e.g. for patients in a moderate level of training who are intended for pneumological rehabilitation )
The resting HR should be determined in the morning immediately after waking up, the maximum HR using ergometry (bicycle or treadmill).
The maximum heart rate is an individual value that varies greatly from person to person. This absolute value is due to various factors. It decreases as you get older.
In order to determine the HR max , according to Edwards, a controlled endurance test is necessary, which can be carried out in a sports medicine center. However, it is also possible to determine this value yourself during training. Here Edwards warns of overload. The test also depends on the daily form. Only when all parameters are optimally set can one go to one's own limits and determine the HR max with high or sufficient accuracy.
The factor indicates the intensity of the load, but should not be confused with the so-called load zone (also known as the heart rate zone). This figure, usually given in percent, relates to the entire heart rate range (usually starts with the so-called health zone at 50%, because 0% is not possible here, since the resting heart rate is already positive). Mathematically, the Karvonen formula is a so-called convex combination of resting heart rate and max. Heart rate, d. H. a factor of 0% corresponds exactly to the resting heart rate, 100% corresponds to the maximum heart rate. That is why the difference (HR max - HR rest ) is often referred to as the heart rate reserve (HRR).
Web links
literature
- M. Karvonen, K. Kentala, O. Mustala: The effects of training heart rate: a longitudinal study . In: Annales Medicinae Experimentalis et Biologiae Fenniae 35, 1957, ISSN 0003-4479 , pp. 307-315.
- Sally Edwards: Training Control Guide . 10th edition. Meyer & Meyer, Aachen et al., 1999, ISBN 3-89124-235-2 .
