Heart rate levels in different endurance sports, for example when doing a basic endurance run, can be very different from one sport to another.

Mikko Virtanen, director of Vuokatti Olympic Training Center and an experienced ski coach, explains why the heart rate thresholds are different in different sports and how to deal with heart rate test results when training in different sports.

“The main factors that affect heart rate are the amount of training you have done, the economy of the exercise and the amount of muscle mass you have available,” says Virtanen.

The more hours of training you’ve done, the lower your heart rate. However, there are differences between sports. In addition to economy, heart rate is also affected by the size of the muscle groups used in the sport.

Thus, for example, the heart rate in flat skiing is lower than in traditional skiing and skating because smaller muscle groups are used. An elite skier who trains hard in flat pushing can also push his heart rate to near maximum. In the mat test, three-time Ski Classics champion Andreas Nygaard and former champion skier Petter Eliassen have been able to raise their maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) to almost the same level as running or skiing traditionally.

Athletics as a driver

“In running and skiing, heart rate levels are basically pretty much the same, but if you have done a lot of one sport and very little of the other, there can be a difference,” says Virtanen.

One factor that determines heart rate is the frequency of the run, or rhythm. In running, the work is continuous; in skiing, the sliding of the skis allows for a calmer rhythm, which would justify a lower heart rate in skiing than in running. If the terrain has ups and downs, the skier can recover on the downhills, which lowers the average heart rate of the training compared to running, where work has to be done on the downhills.

Compared to running and skiing, cycling, rowing, and canoeing keep the heart rate low. Body position affects heart rate. In running and skiing you are in an upright position, in cycling you are in a sitting position. Swimming is another case in point, where the body is horizontal, and it is even easier for the blood to return from the limbs to the heart.

“Competitive athletes in all sports can, of course, raise their heart rate and use the muscles of the whole body to perform,” says Virtanen.

In sports, heart rate levels are also controlled by whether the athlete carries the weight of the whole body or whether a “supportive aid” is used, as in cycling.

Heart rate does not determine the level of exertion

Because heart rate is influenced by many factors, from the demands of the sport to the training background of the exerciser, heart rate values obtained from a heart rate test cannot be directly applied, or even directly comparable, to another sport.

“When measuring exercise levels, a heart rate monitor does not tell the whole story, and you should also be able to measure blood lactate levels if you want to determine exercise levels more accurately,” says Virtanen.

The average heart rate of an exercise also does not tell you everything about the exertion of the exercise.

“For a runner, a bike ride can be more strenuous than a basic run, despite a lower heart rate, if cycling is new or not very well trained,” says Virtanen.

If you’ve done a heart rate test on a treadmill, how do you know if you’re training at the right heart rate while cycling?

“Breathing rate and listening to your own endurance are good indicators. Of course, you can’t give this advice to an inexperienced exerciser, but the more training you do, the more you learn to recognise your own thresholds and how you feel in different disciplines,” says Virtanen.

The old rule of thumb for recognising your aerobic threshold is: if you can say a few words easily between breaths, you’re in aerobic territory. You Have to Be Able to Speak.

According to Virtanen, triathletes do heart rate tests while running, cycling, and swimming, but it is not necessary for athletes in other sports. A test in your main sport is enough.

“Individual oxygen measurements and comparisons with heart rate can be done alongside training, but a separate mat test in different sports is rarely necessary,” he says.

Tests are for development

Mikko Virtanen believes that what is more important than numerical values and fitness testing in heart rate tests is the transfer of the information gained from the test into a practical training programme and exercises.

“The most important thing is to see in the test where progress has been made and where there is room for improvement, so that this information can be considered in training. The development of a certain characteristic, such as basic endurance or speed endurance, can be considered when training different sports,” says Virtanen.

Many come for the test once a year, but in Virtanen’s opinion, in order to monitor and identify development targets, it would be more fruitful to do the test two or three times during the year. In monitoring competitive athletes, the testing station also uses the so-called small carpet tests, where the test performance is shorter, and it is not taken to the maximum range.

The results of the heart rate test are not intended to make the exerciser a slave to the heart rate monitor.

“It is important to learn to trust your own feelings. The more experience, the easier it is.”

In general, it can be stated that the heart rate difference between a few different sports is as follows: in swimming, the heart rate of the aerobic threshold can be 10-15 beats lower than in running, in cycling often 5-15 beats lower, and in classic skiing, as mentioned above, pretty much the same as in running. In skating, the heart rate can be higher because the big leg muscles are used.

When measuring heart rates, you have to remember that performance technique and therefore also economy always affect the behavior of the heart rate. When changing sports, it’s not necessarily worth comparing your heart rates, but it’s better to trust your own feelings, as Mikko Virtanen states above. An experienced athlete can quite easily determine their own heart rate levels during exercise.

For the sake of repetition, it is good to review the actual heart rate levels, i.e. the different heart rate zones of the exercise – also read the article about lactate and related thresholds:

• 50–60% of maximum – generally the heart rate range for everyday life activity.

• 60-70% of maximum – basic endurance training to build aerobic base condition and recover from more powerful exercises.

• 75–85% of the maximum – speed endurance training, with which the body gets used to maintaining a brisk running speed for as long as possible.

• 85–100% of maximum – this heart rate level describes the upper limit of maximum aerobic endurance training. This is the limit where lactate builds up in the muscles so much that the pace inevitably starts to slow down (read more in the lactate article link above). In short races and skiing competitions when skiing uphill at full speed, this level can be exceeded without increasing the heart rate.

This article was previously published on our site and the information has been updated today.