Training Tip: Are you “Cardiac Drifting”?

Mark Baines, Vice President of Program Development
Cardiac drift is the tendency for the heart rate to rise gradually throughout a workout due to dehydration and/or rising temperature within the muscles despite a fairly consistent level of effort or steady work rate. In 1990, a study was performed in Italy with 34 male, recreationally athletic subjects to assess changes in heart rate while training at the lactate threshold level. During a test requiring 60 minutes of work, the study found that heart rates increased significantly after only 20 minutes of exercise at the lactate threshold.

The authors of the study suggested that these heart rate changes, despite consistent work rate, may be due to a gradual increase in body temperature over the first 20 minutes. Depending upon the individual’s current conditioning, and other external factors, it was not possible to maintain the same heart rate and a consistent level of effort in almost all cases.

Cardiac drifting is very normal and typical in well trained individuals (an untrained or deconditioned individual would not see much consistency at almost any consistent level of effort). It should be expected that the heart rate will vary within 5-10 percent or so at a consistent level of effort after as little as only a few minutes of training. The implication for training is that it is not always possible to maintain a consistent level of effort if the heart rate continues to drift upward at a given intensity (particularly when the heart rate rises above the individual’s lactate threshold). At some point in time, with prolonged effort, the individual may be forced to decrease effort dramatically or reach the point of complete exhaustion.

Several years ago, the great endurance athlete, Ingrid Kristiansen, set out to run a 10k under 33 minutes. However, at one point in the race, her heart rate monitor let her know that her heart rate was drifting upward despite the consistent level of effort which she had grown accustomed to giving. It was quite hot that day. Fortunately, she was wise enough to decrease her pace and allow her heart rate to return to an expected level to avoid “blowing up” completely and she was able to finish the race, although not at a record pace. If she had continued to pursue the same pace, she might not have finished the race at all. While power output and pacing are obviously important variables to track and pursue, we cannot ignore the body’s internal responses for the sake of power output or pace, or we will experience lackluster or traumatic results.

Pay attention to heart rate AND perceived exertion. You must know both, you must understand booth, and you must constantly monitor both if you expect to provide the right training intensity for your clients and athletes. Whether or not your client is breathing hard is far from the ideal way to determine intensity in cardiovascular exercise or more intense training circuits.

The above information was excerpted from the NESTA Heart Rate Performance Specialist (HRP) manual.

We can never know enough, and there is no better time than now to learn more to help more people. It is early in the new year and it is a good time for a new beginning. You just might make a good living on the way.

Resolutioners--Stick to your guns!

Here we are in week two of your new life and you are trying hard to stick to your plan to get in shape. If things are going exactly how you planned then good job, keep going and if you need some help feel free to come back to this again and again. If this big change is starting to get to you then this may be perfect timing for inspiration. Here are some tips on helping you get through to the other side.


Make sure you have a plan with short term and long-term goals. You will need to be very purposeful in the beginning. If you have a plan each week, with a goal for that week, it will be easier to stick to it. Also, try to have a couple long-term goals that you are striving for at the end of one year. This will keep you focused on the long-term results of your new life change. Keep going. Change is hard. It is never a breeze to start fresh and begin again. That’s why not many people do it. But take heart, soon all this work will become habit and you will begin to wonder how lived any other way. This usually takes about 3-6 months so press on and keep striving to reach your goals.

Find a buddy to help you out. Share your goals with your friends. Give someone a call each day to let them know how you’re doing and what your plan is for the day. Or you may even want to get someone to join you on your journey by taking up the same new lifestyle you are choosing for yourself. Make sure you choose someone who really wants to change. You want someone who will hold you accountable when you feel like you can’t go on.

If losing weight is your main goal, don’t always rely on your scale. Remember that muscle weighs much more than fat and sometimes just looking in a full length mirror will tell you how you’re doing better than a scale can.

Try new things, being happy is important so experiment with new ways to be active and you will find that you are more likely to stick to your goals. Plus, different activities will work different parts of your body so that you will have a more balanced exercise bank to select from. Walking, snowshoeing, interval training, swimming, cycling, tennis, and skiing are just a few fun forms of exercise that you could try. I recently realized that I love punching & kicking the punching bag in my gym. It gets my heart rate up higher than I ever thought it would and my hamstrings were sore for a week afterward!

Hire a personal trainer. One thing I enjoy doing with my clients is setting up an obstacle course around the track to really shake up the routine.

If there is a certain type of activity that you can’t stand, then don’t do it. Many people think they have to torture themselves in order to get into shape. But that is not the case. There are so many other things to choose from so pick something that will help you be positive and that you will enjoy. It is awesome that you are trying to make positive lifestyle changes. The benefits of these changes will be with you forever and your body will thank you for it. You can do it and you will do it!