Maffetone Method – Low Heart Rate Marathon Plan

What if marathon training didn’t leave you feeling like you needed a nap every day of the week?
What if long runs didn’t make you so ravenous you cleaned out the pantry every Sunday?
What if you could get faster and leaner without killing yourself?

These benefits drew me to Low Heart Rate training, also know as the Maffetone Method and I’ve been following it, coaching it and enjoying the benefits for years!!

While low heart rate training is more of method of training and less of a prescribed plan, I am including it the comparison of marathon training programs because it’s currently what I use.

What is Low Heart Rate Training?

Many of you have asked for more details to decide if it’s a good fit for your training.

It’s almost so simple that it feels confusing, checkout the basic 180 formula below.

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• Low heart rate training helps you build a stronger aerobic base
• Low heart rate training helps you stop using  your watch to determine what is an EASY run
• Instead, your body tells you what an easy run
• Doing easy runs correctly improves your recovery
• Doing easy runs correctly allows you to push harder on speed work days
• Doing easy runs correctly prevents injuries and improves running endurance

The biggest concern, issue, road block for many runners is that in the initial stages (month 1) they often have to slow their pace dramatically to stay within the prescribed heart rate. A better understanding of the program shows that this proves Maffetone’s point about the need for a stronger base before doing speed.

I think this style of running benefits tremendously from a Maffetone Method coach. Otherwise there are often concerns about going too slowly or when to add in speed, strength, etc.

MAFFETONE METHOD PRINCIPLES

The MAF Method (also known as Maximum Aerobic Function) in regards to running is pretty basic, which makes most people assume they’ve missed something…they haven’t. It’s all detailed very well in The Big Book of Endurance Training.

• No run should be done above your max calculated HR
• First mile should be done up to 10 beats per min slower than max
• ALL cardiovascular work should be done at or below this number
• MAF 3-5 mile test performed every 4 weeks to monitor progress
• This is NOT training in heart rate zones.
• After plateauing, you can add some speed, but no more than 20% of your workouts
• No grains, sugars, more fat in the diet for better fuel (I do not follow this part)
• No stretching, only structured yoga (I do not follow this part)

Goal: Improve speed while maintaining HR which is most efficient for utilizing fat as fuel, recovery and overall bodily stress.

What is the 180 Formula for Heart Rate?

1. 180
2. Subtract your age
3. Adjust number using the following:
-If you do not workout, subtract 5 beats.
-If you workout only 1-2 days a week, subtract 2 or 3 beats.
-If you workout 3-4 times a week keep the number where it is.
-If you workout 5-6 times a week keep the number where it is.
-If you workout 7 or more times a week and have done so for over a year, add 5 beats.
-If you are over 55 or younger than 25, add 5 beats to whatever number you now have.
-If you are under 20 years old, add an additional 5 beats.

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It is not training in heart rate zones, this is training at a base low heart rate. It’s best explained with these statements from Mark Allen:

• It is the heart rate that will enable you to recover day to day from your training
• It’s the maximum heart rate that will help you burn those last few pounds of fat
• It is the heart that will build the size of your internal engine so that you have more power to give when you do want to maximize your heart rate in a race situation.

Beyond the running component, Maffetone is focused on whole body health and while his program certainly leads to faster runner over time for many his main goal is healthy long term running.

WHO SHOULD TRY THE MAF METHOD?

Is utilizing LHR something that might help you become a better runner? Here’s a few ways to know:

• Need to improve aerobic base
• Need to learn pacing by effort not just watch
• Desire to improve fat utilization in running {important for endurance events}
• Constant soreness and aches during training
• Those with high sugar cravings during training
• Those with high body or life stress which are already impacting the body
• Those not recovering well from training {increased resting HR}
• Those finding themselves injured repeatedly
• Those experience more than normal fatigue every time they increase mileage

If you are someone who enjoys speed workouts or a lot of variety then the MAF method will likely bore you to tears. However, it might be worth adding to the beginning of a training cycle for base building.

But does Low Heart Rate Training help with racing?

In my personal experience and as a coach, yes.

• My personal results after just 4 months (PR without speed work)
• Results from other LHR athletes

Additionally, there is the Maffetone diet piece of training.

Largely it’s about removing crap food from your diet! He does start to get in to a bit of the low carb high fat model of eating, which I don’t believe is right for everyone.

How to Do a MAF Test?

One of the tenants of the Maffetone method is doing MAF tests to help track your progress in aerobic function. The MAF test is performed as follows:

1. Warm up 10-15 minutes (keeping at least 10 beats below max HR)
2. Select a 5 mile course which you can use for all tests {3 miles if you run less than 60 min for a long run}
3. Run as close to your target heart rate as you can for the entire test
4. Each mile should be slower than the previous mile (because your HR will go up causing you to need to slow)
5. Always do it on the same day of training at the same time for most accurate results

Your times should consistently improve. If they get slower during a session that is a sign to back off intensity or total work load in the coming weeks.

Benefits of Low Heart Rate Training

Long time readers know that in 2011, I began battling health issues that made getting out of bed feel like a 20 mile run and thus my actual runs felt like someone had piled bricks on my shoulders.

I mean I did them anyways because not running would have made me even crazier.

What I didn’t understand at the time was how cortisol, adrenals and my heart rate could impact my runs, mood and health.

“In far too many cases, athletes push their bodies in hopes of better competitive performance. However, the benefits typically occur only in the short term, and often at the expense of years of poor health.” Dr Maffetone

Burning Fat Not Carbs

So you’ve heard of the myth of a “fat burning zone” in at least one magazine article right?

Then you turned around and read about doing HIIT which blows that idea out of the water. What’s a runner to do that’s trying to lose weight? And what if you’re trying to get faster?

“The dilemma faced by millions who burn a lot of exercise calories but still have too much body fat is simple: people are burning the wrong calories. We don’t want to just burn calories. We want to burn fat calories. This requires training the metabolism to burn more fat and less sugar all day and night.” Dr. Maffetone

While running, your body uses both fat and carbohydrates for energy. The body slides between these two fuel sources depending on a number of things.

• Duration/Intensity of the workout
• Long term training to teach the body what to use
• Calorie balance {quality vs crap slowing down digestion}
• Overall muscle {how efficient your body is}
• Eating right {what are you giving your body to convert to fuel}

How to teach your body to burn fat?

Well…use the Maffetone method. No seriously, everything about this style of training is extremely straight forward! Checkout my own testing with a sports doctor showing exactly how the type of fuel we burn changes with intensity.

Eliminating your confusion over high or low intensity- studies show MODERATE seems to be the best place to burn fat and see improvements. And working out right at your maximum HR as determined with the 180 formula is exactly that, moderate.

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I profiled a friend of mine who used this style of training for triathlon and lost significant weight, while dropping her mile time by minutes, not seconds!! Read all about metabolic efficiency.

What about burning fat and performance? I thought I needed to use carbs?

Ah haaaa now you’ve entered my world of Low Heart Rate Training.

Your body stores roughly 2 hours worth of glycogen (what carbs become to be used as fuel), after that you will start to tap in to your fat stores IF you’ve trained your body appropriately.

Otherwise well, welcome to the dreaded wall, where your body NEEDS more quick carbs, non-stop because it doesn’t know how to use any other fuel…this is when you find yourself sucking down packet after packet of gels and then hitting the porta potty.

“each workout immediately influences fat and sugar burning. As we all know, not enough physical activity contributes to being overfat.

But on the other extreme, so can overtraining, as evident in the many athletes with surprisingly high amounts of body fat, despite working out for 10, 15, 20 or more hours each week.

They burn a lot of calories, just too few in the form of fat.” Dr Maffetone

What’s so bad about relying on carbs?

Beyond wanting to actually burn body fat, not just calories while you workout, there are performance drawbacks to relying on carbs!

When your body relies on sugars:

• your blood sugar will swing causing highs and lows in energy
• you’ll absolutely be required to take in all kinds of calories to keep moving forward
• you’re far more likely to bonk on long runs and race day

Post run you are also more likely to feel wiped out and ravenous. This way you can actually use more real food for running fuel!

What about Speed Work with Low Heart Rate Training?

Get faster without hitting the track!

Sounds impossible, but it’s not…and thank GAWD because I love all things running except wanting to hurl while running 400 repeats.

Not only have I seen it in myself, but those I coach. I do think this is a hard method to go alone because you can have so many questions, especially the up front concerns about feeling slow.

How does this work?
By forcing yourself to slow down and do all of these runs at your low heart rate, you build a solid aerobic base.The majority of runners dive in to plans with speed workouts, cross training, and long runs without truly creating a solid base.

Once your body has a solid aerobic base:

• it begins relying on fat for fuel
• you are able to run faster at that low heart rate
• less energy is required to run, which allows you to go farther.

Can I do any speed work?
Maybe.

Initially the answer is 100% no, you need to follow the LHR. After 4-6 weeks if you’re healthy and in good shape, you might find you’ve made significant progress and are feeling plateaued, so a coach could help you put in 1 workout a week for a few weeks with speed. Then you’ll go back to MAF for a bit and gauge the effects.

Another option is hoping on a treadmill and setting it to a negative incline to practice a faster turn over while keeping your HR down.

So, just slow down that’s it?
No there are other things you can do which will improve your speed before you ever set food on track:

• Learn how to breath when running {more oxygen is super helpful!}
• Reduce total life stress to reduce cortisol {meditate, yoga, rest days}
• Eat more greens, healthy sports nutrition fuel and less highly processed food
• Reduce inflammation
• Improve the basics of your running form
• Strengthen your hips
• Consistency works better than anything else, stay injury free with key PT moves

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Common Low Heart Rate Training Questions

Does running at altitude change my LHR?
No. Dang it. I really wish it did, but instead you as I am now, will have to just slow down. Overtime again the body will become stronger and adapt…then that sea level running will be killer.

Is there a specific training plan?
No. The plan is run under your HR, which is why again I recommend working with a coach. They can help you figure out the appropriate mileage and how to adjust things during training as you progress.

What about the reduced fatigued?
For me this was one of the biggest benefits! I couldn’t believe that I made it through multiple marathon training cycles in Florida, while going through early menopause apparently without feeling that crazy fatigue!

By keeping all workouts below my max LHR, I was able to consistently keep coritisol down, while feeling stronger. I also quite simply enjoyed my workouts a lot more.

Do I follow MAF on race day?
No on race day, you let it rip! All that base training will allow you to push yourself without redlining. However because you are pushing past your LHR, be prepared to fuel with some carbs. During most long runs, you might find you need nothing, but on race day a little can help.

In essence, there is a HR at which your body switches from burning fat to burning carbs. Something like the VO2 Max test can tell you this, but for ease of use it’s your Max Maffetone HR from the 180 method.

What HR monitor do you use?
I have tried a ton of them and did a full post of the best heart rate monitors for runners.

How does weather effect me?
Running in the hot, humid summer running will push your heart rate higher much quicker. Give yourself plenty of time in the warm up phase and just be willing to slow down. These runs will still lead to Fall PR’s when done correctly.

How long does it take to see results?
How deep is the hole of over training or injury you’ve created? If you’ve been pushing too hard and eating poorly for a long time it could take easily 3-6 months. You will likely continue to see progression long after that as well.

If you’ve been doing most things right and feeling good, you might actually see your times improve within just a month or two of following MAF.

Would you be willing to slow down to get faster?

How often do you pay attention to heart rate?

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