How Dean Karnazes Uses Heart Rate Data While Training

Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes explains how heart rate tech helps him train

PurePulse Heart Rate is a new technology at Fitbit that we’re really proud of. Included in  ChargeHR, Charge 2, Alta HR, Blaze and Surge, it offers continuous, automatic, wrist-based heart rate and simplified heart rate zones. Tracking your heart rate allows you to accurately track your calorie burn, maintain workout intensity, maximize training, and optimize your results. But how do you use it?

We turned to Fitbit ambassador and ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes to learn how he uses the heart rate tracking in his Fitbit Surge while training for his races.

Having a heart rate monitor is an invaluable tool for maximizing your training and quantifying aerobic improvements that occur as a result. Without having such measurements you don’t know whether you’re improving or not and can’t train as efficiently.

When I’m training, I monitor my heart rate to stay within certain parameters during certain stages of the run. Mostly I try to stay within the target range to help conserve energy and avoid building up too much lactic acid. But during interval training I push toward the upper ranges for set intervals of time during speed bursts.

To make the most out of your ChargeHR or Surge, wear it 24/7 to get used to watching fluctuations in your heartbeat and correlating those with the way you feel. This will give you a more innate understanding of how your body works throughout the course of the day.

How have you used PurePulse to accomplish your goals? Let us know!

2 Comments   Join the Conversation

2 CommentsLeave a comment

  • I just bought a new Charge 2 (2/13/17). Is there a way to get notification that I am moving from one zone to the next while working out without looking? Or to let another app use the HR data in real time like a chest monitor? I am accustomed to hearing an app call out when I am moving from zone to zone and modifying my workout accordingly.

  • How can I set my Surge to display the Time and Heart Monitor as shown in your advertising for the Fitbits.

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