In this episode we talk heart rate training with Dr. Phil Maffetone who is the creator of the MAF Method (180 minus your age) and an internationally recognized researcher in endurance science.
Dr. Phil Maffetone has worked with endurance athletes for more than thirty-five years. He is the author of eighteen books on health and fitness. He is perhaps best known for the Maffetone Method of heart rate training. Some of his clients have included running guru Dr. George Sheehan, famed New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard, marathon great Grete Waitz, and six-time Hawaii Ironman world champion Mark Allen. Outside the sports arena, Dr. Maffetone has coached a variety of people in the entertainment field, including musicians James Taylor and Johnny Cash, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and producer Rick Rubin.
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Links Mentioned in This Episode
Run Coaching. Work with a MTA running Coach.
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The Richmond Marathon on November 15, 2024 -America’s Friendliest Marathon!
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Dr. Maffetone’s two websites:
https://philmaffetone.com
https://maffetonemusic.com/home
Updated MAF 180 Formula:
Subtract your age from 180.
- Modify this number by choosing one category below that best applies to you:
If you have or are recovering from a major illness (including any operation or hospital stay), are in rehabilitation, have been prescribed any regular medication, or are chronically overtrained, subtract an additional 10. - If you are injured, have regressed or not improved in training (such as poor MAF tests) or competition, get more than two colds, flu or other infections per year, have seasonal allergies or asthma, are overfat, are acutely overtraining, or if you have been inconsistent, just beginning or returning to exercise, subtract an additional 5.
- If you have been training consistently (at least four times weekly) for up to 2 years without any of the problems mentioned in (a) or (b), no modification is necessary (use 180 minus age as your MAF HR).
If you have been training for more than 2 years without any of the problems listed above, have made progress in your MAF tests, and have improved competitively, add 5.
The resulting HR is the high end of the HR range with the low being 10 beats below. Train at this heart rate to build a strong aerobic base and improve the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel.
What people are saying,
“Excellent podcast episode! One of his interviews on MTA years ago got me started to run regularly, take care of my nutrition and many more things. I‘m forever thankful for his insights and wisdom!” -Steffen
8 Responses
Thanks for this interview. This method makes a lot of sense to me. Angie, were you able to do long runs, over 10 miles using this method in the cold or hot months?Did you have to build up gradually to do long runs with this method? I tried a couple of weeks of this recently and after spending nearly twice the time on the course as I would have running normally, I was so cold and unhappy. The joy I typically feel after a run was just not there. I decided to put the idea on hold for a bit. I am training for an October 2025 marathon so the days will be coming soon where I need to be out there a long long time if I use MAFF. I can’t quite figure out when is the best time to implement this method. I live in upstate NY where it’s been unseasonably cold this spring. Any suggestions from your experience? Thank you.
Hi Deena, I’m glad that you enjoyed this interview. When I started MAF training we were heading into the spring/summer in SE Missouri (which was very hot and humid). I was able to run longer distances with this method but it meant a LOT of walk breaks. I’ve found that temperature fluctuations, my stress level, sleep, nutrition, hormonal cycle, and more all affect my heart rate so it’s definitely a matter of taking it one run at a time. As you noticed, it definitely takes a huge mental adjustment to do strict heart rate training because runs often take a lot more time. One adjustment I made was switching from a miles based plan to minutes. For example, my long run might be 2.5 hours (instead of 16 miles). You will end up covering fewer miles overall by doing this but the time on your feet will translate into endurance. For marathons I typically recommend capping the total long run time to 4 hours to allow for proper recovery between training sessions. Sometimes people choose to do strict MAF training in their “off season” or when they don’t have any goal races on the calendar. That way it takes some pressure off. Hope that helps!
Thanks Angie. I like the idea of switching from a miles based plan to minutes. All that ‘moving time on feet’ has got to help increase endurance. And recovery from being out there for super extended periods of time seems like could cause other problems. I’ll give this some more thought. I appreciate you letting me know your experience! Love the podcast.
Thank you Deena! Happy running.
My MAF is 180 – 76=104. I’m in good condition, add 5= 109. My Max Heart rate is 171 and easy HR is between 120 and 140. (Zones 1 and 2). How do interpret this?
With those numbers, according to MAF your endurance zone would be between 99-109 beats per minute.
Hi,
I’d like to know if what Dr Phil is saying is we literally cannot eat any sugar or our training is worthless?
Good question. He personally doesn’t eat (or recommend) added sugars and highly processed foods. However, I don’t think he’s saying that consuming these things negates your training but that these foods cause additional stress to the body which can interfere with optimal fitness and training.