Customer Reviews

Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book after reading all the 5-star reviews from Amazon readers, but found it not so useful for someone like me who is new to running. It's written in a friendly, conversational style but the author assumes you are already a runner and know quite a bit about training. For example, Week 1 of his "Novice" training program includes a 5-mile run and several 3-mile runs, and he assumes you already know about intervals, tempo runs, and other training techniques. If you're below this level, there's not much guidance for you here. This book is probably terrific for the experienced and committed runner, especially one who has had some coaching. However, if you're just starting off with running for fun or fitness, an alternative I'd recommend is the chapter on heart rate monitors in "The New York Road Runners Club Complete Book of Running and Fitness" (Random House, 1997), which I found after I purchased this book. It offers a much shorter, clearer discussion of training with a heart rate monitor and includes a good plan for those just getting started.

Happy running to you experienced folks and us beginners too!

This is the best heart rate guide I have found for runners. Parker isn't anal about rules - like Jack Daniels, he gives you rules, but also gives you a lot of common sense with which to interpret, bend and if necessary break the rules. Plenty of training schedules for runners of all levels. Nice section on "periodization," or why you need to build up training intensity over a period of weeks, peak, rest and start the process over again. Nice personal stories. Great sense of humor. Parker is also very open about when and where to "cheat" on the rules.

This book, plus my monitor, has changed the way I train. My easy running is easier (I even stop and walk without guilt!), my hard running is more structured and intense, my injuries are nil and my times are improved. I would recommend it to any runner who is serious or thinking about getting more serious.

During the years that I've been training and competing in races from the mile to the marathon, I've read everything I could get my hands on about running. This Book Is The BEST!. It is the only book I have ever recommended to anyone on the subject. Here's why.. (1) The author is extremely readable. He informs without being condescending or a becoming a statistical drone. (2) The program works for you and with you. No more guessing whether you're training to hard or not hard enough. As you're fitness improves (and it will), so does your pace -- with NO ADDITIONAL effort. (3) Running has becomes a pleasure again. The core of the program are runs done at 70% of your max heart rate. These runs build endurance at a pace that leaves you looking forward to the next run. (4) The book gives training plans for those who don't want to plan a program, but, also explains the "philosophy" clearly enough so that one could confidently adapt your training to meet your individual needs.

Now, you may notice that I haven't mentioned faster race times. I believe the author has the best comment on that -- IF YOU DON'T RUN A PERSONAL RECORD AFTER FOLLOWING HIS PROGRAM. HE PROMISES TO REFUND YOUR MONEY.

I could go on but the proof is in the pages. If you want to improve your health and your running THIS IS THE BOOK.

This is the best book I have found for heart rate monitor training with running. He explains why and how HRM training works. He gives good max heart rate tests. He also suggest training programs and gives several case studies. I also bought Ed Burke's book "Precision Heart Rate Training". It was more suited for a variety of sports and did not go into the depth that Parker's book does. Sally Edwards' "Heart Zone Training" is too basic for the serious recreational athlete. This is THE book to get if you have or are thinking about getting a HRM to use with running!

The primary emphasis of this book is on how to use a heart rate monitor for sports performance improvements. The text is focused on runners, but the principles described apply to cycling, swimming, or cross-country skiing, in short in can be applied to any sport endurance training. Nevertheless the same principles can be used for general fitness improvement.

When I bought this book, about six years ago, I was looking for an introductory reference on the use of heart rate monitors for general fitness improvements, and wasn't disappointed at all, since what I learned really worked out for me: Armed with a Polar Heart Rate Monitor (the old M61) I was able to drop more than 200 lbs in about eight months, and the heart rate monitor training has helped me keep those lbs off for over six years. Not only I went fro size 44 to size 32 pants, but also obtained substantial benefits that included weight control, cardiovascular improvements, lowered blood pressure, and improved muscular-skeletal strength and flexibility, but also the myriad of mental and psychological benefits derived from being in the best shape of my life.

The book teaches you how to calculate the most important parameters for heart rate monitor training: Maximum Heart Rate, Resting Heart Rate, the Recovery Ceiling, and the Threshold Flour. When I first started training with the heart rate monitor I was unable to jog even for five uninterrupted minutes without gasping for air. After a few months of following one of the training principles lay out in the book (The Hard/Easy Principle): alternating hard training days with easy training days, I was able to go jogging for 90 uninterrupted minutes six days a week.

The book is written in a clear and conversational way, that makes it a must have for anyone and everyone looking for introductory information on the use of heart rate monitors training for sport performance, health improvement or weight control.

With the introduction of Heart Rate Monitors for endurance sports, a number of training guides have been written regarding their use. Most of the ones that I've previously read have been given to people who suffer from sleep disorders as reading material. "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" by John L. Parker is totally different. This guide is hilarious and may end up being the most useful book on training that I've ever purchased. The schedules that Parker outlines range from novice athlete to those intended for the serious competitor. I would highly recommend this book for those who want to use a HRM to improve their performances and have some fun at the same time. Parker is the author of the legendary "Once a Runner" a classic in the running world.

Before you strap on a heart monitor, you should definitely read this book. It will improve your PRs (it did mine). If your running has become a chore, the tips in this book will put the fun back into your training. I definitely recommend this book!

I found the advice in this book to be excellent. It is factual and straight to the point. However, the main point of the book is to run your "easy" runs at 70% of max heart rate and your "hard" runs at 85%. Good advice but that's what I paid $23 (Cdn.) for? Hardly seems worth the money. There are some good training programs contained within but nothing I couldn't get over the Net for free. The middle of the book is filled with testamonials which are interesting and certainly give credence to the author's training theories but only serve to highlight his main point about 70% and 85% training. I would have liked to see some more specific examples of different types of workouts and how you can use the heart rate monitor to increase their effectiveness or simply to add variety to a training program.

Overall, simple but excellent advice.

This is a pretty good book. I don't know what the author was thinking about though by giving it that title. I didn't want to read it or buy it because... well, I don't consider myself to be a complete or compleat idiot.

The fact is, he is a good author and a great trainer. The basic premise of the book is to remember to 1. RECOVER and 2. Use the right fuel. I wrote a complete review on my weblog:<a href="http://charanis.com/blog/2005/04/02/heart-monitor-training-book/"> Heart Monitor Training Book..</a> http://charanis.com/blog/2005/04/02/heart-monitor-training-book/

Here are some quotes:

Lactic acid and its effects

Fast twitch red cells

The Bear is lactic acid build-up

The Wall is lack of glycogen

The secret about breathing (hint - winded isn't lack of oxygen - its that their muscle cells can't use it).

Duration of training is key to fat burning

Running longer then two hours is counter productive

Training increases blood supply

It takes time to grow capillaries (Be patient)

buy this book if you are training -

I have been running, cycling, lifting weights, stretching, skating, skiing and falling off cliffs for thirty years. As I enter my sixties I find that I am not quite as fast as I once was and want to optimize my exercise. I found this book.

The reason I like this book is that it doesn't emphasize staying in "the zone," but emphasizes what to do on those days when I'm not going hard (burning glycogen). I'm sold. I am now on a hard/easy/easy schedule, using the monitor to keep my heartrate below 70% THR on my recovery days. Already I'm threatening to break a 10 minute mile baby. Rory Donaldson, slogger, roryd@brainsarefun.com