Rucking with a Heart Rate Monitor: How to Stay In The Zone

0:00 Have you ever finished a ruck feeling completely smoked, looked down at your watch and realized you have no idea what those heart rate numbers actually mean? Are you building your aerobic base or just accumulating fatigue? Are you training for longevity or just training hard? Because there's a difference. Today we're breaking down heart rate zones in a way that actually applies to ruckers. Not just definitions, but how to use them in real time. When to push, when to back off, why zone 2 is the foundation for long -term cardiovascular health. how hydration can skew your data, and how to tell if you're actually getting fitter over time. If you're wearing a watch but guessing at what it's telling you, this episode will fix that. You're listening to the Rucker's Edge podcast, a show all about rucking that is designed to help you improve your rucking routine, lose weight, and ultimately gain your strength and energy back. Each episode dives into the science, stories, and strategies behind rucking. You'll learn from top ruckers, coaches, health experts, and performance specialists who break down what it takes to train smarter, recover faster, and stay ready for the next challenge.

1:01 So whether you're new to rucking or an experienced rucker that has already logged hundreds of miles, this is the show for you. I'm your host, Spencer. Thanks for listening in. Before we dive into the conversation, I just want to ask real quick, if this show has helped you in any way, it would be amazing if you could drop me a quick review on whatever app you're using to listen to this podcast right now. It helps me bring new episodes every week, and more importantly, more people looking to improve their fitness will be able to discover the podcast. Thanks so much. Alright, let's start with some context, because it's easy to take the heart for granted. Us ruckers tend to be gearheads. We might be obsessed over our footwear, our pack, our socks, and meanwhile, the most important piece of equipment we have is sitting inside our chest doing about 100 ,000 beats a day. Here's a stat that is frightening.

1:46 Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for roughly one in every five deaths. One in five. According to the CDC, that's over 900 ,000 U .S. citizens every year. But as Rutgers, we know how to combat that statistic. Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have to combat cardiovascular disease. Research published in journals like the Journal of American College of Cardiology, has consistently shown that the recommended amounts of moderate intensity aerobic activity, which is about 150 to 300 minutes per week, are associated with about 20 to 30 % lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, with higher amounts of aerobic activity reducing risks by 28 to 38%. Your heart is a muscle. Train it and it gets stronger. Neglect it and it deteriorates just like any other muscle. One more number before I move on. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, according to the World Health Organization. It ranks behind high blood pressure, tobacco use, and high blood glucose. We're literally designed to move, and when we don't, the consequences are measurable and serious. This is why I believe rucking is genuinely one of the best things a person can do for their long -term health. It is low impact.

3:09 weight -bearing, and cardiovascular all at once. You don't need a gym membership. You don't need a coach. You strap on a pack and you walk. And your heart, if you pay attention to it, will tell you exactly how much work it's doing. That's what today is about, tracking our heart rates and adjusting our rucking activity and intensity. I want to address something before we go any further because it needs to be said. Technology is great. I genuinely love it. I love that we live in an era where a $300 watch on your wrist can greet you every morning with a nice message and summarize your current health metrics based on your night's sleep and your previous day's activity. If you're rocking a Garmin, here's just a partial rundown of what those watches can track. They track resting and active heart rates, HRV, VO2 max, training status, training load, aerobic and anaerobic training effect, recovery time, body battery, blood oxygen, sleep stages, stress score, blah blah blah blah blah.

4:06 The list goes on. It's remarkable. A few decades ago, elite athletes paid thousands of dollars for data like that. but this amount of data at our fingertips can get complicated fast. If you're spending more time staring at your watch than actually being present on your ruck, something's off. If you're anxious because your body battery dipped below 30, or you're frustrated because your training status says unproductive, even though you feel fine, that's the technology working against you, not for you. So before you go down that rabbit hole of metrics, ask yourself three questions. These are three questions that I sort of just brainstormed. The first one being, what is your goal? If you're rucking for longevity to feel good, stay healthy, and be functional for the next 30 years, you don't necessarily need to be tracking 10 metrics simultaneously.

4:55 Consistency matters more than optimization. If your goal is something measurable, like losing a specific amount of weight or improving your VO2 max, then yeah, data becomes more useful because you have a target to compare against. And if you're rucking as a form of stress relief, then what else matters besides stepping away from work and moving your body? The second question to ask is, how much brain capacity do you have right now? Seriously, a lot of us ruck because life is busy and we need to step away from the noise. If reviewing training data is going to become another chore on your to -do list, you might be better served by simplifying. You can be incredibly fit and never look at a single metric. And the third and last question to ask before you use tech, or if you want to use tech, is what is your budget? An old Timex does not qualify you from training well. Budget accordingly.

5:47 You do not need to spend $1 ,000 to improve your fitness. Now, why do I personally track heart rate? Well, because I'm a scientist and I love data. I love plotting trends on a graph and forming narratives from what I see. Heart rate data over time might be one of the most honest stories your body can tell. about itself. All right, let's start talking about heart rate zones and why zone two is the zone. Heart rate zones are ranges that correspond to different levels of cardiovascular effort. There are five defined heart rate zones and each zone represents a training intensity. In my research for this episode, I read Garmin's description for each zone and I really like how they break that down. So I'm going to share that with you here. Zone one can be thought of as a warmup. It's about 50 to 60 % of your max heart rate. The training in zone one feels like a relaxed, easy pace with rhythmic breathing. It improves your heart's ability to pump blood and your muscles' ability to use oxygen.

6:47 Zone 2 is easy. It's 60 -70 % of your max heart rate. Training in Zone 2 is at a comfortable pace where you're breathing more deeply but can still hold a conversation. It's good for recovery and basic cardiovascular training. Zone 3 is aerobic with 70 -80 % of your max heart rate. Zone 3 training is done at a moderate pace where it's more difficult to hold a conversation. Zone three strengthens your lungs and heart for more endurance. Zone four, which is known as sort of like the threshold zone, that's 80 to 90 % of your max heart rate. In zone four, you're moving at a fast, almost uncomfortable pace with forceful breathing. It improves anaerobic capacity and lactate threshold. And lastly, zone five, that's your max, which is 90 to 100 % of your max HR. When you reach zone five, you typically are at a sprint pace that is difficult to sustain for a long time. And breathing is definitely labored. Each zone has its place. But for Rutgers who care about longevity and long -term cardiovascular health, zone two is the foundation. And before I go any further, I just want to remind everyone, I'm not a doctor. And the content presented here is for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this episode is medical advice.

8:01 I'm just a guy who rucks, likes to learn new things, and enjoys looking at data. If you have any heart conditions or concerns at all, definitely talk to your doctor before you start adjusting your training based on heart rate zones. Now back to zone two. So why is zone two ideal for ruckers? Well, let's hit up our rucking community's favorite literature for some insight on this. I'm talking about the books Outlive by Peter Attia, The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, and a new one, RuckFit, authored by a previous guest of the show, Kayla Gergen. In Outlive, Atiyah makes the case that Zone 2 training is one of the most underrated tools for longevity. When you train in Zone 2, you're building your mitochondrial density. Mitochondria, as you may remember from your high school or your college biology class, they are the powerhouses of the cell. And the more you have of them and the more efficient they are, the better your body runs at everything. More mitochondria means better fat metabolism, better glucose regulation, better cardiovascular output, and lower resting heart rate over time. Atiyah advocates for around 80 % of weekly training to be in Zone 2 with 20 % of your weekly training at higher intensities.

9:07 Now, Michael Easter in The Comfort Crisis, and I guess in his new book, Walking with Weight, I haven't read that book yet, but he talks about how humans evolved to cover long distances under a load, and that this specific kind of sustained, moderate effort movement is what our cardiovascular system has adapted for. He makes the case that rucking is arguably the exercise we were built to do and a pace that keeps us in zone 2 is something we should be targeting. Kayla Gergen in RuckFit echoes this from a practical standpoint. That rucking consistently at moderate intensity is more sustainable and more effective for body composition and cardiovascular improvement than grinding yourself with high intensity work day after day. Zone 2 is where your aerobic base is built, it's where fat oxidation is highest, it's where you can train for long durations without excessive recovery, and rucking by its very nature is one of the best Zone 2 modalities available.

10:06 So how do you figure out your heart rate zones? Well, the traditional formula is subtracting your age from 220 to get your estimated maximum heart rate. So, for example, if you're 40, your estimated max is 180 beats per minute, so 220 minus 40 is 180. Zone 2 is generally 60 to 70 % of that max, so for that 40 -year -old, roughly 108 to 126 beats per minute. Now, this formula is not perfect. It's a population average, and this varies person to person. Some people's true max is 20 beats higher than that formula predicts. This is a starting point. The most accurate way to find your true max is a graded exercise stress test done in a lab with a medical professional monitoring your heart while you work up to maximum exertion on a treadmill or a bike. That is the gold standard, but recreational ruckers don't need a stress test. The formula gets you close enough to start, and you can refine from there as you collect data. There's an even simpler feel test for zone 2 that I love, and actually the definition of zone 2 through Garmin talks about this, and that is the talk test. If you can carry on a conversation in full, comfortable sentences while rucking, not gasping, not struggling, then you're in zone 2. If you're having trouble stringing more than a few words together, you've drifted into zone 3. Let's talk about how to use our heart rate data and know when to push and when to pull back. This is pretty obvious

11:39 stuff here, but if your heart rate is consistently below the bottom of your target zone, you have room to work harder. So here are some ways that you can work harder and increase your heart rate. You can add weight. You can pick up the pace. Add elevation to your rucks. Try a mid -ruck workout. So do some squats, lunges, overhead presses with your ruck. Or you can mix up the variables until you find what really moves the needle for you. For someone newer to fitness, adding weight might be enough, but someone that has a solid aerobic base, picking up the pace and adding elevation might be what bumps them up to their target heart rate zone. There's no universal answer. If your heart rate exceeds the top of your target zone, then back off. Slow down. Reduce the weight. Let your cardiovascular system settle back down. Pro tip. Set an alert on your fitness tracker for your zone boundaries.

12:33 Let the device tell you when you drift above or below your target. That way you can stay present on your ruck and let the technology do the monitoring. Okay, but what about after your ruck? What do you do with that data? One ruck's worth of heart rate data doesn't tell you that much. Three months of data, six months of data. Now you're reading a story. How do you know you're making progress? Well, the clearest signal. is that your heart rate at a given pace and pack weight is getting lower over time. So same three -mile route, same 30 -pound ruck. Three months ago, your average heart rate was 140. Today, it's 132. That's cardiovascular adaptation. Your heart is becoming more efficient.

13:16 It pumps more blood per beat, so it doesn't need to beat as frequently to do the same work. Watch for trends, not just single days. A single ruck can be influenced by sleep, hydration, stress, caffeine, temperature, so many variables. Look at the rolling averages. Look at where you were eight weeks ago versus today. Here's a misconception worth addressing. People newer to exercise often expect progress to feel dramatic. That there will be a clear moment when the ruck suddenly feels easier and they know they've arrived. Sometimes that happens, but cardiovascular improvement is usually gradual and subtle. You might not feel meaningfully different, but your heart rate data will show the adaptation. Data shows you what perception can miss. Now, on the flip side, sometimes people feel like they're grinding and going nowhere. The data might actually show their heart rate at the same effort is slowly declining.

14:07 They're getting fitter, and they just haven't noticed. That's why tracking is very useful. Before going over what heart rate monitors are best for Rutgers, let's talk about how dehydration can impact your heart rate and your data. Dehydration reduces your plasma volume, so that's the fluid portion of your blood. When plasma volume drops, your heart has to beat more frequently to maintain the same cardiac output. And your heart rate drifts upward even if your pace stays exactly the same. That phenomenon has a name. I just learned it from doing this research. It's called cardiovascular drift. Now here's a scenario. You start your ruck. Heart rate is right where you want it, say 125 beats per minute. 45 minutes in, same pace, same terrain, heart rate is 140.

14:51 You have not sped up. You haven't added load, but your heart is working harder. So what changed? Probably hydration. If your heart rate is steadily climbing 10 to 15 beats per minute over the course of a ruck at the same effort, before you assume something is wrong with your fitness, ask yourself when was the last time you had water. Staying hydrated is the most direct lever you can pull to keep your heart rate stable during exercise. As I have mentioned in previous episodes, drink before you feel thirsty. By the time thirst registers, you're already behind and a little dehydrated. Okay, so let's talk hardware. I'm organizing this by accuracy hierarchy because not all monitors are created equal. So tier one, the most accurate are probably going to be chest straps. Chest straps use electrodes to detect the electrical signal your heart generates with every beat.

15:44 So same principle as an EKG at your doctor's office. The strap sits across your chest. The electrode makes contact with your skin and it reads the electrical activity directly. There's no interpretation. It's a direct measurement. A solid dependable one is the Polar H10. It has Bluetooth and ANT plus connectivity. And it pairs with most watches and apps, and it stores data internally. It has exceptional accuracy even during high -intensity efforts. If you have a Garmin, you can pair the H10 directly to it. Your Garmin displays and records the chest strap data with your activity. I think that's the move if you're serious about precise data. Tier 2, now this is very good, the bicep and armband monitors. I've never used one of these, but these use optical sensors. which is the same technology as wristwatches or fitness trackers that you wear on your wrist, but you place these on your upper arm. They have significantly better accuracy than wrist -based devices. The Polar Verity Sense is a pretty decent option. It goes on the upper arm. It's wireless. It's near the chest strap accuracy at a lower price point. It's a strong option if you want better accuracy than a watch, but prefer not to wear a chest strap. Tier three, convenient. I think this is where a lot of us fall. is our wrist -based watches or fitness trackers. Wrist devices use optical sensors, so LED lights that shine into your skin and measure how light is absorbed by blood moving through

17:16 the capillaries. More blood flow per beats means more light absorbed. That's the signal that the watch interprets as your heart rate. Wrist -based monitoring is generally accurate enough for useful data at steady -state efforts. They're less reliable during high intensity intervals or exercises with significant wrist movements. For steady rucking, most good wrist devices give you a reasonable read. I'm biased. I'm a Garmin wearer. I have a Garmin Instinct. It has a pretty robust integration with Garmin Connect for trend analysis. There's also Polar makes a Pacer Pro, I think is what their wrist. heart rate monitor is. I know Whoop, I think they're on the fourth version, 4 .0.

18:03 There's no screen. It's a subscription -based. It's excellent for 24 -hour recovery and HRV monitoring. I think that's its selling point. Wrist trackers also capture resting heart rate and sleep heart rate. So that's data your chest strap misses because you're not wearing it at night. I don't think people are wearing those at night. And then lastly, tier four, these are recovery -focused. I added this on the list because I'm just curious about them, but those are your smart rings. The Oura Ring uses optical sensors on your finger where the signal can be quite clean, but it's not ideal for workouts. Oh, here's something interesting that I came across doing this research for this episode. There's an issue with ruckers and heart rate monitoring. And it makes sense now that, you know, I read it and I'm thinking about it, but your rucksack strap.

18:52 If you're wearing a wrist -based monitor, your rucksack's shoulder strap can throw off the reading. Optical sensors depend on consistent blood flow at the sensor site, and the shoulder straps of your ruck compress the tissue of your shoulder and upper arm area, which can restrict blood flow reaching your wrist. On top of that, strap movement creates vibrations on your forearm, which introduces motion artifact into the optical reading. This is just another reason to pick up a pair of ruck loops. Ruck loops are awesome. I included a link in the show notes. I highly suggest you pick up a pair of those. But yeah, anyway, chest straps are completely unaffected by this, by the way. Bicep straps worn above the ruck strap contact point are also unaffected.

19:36 If you've ever glanced down at your watch mid -ruck and gotten a reading that seemed wildly off, it likely could be that the straps compressing on your shoulders is the culprit. Alright, let's summarize what we discussed today. Heart rate zones give you a map for your training. Zone 2 is your foundation, where your aerobic base is built, where fat metabolism is highest, where longevity adaptations happen. The talk test is a free and effective tool for getting you there. Your formula for figuring out your max heart rate is 220 minus your age. Monitor your heart rate during your rucks to stay honest, stay hydrated. Cardiovascular drift is real. Set zone alerts on your tracker so you can stay present for your ruck. And track your data over time. A lower heart rate at the same pace and the same weight over weeks and months is the clearest signal you're getting fitter. And then when it comes to choosing your monitor, choose it based off your needs. Chest strap for the most accurate data. Bicep strap as a strong middle ground.

20:33 Wrist -based watch for convenience and all -day tracking. So keep it simple, stay consistent, and let your heart rate data tell you the story of your progress. That's it. That's all I have for today. Feel free to reach out to me at theruckersedge .com. And if you want to find me on social media, you can follow me on Instagram at theruckersedgepod. But that's all I got for today. Sincerely, thank you for listening. I'll catch you next time on The Rucker's Edge.