Anyone who trains regularly sooner or later asks themselves the same question: Am I actually training correctly? Not too easy, not too hard – but in such a way that training works without overloading.
This is exactly where training control comes in. It helps to plan and steer the load in a targeted way: at the right time, at the right intensity and over the right duration. In endurance training, among other things, this is decisive, because adaptations depend strongly on how you are loaded – not just how often.
What does training control actually mean?
Training control describes the attempt to set training stimuli deliberately, instead of leaving them to chance. The goal is to load the body in such a way that the desired adaptations occur – for example better endurance, higher fatigue resistance or faster recovery.
Put simply, it is about two central questions: In which intensity range am I training? And how long do I maintain this range?
To be able to assess that, you need reference points. Two of them are especially widespread: objective measured values such as heart rate and subjective signals from your own body.
Heart rate as a reference point
In sports medicine, heart rate has for decades been regarded as a simple and easily accessible indicator of the load on the cardiovascular system. It is usually measured via a chest strap or optically at the wrist. Heart rate provides information about how hard the heart has to work in order to transport blood – and thus oxygen and nutrients – to the working muscles.
At rest, most people's hearts beat between 60 and 80 times per minute. In well-trained people this value can be considerably lower. During physical exertion the heart rate rises – depending on intensity, age, performance level etc., values of 140, 170 or even over 190 beats per minute can be reached.
The faster and more intensely you move, the more work the heart has to do. It pumps more blood through the body, supplies the muscles with oxygen and transports metabolic products away. In this sense, the heart rate reflects how strongly an external load arrives inside the body.
Why heart rate does not work the same for everyone
As helpful as heart rate is – it is highly individual. Two people can run side by side, hold the same pace and still show very different pulse values. This is because numerous factors influence heart rate, among them:
- age and sex
- body build and weight
- training status
- current fatigue
- nutrition and hydration
- genetic predisposition
That is why a heart rate monitor is only useful when it is embedded in a personal context. Without knowledge of your own maximum heart rate (and, even more precisely, also your own resting heart rate) or without performance diagnostics, the pulse value can quickly be misinterpreted.
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Intensity and training zones
In order to steer training in a targeted way, the load intensity is often divided into training zones. These zones are based on how hard the cardiovascular system works in relation to the individual performance limit. As a reference, the maximum heart rate or – in spiroergometry – the maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) is often used.
A concrete example makes this more tangible: suppose a performance test determines a maximum heart rate of 195 beats per minute for a person. This value corresponds to 100 % of the individual performance limit. If a training zone of 85–90 % is now recommended, in practical terms this means that the training should take place in a pulse range of around 165 to 175 beats per minute.
What does this mean in everyday life? In this range the load is clearly noticeable. Breathing is markedly accelerated, connected conversations are hardly possible any more, but the pace can still be held in a controlled way. It is precisely in this range that certain endurance adaptations can be trained particularly effectively.
At the same time, this example also shows an important limit of such classifications: a pulse value of 170 can feel easily controllable on a rested day – and seem extremely strenuous on a day with little sleep, stress or high prior load. In this case the number can also stay the same, but the internal load changes.
That is why training control is never purely mechanical. Numbers provide orientation, but must always be interpreted in the context of the subjective perception of effort.
Heart rate: objective, but not objective enough
Heart rate is often regarded as an objective measured value. In reality, however, it is an indirect marker. It does not show the load itself, but the body's reaction to this load.
Especially in the aerobic range, the heart rate usually behaves proportionally to the performance delivered. In heat, stress, fluid deficiency or sleep deficit, however, it can turn out considerably higher without performance increasing. The muscle mass used also plays a role: the more musculature is involved, the higher the heart rate usually turns out.
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The subjective perception of effort – an underestimated factor
Besides numbers and measured values, there is another, often underestimated aspect of training control: your own body awareness. Anyone who trains regularly develops over time a feel for which pace feels right and when a load becomes too high.
This subjective perception of effort is based on several signals that the body delivers simultaneously. These include, among others:
- breathing
- the feeling of muscle tension or heaviness
- sweating
- a pounding heart
- mental effort
A classic example is breathing and the ability to talk. As long as you can still hold a conversation well, you are moving in a rather easy range. If breathing becomes faster and deeper, conversations get shorter or impossible, the load intensity rises markedly. When you begin to gasp, you are clearly in an intensive range.
Why experience plays a central role here
Subjective perception can be learned. With increasing training experience, you get better at assembling the individual body signals into an overall picture. You sense how quickly the pulse rises, how the legs feel, how much willpower is needed to hold the pace.
Especially with intensive loads this becomes clear: the higher the intensity, the more mental control is needed to stay in the desired range. This interplay of physical feedback and mental control is an essential part of advanced training practice.
Between feeling and control
Relying on your body awareness makes sense – but is not always sufficient. The "feel-good pace" is not automatically the training range that triggers adaptations. That is why it is helpful to regularly question the subjective perception and to compare it with objective data such as heart rate or performance.
Good training control arises precisely in this field of tension.
In order to place your own body awareness better, the Borg scale is frequently used – it describes the perceived exertion and links it to clear, everyday criteria such as the ability to talk.
Practical check: Borg scale (1-10), ability to talk & heart rate
- Light (Borg 0.5–1.5) You can hold a conversation without any problem → low load (HR zone 1 or even lower)
- Moderate (Borg 2–5) You can still speak whole sentences, but no longer quite relaxed → easy base endurance, aerobic training range (HR zone 2)
- Strenuous (Borg 5–8) Only single words come out → intensive range / threshold training (HR zone 3–4)
- Very strenuous to maximal (Borg 8–10+) Speaking is no longer possible (or only single words are "forced out") → high-intensity load (HR zones 4-5)
Conclusion – training control as a learning process
Training control is not a rigid formula, but a dynamic process. It is oriented on training status, daily form and goal setting. Measured values such as heart rate provide valuable clues in this, but do not replace your own body awareness. Conversely, pure gut feeling without occasional monitoring is often not enough to achieve progress in the long term.
Effective training arises where objective data and subjective perception are brought together. Anyone who learns to understand and place both levels develops an ever more precise feel for meaningful load – and precisely therein lies the real value of modern training control.
