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CHAPTER 4
THE MAXIMUM AEROBIC FUNCTION (MAF) TEST—
Getting the Most from Your Body in Training and Racing
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Judging your performance solely by the watch on your wrist is woefully misleading. Those ticking seconds or digital readouts won’t tell you how really fit you are. They might indicate how fast you are going on that particular day, but in the long-term, you are much better served by using a heart-rate monitor.
Here’s why:
One of the many benefits of using a heart-rate monitor to develop maximum aerobic function is that you will generate more physical function with the same effort. For example, a runner will run faster at the same heart rate as the weeks and months pass. In addition, this same runner, if cross-training by cycling, will also be able to ride faster as well, since improvements to the aerobic system are as much metabolic as physical. In addition to monitoring your workouts to assure you stay aerobic, another advantage of using a heart-rate monitor is the ability to objectively measure these improvements using the Maximum Aerobic Function Test, or MAF Test. I developed this evaluation in the early 1980s so athletes could more precisely monitor their progress, and, even more importantly, be alerted if their training was faltering or leading to an injury or overtraining.
The MAF Test can be performed with any endurance activity. Your goal is to measure how fast you can run, bike, swim, inline skate, and so on, over a given distance at your aerobic maximum heart rate. Alternatively, you can measure how far you can go in a given time frame at the same heart rate. You need not perform the MAF Test in your particular sport. A basketball or tennis player will observe that he or she can excel during play without the heart rate rising as much, but this is difficult to measure. Using other training methods, such as a stationary bike or treadmill, makes for a better MAF Test.
During the MAF Test, use your maximum aerobic heart rate as determined by the 180 Formula. Using this heart rate, determine some parameter such as pace (minutes per mile), speed (miles per hour), or repetitions (laps in a pool) over time. The test can also be done on stationary equipment measuring watts, for example, if the equipment is accurate.
To perform a MAF Test during running, for example, the use of a quarter- mile or a 400-meter running track is ideal. A three- to five-mile distance provides more information. All MAF Tests should be done following a warm-up (discussed later). The following is an actual MAF Test performed by a runner on a track, calculating time in minutes per mile:
MAF Test of a Runner Performed on
an Outdoor 440-yard Track
Mile 1 8:21
Mile 2 8:27
Mile 3 8:38
Mile 4 8:44
Mile 5 8:49
As indicated by the above chart, it’s normal to obtain slightly slower times with each ensuing mile (which demonstrates a normal fatigue factor). The slower your first mile, the more the time will slow between the first and fifth mile. This is due to reduced aerobic function, which is associated with lower endurance. If your first mile is a 10:17 pace, for example, your fifth mile could be 11:20. On the other hand, if your first mile is faster, the difference between miles one and five is less—if your first mile is 5:50, your fifth mile maybe 6:14.
During any one MAF Test, it’s normal for your times to get slower; the first mile should always be the fastest, and the last the slowest. If that’s not the case, it usually means your warm-up was inadequate. An example of this is if your first mile is 7:46 and your second is 7:39. In addition, as the weeks pass, the MAF Test should show faster times compared to previous tests. The chart below shows typical endurance progress in the same runner from chart above:
The chart below shows typical endurance progress in the same runner from the previous chart:
I refer to these improvements as aerobic speed—the development of a faster running pace, cycling speed, or other endurance improvements that occur during the aerobic base training. During periods of anaerobic training, including the competitive season, improvements in speed at the same heart rate usually slow or stop. This means that aerobic development is slowing or stopping, which may be normal and temporary.
Most importantly, and one of the key factors regarding the MAF Test, is that if you don’t make progress during this base-building period or, if after some improvements, your MAF Test begins to worsen, it usually indicates there is a problem with your training, diet, stress management, or another factor impairing your aerobic system. This should serve as a significant warning. It may be associated with the onset of a cold or other illness, a dietary problem such as eating poorly during the holiday season, a nutritional problem such as anemia, excess stress from your job, or the early stage of overtraining. Often, an athlete determines an incorrect maximum aerobic training heart rate from the 180 Formula, making the heart rate too high. Even slight elevations—such as three beats—may eventually cause the aerobic system to not progress. This is a critical aspect of endurance training as the MAF Test is telling you something is wrong. Evaluating your physical, chemical, and mental stresses—from other physical work to diet and mental stress—is essential to not only get your fitness back on track to build endurance, but to prevent your health from faltering.
The MAF Test in Other Sports
The MAF Test is the most important self-administered assessment tool for endurance athletes. It’s something to evaluate about once a month throughout the year. I described how runners can use the MAF Test above. Performing the test on a bike is similar in concept to running, except cyclists have a couple of effective ways to record results. The best and easiest method is to pick a flat bike course that takes about thirty to forty-five minutes to complete. Following a warm-up, ride at your maximum aerobic heart rate, and record exactly how long it takes to ride the test course. As you progress with more speed, your times should get lower. Riding your course today, for example, may take 36:50. A month later it may take you 35:30 and after another month, 34:15. After three months of base work, the same course may only take you thirty-three minutes.
Another option is to ride on a flat course and see how fast a pace you can maintain while holding your heart rate at your maximum aerobic level. This works best in a velodrome or indoors on a training apparatus. As you progress, your speed should increase. If you start at 18 mph, for example, following a three-month period of building aerobic base, you could be riding 24 mph at the same heart rate.
Question: Does a decrease in resting heart rate—it’s dropped ten beats to 59 over the five months since I began following the MAF program—mean that I can raise my maximum target heart rate five or even ten beats? I am fifty-one years old and run about four hours every week.
Answer: Reduction in resting heart rate is an expected change that accompanies building a good aerobic base. But it does not mean you can raise your max aerobic heart rate (remember, neither resting nor maximum heart rate is factored into the 180 Formula). As your resting rate lowers, along with other aerobic benefits, you’ll also see an increased effort such as running pace or faster bike times, which will provide you with a harder effort but at the same heart rate.
For swimmers, the same idea for the MAF Test is applied. In this case, you can use a pool or open water to evaluate aerobic progress. Because swimming is such a lowgravity-stress activity, you will find that aerobic speed builds quickly and will require more physical ability to keep up with the pace. In other words, you will have to swim much faster to keep your heart rate at the max aerobic rate—in many swimmers with good technique and endurance it may not be possible to maintain the max aerobic heart rate for a forty-minute workout, for example. While this is a sign of good endurance progress, it makes performing the MAF Test difficult. Until this happens, it’s best to maintain faster swimming only if you can maintain good technique.
When you’re not able to swim fast enough, or maintain good technique in the water, you have two options regarding MAF Test evaluation:
- First, you can perform your test at a lower heart rate. If your max aerobic heart rate is 150 but you physically can’t swim fast enough to reach that rate without your technique suffering, use a heart rate that’s more comfortable, 130 for example, if that allows you to swim with good technique.
- A second consideration is to use another activity to monitor aerobic progress. If you also ride a bike or run, use one (or both) of these sports to perform your MAF Test. Progression on a bike, which improves conversion of fat to energy and other aerobic system aspects, will also allow you to swim at a faster pace.
