The definition of “intensity” varies greatly among athletic events. For example, in strength training it describes the heaviness of the weight and is usually measured in % 1RM. In endurance exercise one of the definitions of intensity is % MHR, the percentage of the maximal heart rate.
You would that the latter is irrelevant to strength training. Yet one Olympic weightlifting coach found a way to make it useful…
The Soviets knew the many downsides of testing athletes’ limits at the gym, yet they needed to know when the lifters were getting stronger and were ready to go heavier. One of the assessments took advantage of the fact that the heart rate reflects not only the metabolic demands but also the arousal level. Thus, if a given poundage no longer jacks up your pulse as much, you have gotten stronger…
Here is how it was done. A lifter would perform a standard load: a set of three reps with 85 or 90% 1RM in the back squat. Immediately after the set, the athlete or the coach would start the timer and check the pulse by placing two fingers on an artery on a wrist or the neck. Every heartbeat was counted for one minute. (If you are using a heart rate monitor, track two numbers: the HR immediately after the set and exactly a minute after.)
The test was repeated throughout the training cycle. A decreased post-squat heart rate indicated that the athlete was stronger and ready for more weight.
