Interview with Dr. Phil Maffetone on Heart Rate Training
Marathon Training Academy
Angie and Trevor
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 20 May 2025
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode we talk heart rate training with Dr. Phil Maffetone who is the creator of the MAF Method (180 minus your age) and an internationally recognized researcher in endurance science.
Dr. Phil Maffetone has worked with endurance athletes for more than thirty-five years. He is the author of eighteen books on health and fitness. He is perhaps best known for the Maffetone Method of heart rate training. Some of his clients have included running guru Dr. George Sheehan, famed New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard, marathon great Grete Waitz, and six-time Hawaii Ironman world champion Mark Allen. Outside the sports arena, Dr. Maffetone has coached a variety of people in the entertainment field, including musicians James Taylor and Johnny Cash, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and producer Rick Rubin.
Links Mentioned in This Episode
Run Coaching. Work with a MTA running Coach.
COROS Watches will help you train according to heart rate. Use code MTA and get an additional free watch band with your purchase! Just pick the band you want, add it to your cart, and use code MTA.
Joint Health Plus by Previnex -prevention is the best medicine and you need to protect your joint cartilage from breakdown. Use code MTA for 15% off your first order!
The Richmond Marathon on November 15, 2024 -America’s Friendliest Marathon!
IQMIX -a zero-sugar drink mix from IQBAR that hydrates, boosts your mood and promotes mental clarity. Text MTA to 64000 to get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.
Dr. Maffetone’s two websites:
https://philmaffetone.com
https://maffetonemusic.com/home
Updated MAF 180 Formula:
Subtract your age from 180.
- Modify this number by choosing one category below that best applies to you:
If you have or are recovering from a major illness (including any operation or hospital stay), are in rehabilitation, have been prescribed any regular medication, or are chronically overtrained, subtract an additional 10. - If you are injured, have regressed or not improved in training (such as poor MAF tests) or competition, get more than two colds, flu or other infections per year, have seasonal allergies or asthma, are overfat, are acutely overtraining, or if you have been inconsistent, just beginning or returning to exercise, subtract an additional 5.
- If you have been training consistently (at least four times weekly) for up to 2 years without any of the problems mentioned in (a) or (b), no modification is necessary (use 180 minus age as your MAF HR).
If you have been training for more than 2 years without any of the problems listed above, have made progress in your MAF tests, and have improved competitively, add 5.
The resulting HR is the high end of the HR range with the low being 10 beats below. Train at this heart rate to build a strong aerobic base and improve the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel.
What people are saying,
“Excellent podcast episode! One of his interviews on MTA years ago got me started to run regularly, take care of my nutrition and many more things. I‘m forever thankful for his insights and wisdom!” -Steffen
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We're excited to introduce Coros as our new podcast sponsor. I've run with a Coros watch for the past |
| 0:05.3 | six years, and in my opinion, they are the best. Coros watches will help you train according to heart rate. |
| 0:11.8 | Something we'll be speaking with Dr. Mathetone about in this episode. Use code MTA and get an additional |
| 0:17.3 | free watchband with your purchase. Just go to coros.com and use the code MTA. |
| 0:23.0 | Thanks also to Prevenex, makers of Joint Health Plus. Prevention is the best medicine, and so you need to |
| 0:28.0 | protect your joint cartilage from breakdown. That's why we think Joint Health Plus is a must take if you're a runner. |
| 0:34.0 | Just head over to Prevenex.com. Use the code MTA for 15% off your first order. That's Prevenex.com. |
| 1:00.9 | Hello and welcome to the Marathon Training Academy podcast, where we help you train smarter. |
| 1:05.1 | In this episode, we talk about heart rate training with Dr. Phil Mathetone. |
| 1:10.4 | He is the creator of the M.A.F. method, also sometimes known as the Mathetone method. And he's an internationally recognized researcher in endurance science. |
| 1:15.5 | And by the way, now's the perfect time to start training for a fall race. |
| 1:19.0 | We're actually about 18 weeks out from Berlin, about 20 or 21 from Chicago. |
| 1:24.4 | So if you want to get support from a real live human being, an expert MTA running coach |
| 1:30.1 | who knows how to do heart rate training and all kinds of other great stuff who's actually |
| 1:34.3 | done what you want to do. |
| 1:35.9 | Jump in right now. |
| 1:36.6 | We've got room in our roster. |
| 1:38.5 | Go to Marathon Training Academy.com and find more information on the coaching page. |
| 1:44.2 | Well, we're excited about this episode. |
| 1:47.2 | I'd like to say, wharf, congrats to Sarah on running the McDonald's Forest 50K. |
| 1:52.9 | That's right. |
| 1:53.3 | She says on Saturday, May 3rd, the McDonald Forest 50K run was held for the 29th year. |
... |
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