Heart Rate Zone Run
Students calculate their healthy heart rate zone and run timed blocks trying to stay inside it, checking their pulse by hand after each block. It builds aerobic endurance and teaches students to self-regulate intensity.
How to play
- In pairs, each student calculates their estimated max heart rate (220 minus age) on the worksheet and their target zone between 60% and 80% (3 min).
- Practice taking a pulse at the wrist or neck for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4; record resting heart rate (2 min).
- Block 1: 4 minutes of continuous running on a 200 m cone loop. Right after, take and record a pulse (5 min including the check).
- Each student decides whether to speed up or slow down depending on whether they were below, in, or above their zone (1 min).
- Blocks 2 and 3: another 4 minutes of running each, adjusting pace, with a pulse check after each block (10 min).
- Debrief: each pair reviews how many blocks they stayed in their zone and writes one sentence about what pace fits them (4 min).
Rules
- Take your pulse with your index and middle fingers, never your thumb.
- At the neck, press gently and only on one side.
- Nobody goes over their zone on purpose: the goal is accuracy, not speed.
- Anyone who feels dizzy or has chest pain stops and reports it right away.
Variations
Easier
Two 3-minute blocks with a wider zone of 55% to 75%.
Standard
Three 4-minute blocks with the 60% to 80% zone.
Harder
Run the last block in the high zone (75-85%) to feel the difference in effort.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: complete the blocks by pushing a wheelchair or doing continuous arm work, and take the pulse the same way.
- Autism: a worksheet with numbered steps and a ready-made table so no mental math is needed.
- Lower fitness level: mix jogging and brisk walking to stay in the zone.
Learning goals
- Calculate their own healthy heart rate zone.
- Take their pulse by hand accurately.
- Adjust running intensity based on objective data.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 8
- stopwatch: 13
- worksheets: 25
- pencil: 25
Teacher tip
The pulse check has to start within 5 seconds of stopping or the number drops a lot. Keep a calculator or an age-based zone chart handy for students who get stuck on percentages.
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