Should You Train with the Maffetone Method?

The Maffetone Method (or MAF Running Method) has been a training methodology for over a decade now. It promises that you will reach your aerobic fitness potential, maximize your fat-burning, and stop the injury cycling. Does the Maffetone method work – and should you use low heart rate training?

The MAF stands for maximum aerobic function. The MAF method, populated by Dr. Maffetone (hence two names) has the goal of optimizing aerobic fitness by training exclusively at a low heart rate. The Maffetone Method is also referred to as “low heart rate training.” 

This article focuses on strictly the running aspect of the MAF Method. Dr. Maffetone’s views on diet, vaccinations, and stress are not discussed in this article. (You can read this article from a registered sports dietitian on Maffetone’s claims around carbohydrates.)

Understanding the Maffetone Method

The Maffetone Method prioritizes low-intensity running, set by a heart rate limit, in order to build endurance. The method claims that training under a specific heart rate will improve your fat oxidation rates during exercise, thus allowing you to run longer without getting tired. The method also purports it will keep you from getting injured and possibly even prevent certain diseases. 

The approach of low heart rate training is rooted in basic physiology. Aerobic threshold is a point where you switch from using primarily fat (with some carbohydrate) to primarily carbohydrate (with some fat) for energy production. Importantly, you are always using both substrates – low heart rate training does not mean you only oxidize fat. Easy running takes place below aerobic threshold – you can develop your aerobic fitness with less metabolic stress. At this intensity, you fatigue less quickly and recover faster, so you can train at a higher volume. 

Importantly, the Maffetone Method is based on scientific theory. However, it is not wholly planted in larger body of scientific evidence. The theory supposes that if some easy running is beneficial, then more is better. Dr. Maffetone has published papers (with noted conflicts of interest) but beyond his work, you cannot find studies that say you should only train below a certain heart rate. Most literature supports the benefits of high-intensity intervals for both health and performance. MAF method is one training methodology amongst many, not gospel.

This method is not the only one based on the benefits of easy running. What makes the Maffetone Method unique is (1) how it determines aerobic threshold and (2) how it strictly trains under aerobic threshold. 

At its most basic, the MAF Running Method formula predicts aerobic threshold heart rate by subtracting your age from 180. A 30-year-old runner would have a maximum aerobic heart rate of 150 beats per minute (bpm). 

When using the Maffetone Method, every run stays under your maximum aerobic heart rate. If your maximum aerobic heart rate is 150 bpm, you do not do every run right under 150 bpm. Ideally, you keep your runs well under this heart rate cap during the duration of the whole run. The method recommends starting tthe first mile of your run at least 10 beats per minute lower than your max aerobic heart rate. 

Benefits of the Maffetone method

Unlike some heart rate formulas you may encounter on Instagram, the MAF formula provides a more achievable low heart rate zone. For example, some methods recommend using 70% of your age-based maximum heart rate as the heart rate cap on your easy runs. For the 30-year-old runner, this is 70% of (220-age, or 133 beats per minute). When comparing 133 bpm to 150 bpm, the MAF Method allows higher mechanical output on easier runs. 

The recommended time commitment for the MAF Method is three to six months. This time duration is also roughly the same as a base building phase. Essentially, the Maffetone Method is a form of base building. The focus on easy running over several weeks will develop better aerobic fitness, as well as likely allow a runner to tolerate more running volume. 

Downsides of the MAF running method

The Maffetone Method is strictly running below a certain heart rate – all easy running. While running slow can be part of training to run faster, only easy running will not maximize your performance. 

Many athletes will get faster with Maffetone – but not every athlete will experience the same response. The body adapts to the imposed demands. Over time, you will adapt so that you run faster at low heart rates. For some athletes, especially those who can run faster at their low heart rate, they will improve. However, some athletes may plateau without the neuromuscular and biomechanical stimulus of fast running. 

Importantly, there is a reason that elite athletes do not train by the MAF Method. The biomechanical, neuromuscular, and metabolic stress of faster running workouts are essential for getting faster. While some athletes can race fast off of slow running alone, others may experience muscle fatigue and cramping when trying to race hard off of only easy running. 

Despite what the MAF Method suggests, faster workouts are not harmful. The cortisol release from these workouts is low compared to other stressors (such as poor sleep and undereating). If you are able to prioritize recovery via good sleep and nutrition, and you properly manage your training load, interval and tempo runs should not break you down completely.

Finally, there is the issue of heart rate zones. The 180 formula is a generic formula. It may work for a wide percentage of people, but there are runners whose heart rates may not fall within the range. According to a 2023 study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, age-based heart rate formulas can overestimate or underestimate often by +/- 5 beats per minute or more. 

How to use it 

The Maffetone method can be beneficial in certain situations where intensity control is vital. Maffetone method is essentially a form of base building with heart rate as an intensity parameter – so it is most useful in those situations. 

You may benefit from using the MAF method if you:

•  are returning from injury
• are working through overtraining
• have health issues that require heart rate limits
• struggle to slow down on easy runs 
• want a strict structure in base building

Low heart rate training is not for you if:

• are a new runner (<6-12 months)
• take medications that alter heart rate (such as beta blockers)
• are training for a goal race and want to develop speed and/or specific endurance

If you do use low heart rate training, it is vital that you commit to it. You need to spend three to six months doing the Maffetone Method to see results. If you only do a couple of weeks, you will not benefit from the methodology. Avoid the temptation to sprinkle in speed workouts during this time or to push a run to test your fitness. 

Get more advice on low heart rate training

The Maffetone Method is a completely safe approach to running. The intensity cap reduces the risk of overtraining and injury. However, not every runner will respond equally to the MAF Method – some will get faster, some will not. The MAF method provides a simple way to set intensity parameters, but it is not the only way to learn how to run easy. Ultimately, this approach works for some runners, but by no means is it the only way to train. 

Got more questions on heart rate training? You may also enjoy:

• What Is Zone 2 Training?
• Why Is Your Heart Rate High on Easy Runs?
• How to Do a Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Test
• Understanding Heart Rate Zones