# How long can you spend in each heart rate zone?



## Sam Kennedy (1 Nov 2010)

I was wondering if anyone knew if there was any information about how long you can spend in each heart rate zone. Eg: at 100% you can only hold this effort for a few seconds, at 95% a few minutes etc...

I remember seeing a graph somewhere, but I can not find it anywhere, does anyone have any more information?

Cheers,
Sam


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## ventoux50 (1 Nov 2010)

Sam,,

this is like asking 'how long is a piece of string ?'

It's all dependant on genetics, conditioning, fitness levels, fatigue levels, nutrition levels, etc etc...

Thats why when you train using a heart rate monitor it is pointless comparing the results with someone elses.
The only way to find your max heart rate (MHR) and training zones is to do a proper fitness test to determine your MHR.

Try this method:

Set off on a steady ride preferably on flattish roads to get properly warmed up, ride to the bottom of a long steep hill and ride up it.
Ideally it should be long enough to take 9 /10 minutes to get to the top.
Once climbing gradually raise the tempo/pace as you climb until you are struggling to speak a few words comfortably - at this point hammer the pedals and sprint as hard and for as long as you can...........this will HURT !

at the point when you just cant pedal any more and are about to fall off the bike - check your heart rate - this will be a fairly accurate measure of your MHR.

From that you can work out relevant heart rate training zones.


Be warned though, if you do this it has to be to failure and it is not nice !!


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## jimboalee (1 Nov 2010)

Its very, very rare the heart packs in a moderately fit person.

You will fill up with lactic acid and become immobile before the heart stops.


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## ColinJ (1 Nov 2010)

ventoux50 said:


> Try this method:
> 
> Set off on a steady ride preferably on flattish roads to get properly warmed up, ride to the bottom of a long steep hill and ride up it.
> Ideally it should be long enough to take 9 /10 minutes to get to the top.
> ...


Years ago, my girlfriend was doing some research for her university project and she got me to wear an expensive Polar HRM on a hilly Yorkshire ride. It sampled and stored my heart rate every 30 seconds or so for 5 and a half hours. 

When I reviewed the data back at home, I was pretty shocked to find that my average heart rate had been 155 bpm, it had rarely dropped below 140 bpm, and was frequently at 170 bpm on climbs. My maximum was 195 bpm on a 25% climb towards the end of the ride. I was very close to my limits on that so I reckon at the time my absolute max would have been about 200 bpm. (Oh, and my resting heart rate at the time was 33 bpm!)

I don't what that represented in terms of training zones but it told me that I was working harder than I thought I was on rides like that. I think if I did the experiment again now, 15 or so years later, I'd probably find that I am doing a lot _less_ than I think I am!


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## Bill Gates (1 Nov 2010)

Sam Kennedy said:


> I was wondering if anyone knew if there was any information about how long you can spend in each heart rate zone. Eg: at 100% you can only hold this effort for a few seconds, at 95% a few minutes etc...
> 
> I remember seeing a graph somewhere, but I can not find it anywhere, does anyone have any more information?
> 
> ...



Actually that's quite a good question. Your fitness levels dictate levels of power output but your HR relates to levels of effort.

As a rule of thumb I would say that as a MHR%.

100% - max full out effort- 20 second (intervals) before effort wanes. You can't use HR as a guide though due to HR lag. RPE is the guide (eye balls out)

95% - 3-6 minutes intervals.

80-95% - LT Threshold training. 1 hour (10 or 25 mile TT)

70-80% - Tempo training (Road race) 1 - 4 hours

55-70% - Fat oxidisation - Time limited


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## jimboalee (1 Nov 2010)

Here's the chart again.

Its not easy to plot HR on it. As Bill says, there is HR lag and Cardiac Drift. But it shows Power output vs duration for all levels of cycling.


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## Sam Kennedy (2 Nov 2010)

That's the chart Jimbo! Thanks I couldn't find it anywhere! 

My Maximum sustainable power is about 325 watts, but I can hold it for much longer than 2 minutes, so I guess I am a slight touch above "healthy men"


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## jimboalee (2 Nov 2010)

Sam Kennedy said:


> That's the chart Jimbo! Thanks I couldn't find it anywhere!
> 
> My Maximum sustainable power is about 325 watts, but I can hold it for much longer than 2 minutes, so I guess I am a slight touch above "healthy men"


It means you are suitable for shooting into space...  

If I see a big rocket launch from Tyneside on Friday night, I'll know what it is...


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## ventoux50 (3 Nov 2010)

Never let it be said that I'm a do as I say - not as I do type - - - - - - just been out and done a MHR test along the lines I described earlier in the thread.




I would like to formally confirm that it is piggin' hard and hurts like a t**t !

At the moment I can barely walk up the stairs and have a cracking headache.

And the result :


The test confirms that the harder you go - the faster your heart beats - - - up to the point that you are about to faint.


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## Rob3rt (3 Nov 2010)

By the time you get to the point of passing out, you will have been at or very close to your max HR for some time. My point being, testing to failure is redundant!


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## earth (4 Nov 2010)

ColinJ said:


> Years ago, my girlfriend was doing some research for her university project and she got me to wear an expensive Polar HRM on a hilly Yorkshire ride. It sampled and stored my heart rate every 30 seconds or so for 5 and a half hours.
> 
> When I reviewed the data back at home, I was pretty shocked to find that my average heart rate had been 155 bpm, it had rarely dropped below 140 bpm, and was frequently at 170 bpm on climbs. My maximum was 195 bpm on a 25% climb towards the end of the ride. I was very close to my limits on that so I reckon at the time my absolute max would have been about 200 bpm. (Oh, and my resting heart rate at the time was 33 bpm!)
> 
> I don't what that represented in terms of training zones but it told me that I was working harder than I thought I was on rides like that. I think if I did the experiment again now, 15 or so years later, I'd probably find that I am doing a lot _less_ than I think I am!



My heart rate is very similar to yours.

A few weeks ago I noticed the HRM showing 201. The highest I have seen it before was 192 so I thought it must be broken. A few moments later it was showing 198 so I thought maybe it is working and my heart rate really is 198. So I stopped and fumbled for my pulse. By the time I found it I noticed the HRM showing 167 and my pulse confirmed that. Funny thing was it was only about 10-15 seconds between seeing 198 and finding by pulse so in that short time my heart rate may have dropped 31 BPM - which I think is quite a lot for 10-15 seconds of rest.


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## ventoux50 (4 Nov 2010)

If you ride in the vicinity of power linesd or mobile phone masts they can cause aberrant readings, and there is always a lag on the reading anyway.

HRM's are only a guide, you'd need to carry round a hospital grade monitor for a truly accurate reading.


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## Bayerd (4 Nov 2010)

ColinJ said:


> Years ago, my girlfriend was doing some research for her university project and she got me to wear an expensive Polar HRM on a hilly Yorkshire ride. It sampled and stored my heart rate every 30 seconds or so for 5 and a half hours.
> 
> When I reviewed the data back at home, I was pretty shocked to find that my average heart rate had been 155 bpm, it had rarely dropped below 140 bpm, and was frequently at 170 bpm on climbs. My maximum was 195 bpm on a 25% climb towards the end of the ride. I was very close to my limits on that so I reckon at the time my absolute max would have been about 200 bpm. (Oh, and my resting heart rate at the time was 33 bpm!)
> 
> I don't what that represented in terms of training zones but it told me that I was working harder than I thought I was on rides like that. I think if I did the experiment again now, 15 or so years later, I'd probably find that I am doing a lot _less_ than I think I am!



Those figures are similar to my own, apart from one. My resting bpm is about 60.


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## zacklaws (4 Nov 2010)

My heart rate seem's to have gone all tits up. Earlier in the year it was calculated my LTHR was 158bpm and my maximum 187bpm with a resting heart rate of 60bpm. This past month I have been finding it hard on the bike and struggling, but what I find now is, soon as I hit 156bpm my legs start to tingle and when I'm at 158bpm my legs are burning like hell and have to ease off instead of around 180bpm when I'm gasping for air, but I have never experienced that burning before, even when I got into the 180's. Its that constant that soon as I feel it, I can look at the monitor and know it will say 156 - 158bpm, yet I am not gasping for air so have not gone aerobic. What its done is made it a nightmare pushing up steep hills and can only crawl up, trying to keep the heart rate low.

Last night in bed, I discovered my resting heart rate had dropped to 48bpm. 

I have also discovered that if I wear a base layer top which is also a compression top but not too restrictive, my heart rate is always higher than usual. I noted this earlier in the year when I bought it. Just recently I have tested it out on two different routes, riding each route twice, wearing the top and without it, with the top, my heart rate through out the rides was always 20bpm more than without it.

Now I am beggining to think with the colder weather and wearing tights, which also coincides with me starting to struggle, perhaps the tights also restrict the flow of blood in my legs, so not only is lactic not getting flushed away, but there is also a lack of oxygen getting to the muscles too, but its only a theory. But if so, why has wearing tights never effected me before?

But the theory of compression clothing is to improve circulation and reduce muscle fatigue, so maybe I'm an oddball if it does the opposite for me.

So in reality, everything seems to have suddenly dropped around 20bpm, or maybe its my biological clock starting to tell me I'm 56 almost and not 20.


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