Fitness issues

[jasonmccullum]

I have been back in cycling for the last 6 months.

i am 86Kg 6ft tall but struggle with my heart rate

when i work out on the turbo i find i can control my heart rate to the different training zones, but when i am outside on the road i cant seem to control it,it jumps to 170bhp and stays there for the whole of the ride

my outdoor rides vary from 60 min-3 hours and i can keep that heart rate for all that time ( i max out at 195bhp). i average 23-24 kph

what training can i do to be able to ride outside with a lower heart rate

i train 5 days a week on my bike either outside or right now mostly indoors on my turbo due to the weather.

 

[ColinJ]

That sounds like a pretty high HR for that kind of effort and it's not as if you are super-heavy or have only just started riding! 170 bpm is not a ridiculously high pulse rate if you were trying hard, but 24 kph is really just a nice steady pace which should not require a huge effort.

I would be tempted to go to your doctor for a check-up. My pulse rate went crazy like that on a ride in summer 2012 and that and the accompanying shortness of breath were the first signs I had of the blood clots which almost killed me. Do you suffer any shortness of breath on those rides?

 

[jasonmccullum]

no, no shortness of breathe. i can comfortably hold 170bhp for 3 hours without an issue

 

[Dusty Bin]

what training can i do to be able to ride outside with a lower heart rate.

Ride slower - simple as that.

When you say 'bhp' - presumably you mean bpm. What is your max HR - and how was this figure established?

 

[VamP]

I am working that out at 87% of your max, but of course the big question is whether that is your real max? 87% of max all the time would indeed seem a bit high, but your ability to sustain it at the same level for three whole hours tells me that you haven't really maxed out at 195.

The purpose of the training zones is not to control your heart rate, you have that back to front.

Obviously, if you are having other symptoms go see a doctor, but on heart rate alone there is no sign of anything being wrong.

 

[jasonmccullum]

i have a full check up every year ( i had a hip replacement in 2010 when i was 40) and the last one was 4 months ago and i am in perfect health

just feel its a fitness issue rather than a heath issue

 

[VamP]

I think's it's a confusion about HR zones issue.

 

[Dusty Bin]

I think's it's a confusion about HR zones issue.

and bhp...

 

[VamP]

I had a Renault Clio once that had nearly 195bhp. That was a quick car.

 

[Asa Post]

when i work out on the turbo i find i can control my heart rate to the different training zones, but when i am outside on the road i cant seem to control it, it jumps to 170bhp and stays there for the whole of the ride....
What training can i do to be able to ride outside with a lower heart rate

I had exactly the same problem.
I soon realised that there wasn't a way to stay in zone on the road. Riding in traffic, the ups and downs of the road, the wind (and, in my case, the nervousness caused by being in what I perceived as a vulnerable situation) all elevated the heart rate. I tried riding much slower, but didn't feel comfortable or safe and I was still over my target zone anyway.
I had to accept that road rides would be in zone 3 and above. If I wanted to take it easy, it could only be done on the turbo.
In theory, as you get fitter you should be able to keep the same level of effort with a lower heart rate. I found that I upped the effort level and kept the same heart rate.
Not being much help, am I?

 

[fossyant]

24 kph, is 15-16 mph in real money. You may not be that fit yet. 170 for me is a good flat pace, but everyone is different, and I max in the 190's. Just see what happens if you push it, and what happens if you back off.