Heart rate on the road Vs bike at gym

[San Marco]

Hello all
I recently got a heart rate monitor and noted that there was a noticeable difference in readings from those when I go out on the road and those that are shown by the bikes at the gym I sometimes go to.

I thought the gym bikes had dodgy sensors, but today I went to the gym with my heart rate monitor to see if there would be a difference but the readings between my Garmin and the gym bike were exactly the same.

I'm confused. When I set off on my bike to go on the road, my HR quickly goes up to 120-130. To get those sort of numbers at the gym, I have to push hard, and my heart feels going much faster than when I set off on my bike.

Does anyone know why there is such a difference?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Gym bikes are crap

 

[Rob3rt]

Usually the opposite occurs!

Out doors you are moving and there is wind blowing, as such you have a stream of air passing over you and keeping you cool.

In a gym you are sat still with a crap air con unit somewhere in the room 3 yards away at best, as such you are getting very warm.

This usually results in a higher HR value for the same perceived effort or measured power output indoors vs outdoors.

 

[Big_Dave]

Maybe it's an adrenalin thing being outdoors TBH I think you can push harder outdoors without realising it, whereas in the gym you have nothing else to concentrate on so seems like your pushing harder

 

[ColinJ]

I did a 5 hour local ride about 15 years ago wearing a HRM which logged my HR at about 30 second intervals and my rate was over 150 bpm pretty much everywhere except for descents. On steep climbs I was hitting 180 bpm, and on a stretch of 25% I saw my highest ever reading of about 195 bpm!

I'm fairly sure that I would have been getting similar numbers on my gym bike but I didn't own the HRM and gym bike at the same time so I never measured my HR then.

 

[jarlrmai]

I've found adrenaline pushes my base heart rate on the road versus my turbo trainer.

Same monitor used on both.

 

[stephec]

Are you trying to keep the same average speeds up on both bikes?

If you are then you'll always be working harder out in the real world.

 

[midliferider]

Now you know that you really don't need it.

 

[ColinJ]

Are you trying to keep the same average speeds up on both bikes?

If you are then you'll always be working harder out in the real world.

Not true - I can set the friction so high on my gym bike that I can't actually get the wheel to go round!

 

[San Marco]

Are you trying to keep the same average speeds up on both bikes?

If you are then you'll always be working harder out in the real world.

Yeah i was trying the same speed (28km/h) and a cadence of 85-90 rpm.

I'm thinking what a few of you have said must be it. Adrenaline from being outside, being aware of so many things and the excitement and joy of doing it. Whereas the gym is a very controlled environment, with headphones, etc which I find relaxing.

It is amazing to realise how harder your heart actually has to work outside for roughly the same speeds.

Erm... I thought also that probably a big cup of strong coffee I normally have setting off doesn't help either!

Happy travels to all

 

[Rob3rt]

Fundamental issue, aiming to correlate HR to certain speeds, it doesn't work!

 

[jarlrmai]

Power is the only true comparative measure.

 

[Rob3rt]

You can't correlate power to speed (or heart rate very well) either, if that is what you mean above?

 

[jarlrmai]

I mean the only true measure of how hard you are working on a stationary bike versus on the road is power.

 

[montage]

I mean the only true measure of how hard you are working on a stationary bike versus on the road is power.

And bleeding eyes