HRM

[HLaB]

I don't really know much about this heart rate stuff other than >1 means your heart is still beating hence you are still alive.
I thought I'd have a play though. A few months back I put the heart rate on whilst I was lying on the bed typing up my dissertation, the garmin recorded 77bpm. I forgot about it until tonight's short ride. According to the HRM I averaged 169bpm and max'd at 189bpm and from the Garmin Training centre almost the whole ride was done in either zone 4 or 5 of the Max HR %. What does it mean other than my hearts still beating ?

 

[HLaB]

This is quite a good write up (http://www.cptips.com/hrmntr.htm). If I'm reading it right at that level I'm over training my self and should save it for when I need it but I often like to ride like that

 

[Crackle]

As ever HLAB: Do you know your Max HR from testing it, not from the 220-age formula which is often wrong? Unless you do, the zone stuff will all be wrong. Cptips has got a section there on how to do a self test, you need to do it first.

 

[HLaB]

As ever HLAB: Do you know your Max HR from testing it, not from the 220-age formula which is often wrong? Unless you do, the zone stuff will all be wrong. Cptips has got a section there on how to do a self test, you need to do it first.

According to CPTips the predicted Max heart rate will be completely wrong (out by upto 20bpm), actually its not bad for me, 185bpm and the ride recorded 189bpm max (looking back at the odd times I've wore a HRM its been in that region, +/- 5bpm), in one of the question and answers in that page I think it said taking max on a ride is just as good. TC is set to 189bpm at the moment so I don't think it'll be far out.

 

[Crackle]

According to CPTips the predicted Max heart rate will be completely wrong (out by upto 20bpm), actually its not bad for me, 185bpm and the ride recorded 189bpm max (looking back at the odd times I've wore a HRM its been in that region, +/- 5bpm), in one of the question and answers in that page I think it said taking max on a ride is just as good. TC is set to 189bpm at the moment so I don't think it'll be far out.

Yeah that's one of the recommended ways of doing it by just taking the highest you've ever seen. Add a few beats though. My max on the self test I did was 191 but the highest I've ever seen, on the bike or running was 186. Those extra beats may well make the difference between you being in Zone3 or Zone4.

As for what it means, you'll have to wait for more of an expert than me as I use it very simplistically to measure effort rather than zone train.

 

[Seamab]

I don't really know much about this heart rate stuff other than >1 means your heart is still beating hence you are still alive.
I thought I'd have a play though. A few months back I put the heart rate on whilst I was lying on the bed typing up my dissertation, the garmin recorded 77bpm. I forgot about it until tonight's short ride. According to the HRM I averaged 169bpm and max'd at 189bpm and from the Garmin Training centre almost the whole ride was done in either zone 4 or 5 of the Max HR %. What does it mean other than my hearts still beating ?

HLAB, it looks like this was a route with lots of rolling hills so you'd expect a fairly high avgHR for this. One of the problems with HR is that it's slow to respond to changes in effort so your HR will be high from climbing a hill and will still be relatively high(in relation to the effort you are putting in) by the time you reach the next one.

Whole books have been written on the subject of HR training in zones. With Zone 1 being easy recovery through to Zone X at maximal effort. Some subscribe to zones based on MaxHR and others ThresholdHR. You then ride in different zones depending on the training adaptations you wish to achieve. However, any practical ride will have you riding in different zones due to the nature of the terrain.

When my Garmin 500 went on the blink, Garmin sent me a replacement which included an HRM strap, so i wore it for a while but never much liked the feeling of wearing one. I actually hit my max on the turbo and it was over 20 beats higher than the 220-age rubbish.

You have a lot of experience in bike riding, club rides etc... I'd reckon your perceived exertion will be more useful to you than a HRM.

What i did notice was that in most of the various zones quoted the percentages of HRmax attributed to the zone seemed to be too low for me.

The best i found was

Zone 1 - active recovery <= 70% of maxHR
Zone 2 - long endurance <70% but <=77%
Zone 3 - solid/high endurance >77% but <=85%
Zone 4 - TT - >85% but <=92%
Zone 5 - maximal aerobic/HC 93 to 100%

 

[HLaB]

Cheers folk,

Looking a my recent rides 189 is about the highest consistent average, a few years ago it was 191 with the occasional 199-200; there are a few other maxes of 220 & 240 but I put them down to interference. My records aren't detailed enough though to draw any strong conclusions (I've only had it 4 years and used it 30 odd times).

Like Seamab I don't really like the faff of them either but was curious to give it a go. Like he also say's I think your body/ experience can tell you more than any HRM. I might fit it occasionally out of curiosity again but I don't think I'd make a rigid habit of using it, especially not on the actual ride (I don't have enough skill to monitor too many things and steer) :-)

They ranges also seem to make more sense from what I was feeling, I think I'll enter them into TC :-)

 

[overgeared]

are you sure you've got your max HR setup right in the Garmin/software? the ride that you link to shows your max HR as 189 and and says its "102% of max" so maybe you've got your max set at 185 which, if you have, would have to be wrong. any scheme of HR zones is based on percentages of max so an accurate maximum is very important and it's not really good enough to use the highest you've seen, unless you really were drilling it into the red zone to find your max.

assuming the numbers are accurate then spending most of a 1 hour ride in zone 4 or 5, at or above your lactate threshold, is possible, but looks like a very hard ride.

 

[HLaB]

are you sure you've got your max HR setup right in the Garmin/software? the ride that you link to shows your max HR as 189 and and says its "102% of max" so maybe you've got your max set at 185 which, if you have, would have to be wrong. any scheme of HR zones is based on percentages of max so an accurate maximum is very important and it's not really good enough to use the highest you've seen, unless you really were drilling it into the red zone to find your max.

assuming the numbers are accurate then spending most of a 1 hour ride in zone 4 or 5, at or above your lactate threshold, is possible, but looks like a very hard ride.

I think it was set to 185 when I uploaded it before I read a wee bit and changed it to 189bpm, so you are spot on.
It doesn't make much difference tbh (it changes it to 89%) but I think Seamab's zones above are good and I'll keep my eye on max heart rate with the higher zone and maybe a higher heart rate, it'll bring it in line with my perceptions of the ride, brisk but not full on :-)

 

[edindave]

I wore the HRM in spinning class a few times... but I took it off as I was at 95% the whole time!

Set my max last August on Arthur's Seat - 193 bpm. Never been that high since (even on Redstone Rigg into a 35mph headwind). I must be getting fitter.

I do use it these days to pace myself, because I have a tendency to overtrain, and not listen to my body. I.e. if the legs still feel heavy then you need a rest day/easy/recovery ride... Like you say HLaB - listen to your body.

These days I do easy Zone 1-2 every day after work for appx 12-14 miles (Mon-Fri); plus spinning classes on Mon and Weds; and a club ride on Saturday (beginners ;o) )

I no longer have the 'heavy legs' feeling happening all week - but I reckon it's only since I consciously started looking at my HRM when I'm cycling!