Max heart rate Increase

[screenman]

Were you sick after hitting your max, from experience of a few controlled tests when being coached if you were not then you did not hit your real max. I have failed far more max tests than I have completed.

 

[PaulSB]

Were you sick after hitting your max, from experience of a few controlled tests when being coached if you were not then you did not hit your real max. I have failed far more max tests than I have completed.

No I wasn't sick - just breathing hard for 30 seconds or so at the top. I'm no expert on these things and as in my previous post my main interest is knowing what I'm doing at any given point. With my recent medical history if I was experiencing significant variations over several rides I'd be concerned enough to speak to my GP. This hasn't happened to date. My other interest is to try and use my HR to keep my riding at a steady pace.

I have two friends who are heavily in to their numbers, one frankly is absolutely obsessed - it's a running joke amongst the OAPs. There is no doubt I hit 176 on Fleet Moss and I wasn't tired. Both my buddies say I should use this as my max. Generally the highest I hit is 162/165 and I would be absolutely smashing it chasing a PB on a major climb, a proper hill!! Most rides 140 would be a max and I come home with an average around 110.

At the end of it all I'm just a decent club rider who happens to be good on hills. Nothing more scientific than that, though I have learned to pace the hills better than I used to.

 

[screenman]

Sorry Paul, that was aimed at the OP, I also use a HRM to keep my rides steady and I find it very useful for just that, back in my racing days it was certainly about the numbers.

 

[PaulSB]

I think that you can hit your MHR in a lot less than 10minutes!

My highest measured HR (198 bpm) was riding up this climb into a headwind...

View attachment 562670

I reckon that I hit it in less than 1 minute! I was close to falling off my bike from the exertion so I would be very surprised if I could have gone harder than that. If I could then it would have been a couple of bpm only and I really would NOT liked to have done it...

Where is this Colin? Looks like somewhere I should be heading to.

 

[screenman]

Where is this Colin? Looks like somewhere I should be heading to.

You and me both, next year is going to be a lot more miles for me than this year was.

 

[PaulSB]

Sorry Paul, that was aimed at the OP, I also use a HRM to keep my rides steady and I find it very useful for just that, back in my racing days it was certainly about the numbers.

No problem. I'm interested to hear from another person, my pals often say it, that HR is a good way to keep the ride steady. The problem we have is when we all ride together my HR is 20-30bpm lower than theirs. If I back off to let them ride at their desired HR I'm down in Zone 1 for mile after mile! Not that I care much, just thinking about the waist line.

 

[matticus]

Unless I'm missing some facts, it sounds like you're just faster than your pals (or they want to ride at a much easier "steady" than you do). This is hardly unusual, some people are slower than others!

 

[Ajax Bay]

"A rider will be unable to achieve their max HR at the crux of a long climb . . . as they'll be significantly fatigued."

Could I ask you to expand on this because after checking the ride on which I hit my maximum of 177 I would disagree.

A "short sharp climb" is very difficult to define.

Not sure I can be more explicit. If the aim is to explore/record HRmax then the effort will be most effective if the rider (or runner) is fresh (not fatigued at all) because they'll be able to dig out that extra effort and therefore bpm. Your HRmax is higher than 177 but I know that with the medical history you describe you will be circumspect about any extreme effort. Make no bones about it: finding one's HRmax is a 'eyeballs out' effort: everyone's different, physically and in motivation.
I'm not recommending a 'short, sharp climb' - the OP says that that's all the roads in their Hampshire area offer. My recipe is:
"a 5 minute climb, ideally one which steepens as you get towards the top". This is not 'short' in my book and ideally the only sharp bit is needed near the top. There are loads of such road climbs in Hampshire - you don't need a chevron at the top.

 

[PaulSB]

@Ajax Bay - thanks, that's good. I'm with you now, yes eyeballs out I could ride harder but I'm not sure I want to or could maintain it for long!

Cheers.

 

[PaulSB]

Unless I'm missing some facts, it sounds like you're just faster than your pals (or they want to ride at a much easier "steady" than you do). This is hardly unusual, some people are slower than others!

Yes, I am a little faster but they can keep up quite easily - if that makes sense. The guy with the obsession is forever trying out a new theory.

It's definitely not a case of wanting to ride easier as we all amble along quite happily averaging 16-17. My HR is always 20-30bpm lower whatever we are doing! It's only a "problem" (it isn't really a problem) when they want to ride on what for them is a low HR. If they go to 120/125 I'm on 100/105!!

 

[Ajax Bay]

HRmax is just a figure and one can't 'maintain it' for any time at all: it's a peak immediately before 'failure' (aka can't sprint uphill any further). People can 'flaunt' their HRmax - you aren't btw - and it's interesting for some. Its practical use for an individual is to determine HR range (HRrest to HRmax) and then percentage HRrange can be used (by coach or self-coaching) to specify level of effort for a tempo ride or the effort part of intervals. It could be that your quoted 48 as HRrest is rather lower than your riding friends and they are working at the same percentage of their individual range as you.
Riding in a group with others and agreeing to ride at the same specific HR, roughly, is unlikely to end well. People are different.
Get the obsessive to try to find their HRrest and flaunt that between you, Indurain style.
eg: warm up, 3 x one min efforts, one minute pause, 10 x 3 mins @ 80%, 10 mins steady, 10 x 3 mins @ 85%, warm down. That session can be communicated as that and each individual can simply work out what the 80% is for them: ie the HR they need to hit.

 

[ColinJ]

Where is this Colin? Looks like somewhere I should be heading to.

See post #13!

You could get a very nice hilly loop in from Chorley. I have done the same kind of thing in reverse so I'll see if I kept the GPX files somewhere.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Yes, I am a little faster but they can keep up quite easily - if that makes sense. The guy with the obsession is forever trying out a new theory.

It's definitely not a case of wanting to ride easier as we all amble along quite happily averaging 16-17. My HR is always 20-30bpm lower whatever we are doing! It's only a "problem" (it isn't really a problem) when they want to ride on what for them is a low HR. If they go to 120/125 I'm on 100/105!!

This is the problem with trying to do training with others. It generally doesn’t work that well unless it’s race or group riding skills. Train alone and then have fun when riding as a group.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

As to whether it’s true max HR or a few bpm short? Who cares, it’ll be close enough to set your training zones. Fitness improvements won’t disappear if you are a couple of % short of the intended intensity during your training sessions.

 

[ColinJ]

See post #13!

You could get a very nice hilly loop in from Chorley. I have done the same kind of thing in reverse so I'll see if I kept the GPX files somewhere.

@PaulSB - I will be playing with my maps tonight. If you work out your own route to and from Whalley, I'll work out this end for you. Would you like me to include or avoid steep stuff where there is a choice?