Training & Nutrition - Heart rate

I did a search and found some info, but nothing that really helps my issues. I'm hoping someone here can shed some light.

I just got a new heart rate monitor. It's a cheap one that allows you to set your max heart rate manually or it will estimate when you enter your age and sex. I entered my age and sex (45 and male) and got a max heart rate of 165. I tested everything out, wore the monitor to bed, and awoke with a 57 resting heart rate. (This checks out, at my last physical my ambient heart rate was 62)

This particular HRM has a display of 4 zones, represented by a bar graph on the bottom of the readout. They are 50-55% MHR, 56-60% MHR, 61-65% MHR, and 66-70% MHR. This is, of course, based on the MHR set by the user. There is a beeping alarm that cannot be turned off that alerts you that you are out of your "Health Zone" or more than 70% of your MHR.

Okay, here's where the problem starts. Not two miles from the house, the alarm is beeping constantly and although it's a very hilly area, I'm still warming up and not really working hard.

I continue on for a while and notice that I hit 165 pretty easily (my max according to the unit's presets) so I stop and set it for 185. The thing is still beeping constantly as I ride.

During one relatively long and flat part of the ride, I managed to get my heart rate to 185 for about 3 miles. This requires effort, but it's far from killing me or making me want to puke. In fact, it feels pretty good. So at the next red light, I set up the MHR to 195 thinking that is probably pretty close to my max.

The thing is still beeping at me constantly, and every hill has my heart thumping at 168-175 bpm.

So here are my problems. Is this thing inaccurate? Am I a freak of nature or totally out of shape? I finally set the MHR to 225 just to get the thing to quit beeping at me all the time and that helped some. But I know my MHR ain't 225. Am I riding too hard? My ride today was 20 miles at about an hour and 22 minutes. Not really fast by any means, although the area is very hilly. My legs aren't burning, and I feel great. Like maybe going and riding it again.

Any ideas? Try a different HRM? Go see a doc? I just had a physical and the doc was very impressed with my fitness from last year. (I just started back riding Oct. 04)

Az

i ended up just turning the alarm off on my hrm, went off too much when i run. i have found that even a slight rise on the bike gets my rate up quickly, but then i usually drop again on the decline

You may be getting false readings. Mine doesn't want to start working properly until I start sweating. It doesn't like to work well in the cold either. Changing the battery helped. Try walking around in the cold (if it's cold, I'd say below 50F) and see if it works. If it doesn't, try cupping your hand over the transmitter.

This particular unit has an alarm that can't be turned off.

As far as the possibility of false readings goes, the readings were consistent for an hour and a half ride. And it was 76 degrees here today, so I don't think the cold was a factor.

I guess it's going back and I'll try a different one. I'm still concerned about my elevated heart rate readings though. I can't possibly be training to hard if I'm averaging 15mph and my perceived exertion is moderate at best, but after searching this forum and others it's clear that I shouldn't be seeing 170+ bpm without some pretty serious effort either.

Az

Some people have higher max heart rates than others. It's certainly feasible that your HRmax is in the 190s.

It is also possible that your HRM is picking up some interference but if so, it would just as likely do so when you going easy as when you are going all out.