Hi guys, I've been cycling on and off road for 2 years now and have recently bought a HR monitor to aid training.

I haven't had the chance to use it much yet, but did use it for an hour and a half spin session this evening.

I'm rather suprised by the stats that I got at the end of the session, listed below. I don't know much about training with HR, but these seem way high and I appear to have spent 61% of my time in the red. I've used the HR on a couple of road rides and this has yielded fairly similar stats, maybe a little lower due to a few short stops and a bit of chatting with friends etc.

During the class, I didn't feel like I was busting a gut and was holding back a little as don't normally do long spin sessions as I tend to suffer from excessive sweat/cramp when riding indoors. I'd had several nights of consecutive good sleep. The class was an even mixture of intervals and steady riding.

Anyway, I'd be very grateful if anyone could help me to interpret this data. Do I need to back off a little still? I've heard that its not necessarily a good thing to spend so long in the threshold/anaerobic zone. Or is it possible that my max rate is higher than I think? Or do some people just have naturally high HR's? Does this mean that I will never be able to attain the Lance like abilities that I aspire to? I would imagine that the pro's could exert a similar effort without breaking in to 110+!

Thanks for the help guys!!! Any insight appreciated!!!

Time: 1:30 hrs
11% in 107-137
22% in 137-156
61% in 156+
Max - 183
Ave - 152

Here's a quick rundown of my stats:

Age - 29
Height - 172 cm
Weight - 65kg
Fat - 6-8%
Max HR - Approx 195 (rough guess, haven't done a true HR max test yet)
Resting HR - 52

From your body fat %, I am assuming that you are extremely fit. You should know that having a 6% body fat is NOT ‘healthy’ and you should be followed closely by a doctor when you are there. Pro riders aren’t anywhere close to being that lean all year long since all vital organs need certain amount of fat to function properly.

But anyways, since your fitness level is very high, spending an hour in the ‘intensity’ zone for a short work out of an hour and half should be easy. However, I am a bit puzzled that someone as fit as you is asking a simple question about HR training zones.

Max HR - Approx 195 (rough guess, haven't done a true HR max test yet)
Resting HR - 52All your data is useless until you know your true max-HR. Do a cycling test and a running test to find your max-HR in each event. Use the average of the two as max-HR in all the calculations. Then determine your LT-lactate threshold. From these two numbers, you can reference the rest of the data you've collected. So far, it looks just fine.

Yup, without a valid MHR, the rest are simply numbers. All zones, and thresholds (as they relate to heart rate) are based on % of max. It's very possible that you spent 61% of your time over 85% of your MHR (your determination of redline given your numbers), but you'll never know until you validate your MHR.

As Danno has already stated, also find your LTHR (this is trainable, and therefore, a dynamic number), and then you can really have fun with your data. Good luck!

You maxHR looks reasonable for your age, although your certainly could have a higher (or lower) maxHR. Nonetheless...

You appear to have defined the 'red zone' as anything above 80% of MaxHR. Any reasonably fit cyclist is going to work out at intensity levels above 80%. The 80% guideline is typically used as a ballpark aerobic/anerobic threshold. People trying to lose weight are often told to stay below 80% so that the maximize the percentage of fat calories burned in a workout. This is a very misleading guideline because people interpret this to mean that higher exertion levels reduce the rate ate which fat is metabolized which is not true.

As an experienced cyclist, you will want to perform a short 1.5 hour ride significantly above 80% MaxHR unless you are intentionally doing an easy recovery ride. There is nothing wrong with riding with significant anerobic metabolism.

BTW, your MaxHR is not an indication of your peak potential.

Thanks for the help guys. I'll take on board your points are that I need to find my Max HR and that I shouldn't get too caught up about working above 80% for extended periods. Happy riding folks!!!

Forget Max HR for a moment and take your RHR again. I'm assuming you're taking it in bed, right after you wake up, relaxed, and averaged over a few days. My guess is that your RHR may be lower than 52 since you're not "busting a gut" as you say. :D In any case, suppose we take a conservative 190 for your MHR and drop that 52 to 45. Your 80% HR would be 161 based on Karvonen. That may make a pretty significant change in your perspective.