Training & Nutrition - Heart rate and heart rate moniters

What heart rate should you be aiming for on a 3 hour bike ride?

I was told you should keep it well below 70% for a good workout. And it was not healthy to keep your heart working that high.

I figure if I was not weak our out of breath I was doing ok.

Would a heart rate moniter be helpful or is this taking the fun out of bike riding?

What sould a person pay for a decent heart rate moniter?

Thanks

I use a Polar F4 I bought at MEC (are you a member? They do mail orders!). It was $92.00. All I did was imput my age, weight, height and it calculated my minimum to maximum range. It also figures out how many calories I've burned, and stores the info. All on one not-at-all-nerdy-looking watch. When you exercise you put a strap around your chest and it transmits the info to the watch.

I found I like checking on my heart rate and the calories burned and comparing ride-to-ride.

As far as price, MEC has quite a range: Timex from $58.00 to Suunto for more than $600. The co-op usually has the best prices, but it's hard to beat their return policy.

Yes, I go there a lot!

What heart rate should you be aiming for on a 3 hour bike ride?

I was told you should keep it well below 70% for a good workout. And it was not healthy to keep your heart working that high.

I figure if I was not weak our out of breath I was doing ok.

Would a heart rate moniter be helpful or is this taking the fun out of bike riding?

What sould a person pay for a decent heart rate moniter?

Thanks

I did a 3 hour ride on Tuesday , where I averaged 79% of my maximum observed heart rate, or 87% of my "functional threshold" heart rate (average HR for a highly motivated 1 hr TT).

It is best to base heart rate training zones on FTHR, because it is a reflection of your current fitness:

L1 - recovery: <68% FTHR
L2 - endurance: 69-83% FTHR
L3 - tempo: 84-94% FTHR
L4 - threshold: 95-105% FTHR
L5 - vo2 max: >106% FTHR
L6 - anaerobic capacity: HR not useful as a guide
L7 - neuromuscular power: HR not useful as a guide

There is a pitfall to training by heart rate. On my ride I paced myself, with my powertap, at a steady power output that I knew I could maintain for ~3 hrs. My average heart rate for the first hour was 140 bpm (84% FTHR). For the second hour, my average heart rate was 146 bpm (87% FTHR). And finally for the third hour, my average heart rate was 152 bpm (91% FTHR). Remember, my power output was constant.

If I had tried to target a specific heart rate for the entire ride, my power output would have had to drop gradually to compensate for this heart rate "drift".

If all this does not pique your interest, then I'd say a heart rate monitor will take all the fun out of cycling.;)

I paid ~$200 for my Polar. It has training zones, intervals, etc.

I'm buying the Polar CS200 (bike computer and HR monitor) next week when I get to the mainland. I've been reading it's a pretty snazzy, handy, dandy tool and goes for around $150. If you shop around you might be able to find it for around $100. Polar also has a CS200 with a cadence accessory if you're into that kind of thing. You can buy the computer with or without the cadence accessory or buy the accessory later. The Polar CS200cad kit runs around $180.

There's a really good article about cycling and heart rate here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/coachcorn/cyclingrate.html

I have the Garmin 305 edge

and the Polar
and some other cheapie. I buy one whenever I don't have one because I am addicted to watching it. I find biofeedback fascinating and entertaining. I think you will like it.

Garmin Forerunner 305...........works for running and biking, variety of neat features.

I figure if I was not weak our out of breath I was doing ok.

I think you answered your own question. I have always figured that "heart rate zones" was a lot of baloney. I go at a pace that I can comfortably maintain and don't worry about my heart rate.


Would a heart rate moniter be helpful or is this taking the fun out of bike riding?

Maybe and yes, depending on whether you are a data geek or not.


What sould a person pay for a decent heart rate moniter?

My Garmin Edge 305 has heart rate and costs about $300.

I always buy "factory refurbs"

full warranty, almost half price,( FWIW)

I have excessive gps needs, IPERB, etc so it pays to be frugal

There's a really good article about cycling and heart rate here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/coachcorn/cyclingrate.html

Excellent article.

I think garmin makes a good HRM . I think for a 3 hour bike ride your heart rate is probably going to average 75% of your max even at an easy cadence. My max heart rate is 173 I am 49. All my long rides I always average over 145. shepardsherwood@hotmail.com

That was a great artical SWC.


Catherine I will check out the Garmin 305 edge. It seems like a popular one. thanks

I always buy "factory refurbs"

full warranty, almost half price,( FWIW)

I have excessive gps needs, IPERB, etc so it pays to be frugal


Catherine,

Where do you typically find factory refurbs?

Thanks.

Catherine,

Where do you typically find factory refurbs?

Thanks.


I am curious as well!

What heart rate should you be aiming for on a 3 hour bike ride?

I was told you should keep it well below 70% for a good workout. And it was not healthy to keep your heart working that high.

I figure if I was not weak our out of breath I was doing ok.

Would a heart rate moniter be helpful or is this taking the fun out of bike riding?

What sould a person pay for a decent heart rate moniter?

Thanks

It depends on what your goal is for the ride and your current level of fitness.

If you haven't been riding long, then your goal should to be at a comfortable heart rate for the majority of the ride - a rate where you could talk comfortably the whole time. It's okay if it spikes up on hills, but you shouldn't really feel like you are working hard.

If you are trained up, then it depends on your goal for the ride. Generally, you either want to be riding fairly hard or going all out, and not spending a lot of time working "kindof hard".

Many people find that a heart rate monitor is good for keeping them from working out too hard.

What heart rate should you be aiming for on a 3 hour bike ride?

I was told you should keep it well below 70% for a good workout. And it was not healthy to keep your heart working that high.

I figure if I was not weak our out of breath I was doing ok.

Would a heart rate moniter be helpful or is this taking the fun out of bike riding?

What sould a person pay for a decent heart rate moniter?

Thanks

Training by heart rate monitor can be pretty useful to assess where you should concentrate the bulk of your training, but they are not as effective as training by power using a power monitor (which are much more expensive due to the equipment involved). There are many variables that control a person's heart rate at any given time; stress, other health conditions, sleep are just a few. Good people to ask about this are Enthalpic and umd.

If you are going to train by heart rate, you need a heart rate monitor. You really don't know how hard you're working until you get one. There are times where I feel like I'm fine, but my heart rate is really through the roof and other times where I'm struggling, but my heart is hardly working. You should also try to determine your maximum heart rate, which will calibrate all of your other training levels. You cannot increase your maximum heart rate, but training using a power meter can help you optimize your performance over your range. It takes or makes your experience as you see fit. I personally don't wear one when I'm riding for fun because, well, I don't want to think about that. When I'm training or doing a more serious ride, then I wear it.

Now, as far as determining where you should spend your time most, it really depends on the workout that you're doing. I recommend going to the Road Racing Forum or squatting here for more information on that. An important model to follow is the use of zones; Friel's is pretty popular. Look around for it. Having a structured workout helps you get better and more efficient on the bike, as well as get the most out of your workout.

Good luck!

"Keep it below 70%" definitely not, unless it's a recovery ride. I'll frequently average 80% or so on a hard 3 hr. ride, and often take it up to near max at least once. Or at least run it at 90% or so for a few 10 minute sessions. Or however long the hills are, or however long you can hang on a wheel or someone can hang on you. If you are healthy, you can't work your heart too hard, though you can exhaust yourself by going too hard on too many days, something definitely to be avoided. OTOH, if you have a heart condition then let your doctor be your guide.

So like Eric said, go hard sometimes, really hard, and go easy a lot of the time. Definitely get a HR monitor. Doesn't need to be fancy, just numbers big enough to see easily when you're riding. After a while you'll get the hang of it. Eventually you may choose to abandon it when you have a good feel for exertion level.

But you want to feel weak and out of breath sometimes. Even several times/ride. I always laugh at the cardio machines at the gym that say, "Stop if you feel pain or out of breath." Like duh, then what's the point?

"Keep it below 70%" definitely not, unless it's a recovery ride. I'll frequently average 80% or so on a hard 3 hr. ride, and often take it up to near max at least once. Or at least run it at 90% or so for a few 10 minute sessions. Or however long the hills are, or however long you can hang on a wheel or someone can hang on you. If you are healthy, you can't work your heart too hard, though you can exhaust yourself by going too hard on too many days, something definitely to be avoided. OTOH, if you have a heart condition then let your doctor be your guide.

So like Eric said, go hard sometimes, really hard, and go easy a lot of the time. Definitely get a HR monitor. Doesn't need to be fancy, just numbers big enough to see easily when you're riding. After a while you'll get the hang of it. Eventually you may choose to abandon it when you have a good feel for exertion level.

But you want to feel weak and out of breath sometimes. Even several times/ride. I always laugh at the cardio machines at the gym that say, "Stop if you feel pain or out of breath." Like duh, then what's the point?

I think what the manufacturers meant by that was that if the person is either having mind-bending pain or is really short of breath (not the anaerobic kind, but the "Why do I feel like my lungs are giving out?" kind), then stop. I, frankly, stop going hard when I can't see straight, which has happened to me a few times on intervals when I go too hard, too fast.

If it helps, when I do intervals, my heart rate normally averages above 170 bpm (so far, I've found my max to be 181, but I'm sure it's higher than that; I'm 21). When I'm doing sweet spot training, I try to keep it between 160 and 165, which is Zone 4 for me. In recovery, it normally doesn't exceed 140.