Road Bike Racing - Heart Rate Zones?

Now that I finally got a HRM again, I want to know what percentage you use for zones while training. I only remember what my actual target zones were according to my trainer back when I was a teen, but I'm quite sure I don't have a max of 208 anymore.

Just throw out some percentages for my consideration, but if you want to know, my resting is 55-60 and I haven't found my max yet (I've been up to 186 on a good effort recently, but at the age of 28 I should be able to reach higher, no?)

Best bet is to just ride.

I have never truly been tested, but I notice when I am "on the rivet" my HR tends to hover ~170 so I can infer that is right around LTHR. Your resting heart rate doesn't really mean much.

Just ride and see where you end up.

Heart rate zone training follows the principle of periodization, which basically means that your training zones change as you progress through the training year.

Read "The Cyclist's Training Bible" by Joe Friel.

Bob

First you need to know your lactate threshold heart rate. Your various training zones then get calculated as a percentage of that. Go to the sticky thread on 2x20 HR in the training forum.

Foregt about your Maximum HR. It's a curousity, and not a good way to set your zones.

Your resting HR is really only relevant to track over time to help guage when you need to back off and rest.

And do buy a book. Either Friel or one by Chris Carmichael.

Difficult to say what your max or LTHR might be. There are varying methodologies for testing or determining your training zones, two common ones are prescribed by Carmichael Training Systems, which is something like two 3 mi. TT efforts and using the avg. HR of the 2 efforts; friel, which is the average HR from the last 20 mins. of a 30 min. TT effort. You can find the exact methodology as well as a breakdown of training intensity zones in their training books.

Other ways are to get a VO2Max test by a coach in your area, I think youre in socal, so you probably cant swing a dead cat without hitting a testing lab somewhere. I've done several of these as the coach I use is in love with her testing protocol, but I'm of the opinion on road tests are better as they are derived from actually riding your bike as opposed to on a fixed trainer.

And yes, as Bobby Lex says, training zones do change throughout the year, not always in ways you'd predict. My HR #s go down the more fit I get.

From my spreadsheet on the subject (HRmax=189):

Recovery Zone 1 > 65% - 122
Endurance Zone 2 65-72% 122 135
High Level Aerobic Zone 3 73-80% 137 150
Lactate Threshold Zone 4 84-90% 157 168
Anaerobic Training Zone 5 91% < 170 187


Lactate Threshold (bpm)
Lactic acid accumulates faster than it is removed.
80-85% 151 161

Anaerobic Threshold (bpm)
Energy is produced without oxygen more than with.
89-90% 168 171

Your resting heart rate doesn't really mean much.

Good, because mine has always sucked.

edit: Thanks Mark. That would probably be a good starting point for me until I can do testing or something. I should have thought to ask a phys ed teacher :D

My numbers from Phase IV in Santa Monica.

Recovery <123
Aerobic 123-147
Aerobic Development 148-157
Anaerobic 157-166
Submaximal 166<

I have seen my max above 180.

LT - resting rate = zones 1-5

80% of LT = [(LT-RR).8]+RR