51 starting out
 

Hi,

this is my first post, so by way of introduction I can tell
you I've been commuting to work (30 minute ride) for
a few months and have liked it from the start.

having got this far I've developed an interest in getting
healthier, eating better - all the things my wife has
been trying to tell me about for the last 20 yrs!!

I got a HRM the other day and discover I spend 98%
of my ride between 70% and 85% of the maximum
heart rate (according to the manual). So that's about
an hour a day in total. Is this OK or am I pushing too hard?

Thanks for any advice you might have for someone just
starting out at 51 :)

Welcome Cyclic...I'm new here myself. 85% of max sounds pretty good to me. One of the better things to look for how fast your heart rate drops after you stop. Check it after a hard section and wait one minute and check it again. I forget the percentage that its supposed to drop. One of the better indicators is how you feel the day after. If your really tired and groggy you might have pushed it too much.

keep on ridin"!

Welcome, Cyclic!

I'm rather new here myself and have nothing to offer in terms of the heart monitor, but i just wanted to say welcome aboard. Hope you'll post often regarding your experiences, learnings, and questions.

Maximum?

There are many ways of finding "maximum" of which 220-age is one of the worst.

There are numerous discussions about how "maximum" can vary from 10-20 bpm from individual to individual. Do a forum search for some recent discussions.

By the way, welcome!

(Also, many of us didn't get started until our late 50's (that's me) and 60's. You are just a youngster.

If you go by the normal system of 220 - age, you will get a ball park figure to work from. Treating that for myself, I get an upper limit of 162, and If I ride at that for any length of time--- I can't. Energy, legs, breathing, body- in fact everything goes. However, I do like to ride constantly at 150, and can do, when necessary, for extended periods of time.

Your own limits of your own H.R. are for you to find. Every one is different, but Guage yourself up against your riding partners. If you can still beat them up the hills, Don't bother about the Heart Rate. If they are beating you, let them go- they are probably younger fitter or have a lot more to prove.

(on heart rate as a maximum %age- Don't worry too much as according to the formulas- I ride at 90% of my max all day, and that is supposed to be impossible for us oldun's)

welcome. Sounds to me like you are doing fine. I started back when I was 51 also. i like to try for one hour in the zone, so to speak.

Welcome! If you are just starting out, I would suggest building an aerobic base.

You can do this by staying close to the 70%, not the 85%. Say between 120 and 130. This will train your muscles to become efficient at burning fat, and will not add too much extra stress to your life. Many people exercise to reduce stress, but some of us actually add stress to our lives by exercising too hard or too long!

Hi Cyclic,
Sound like your on the right track. I began riding again about 3 years ago. I take off in the darkest winter months, but from late Feb, early March ride until late Oct. Like yourself I recently got a heart monitor. I was very surprised at what my heart rate gets up to, but like another rider mentioned a key factor is how quickly you recover. When I finish my 6 mile morning ride the last section is really uphill. My closing ride heart rate is usually between 155-165, but within ten minutes of stopping it is back into the low 90's upper 80's. Another key is that for the entire morning at work I feel energized. I guess it is the biker equivalent of the infamous runners high!.
Anyway keep at it and glad to have you with us.

thanks to all for advice and welcome

this next bit caught my eye...

Can you tell me if there's a 'rule of thumb' about measuring
recovery rates? I think my HRM will do this but I have no
idea what it would mean to return to a given rate in a given
time. How do you know if your recovery time is good or bad?

That's the part I do not know. You know what they say about a little knowledge being dangerous. Perhaps there is a doctor in the crowd who might shed a little light on this. It may deserve a new thread. Anyway, if you keep at it you will feel better. When I began to ride this spring, my route took me 32 minutes to ride. As of this morning it is now 23 1/2 minutes. On one of the hills I used to have to stop and catch my breath now I go past that point in my 3rd rear gear. I time my average speed max heart rate and time and add it daily to an excel spreadsheet on my computer and overall I just feel better. I am not now or have ever been a racer so if an out of shape guy like me can do it you can too and you will love it! My resting pulse it pretty good too. I used my hrm for an entire day to see a daily variance and my at rest rate at work was between 47-52.

Your heart rate sounds great, but I didn't hear "I had a heart checkup before starting".
Probably not a problem, but might be good to do a treadmill and make sure there are no heart irregularities.

Recovery is like about a 5% drop in one minute. ( rest for the minute then take pulse again )

About a year ago I went for a treadmill test and the cardiologist said my recovery rate was excellent. They go by minutes it takes from a certain high rate to less than 100 beats per minute. Your cardiologist will know, or anyone who assists in treadmill studies.