MrCjolsen

Went much slower. To keep my HR at 150, which is 85% of my max (220-43), I had to ride at an average speed of 16 mph. Usually my average would be around 18-19 mph for a short ride like today.

So my question is this: Was I pushing it too hard?

I wasn't losing weight and I didn't seem to be getting much faster. If I'm patient, will I get better results (performance and weight loss) if I set my HRM to beep if it goes below 130 or above 150?

One more thing. This was my first ride after being sidelined for a few weeks with a herniated disc in my neck. But I've ridden faster after longer breaks from the bike.

531Aussie

Those max hr calcualtions are only a very vague guide, and are almost always way off.
They're more of a precaution for older, unfit people joining gyms. I know; I used to work in one. Therefore, I'd guess your max would be much higher than 177

Firstly, what are your goals?

If it's about losing weight, as Danoz very elaborately articulated (is that a tautology?) on the other thread, the fat burning myth is mostly just a myth: losing weight is mostly about calorie expenditure.

Anyway, to get your actual max, the best way to so it is to get on the bike sprint up a hill until your legs die, BUT, it's obviously unwise to do this if you're unfit, unhealthy and/or overweight.

I guess what I'm saying is don't stop at 16mph if you feel like going at 19mph

wingnut

FWIW, I'm 45 and I have hit 185 when riding. Using the 220-age formula I am supposed to be at 175. As everyone will tell you, the formula is not real accurate for most folks and more of a general guide.

cedo

There are many ways to calculate your max heart rate more accurately. Outside of being tested in a lab, you can self test using something like the Carmichael method which is quite accurate.

SandySwimmer

I use a heart rate monitor. My observation is that when I started working out within my range (rather than above the range), I was less tired, had more energy, and lost weight.

Twice a week I add sprints where I go above my heart rate for shorter periods of time. I usually schedule a day off or a light day the day after the sprints. Sprints seem to make a difference if you are seeking major gains in speed, cardio strength, endurance, etc. This is true in swimming, running, and cycling. I have a pretty intensive work and travel (for work) schedule and higher energy is one of my major concerns.

When I have been away from a certain cardio activitiy, my heart rate is usually higher than usual the first few times back. Within a week or two, you should be back to 'normal'.

Sandy

ROJA

I am almost 30 and I've seen 207, so ignore that 220-age junk and get a personal max yourself. Try picking up a book, e.g. Heart Rate Training for the Compleat Idiot (more geared to runners)

DannoXYZ 

Yeah, everyone's heart is different. To find your real max-HR, you gotta do some testing. Most people can hit higher max-HR running on the treadmill than on the bike. You might want to do both tests to see what you get. Then use that actual number in your zone calculations rather than the 220-age number.

kuan

Aren't you supposed to use the exercise specific max HR?

nbf

I think it works this way:

If you don´t have much time: go as hard as you can when you can.

Plenty time: Altenate going hard with days where you use your measured MaxHR and stay below 75%.

Going hard as you can preferably with some intervals will make you fitter and leaner than staying in some zone, the idea of zone training is to prevent overtraining - that is if you have the time for overtraining.

NoRacer

I thought the idea of 'zone training' was to develop the different energy systems used for endurance sports.

According to this, different energy systems kick in depending on the length of the exercise bout:

https://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/energy.htm

So, if you want to develop your aerobic system, you have to work continuously for over at least 120 seconds keeping intensity below lactate threshold/turnpoint.

If you want to develop your anaerobic system than workbouts should be very intense and as long as about 20 seconds for alactic bouts and 30-45 seconds for the glycolytic system development. Both alactic and glycolytic work needs long rests to keep from kicking over to the aerobic system.

Guest

220- age is not really accurate. So whatever numbers you have will make very little sense to us. That's like me posting and asking you if my speed was good enough when I drove, but without you being in the car and seeing what my speed was, how can you comment on my speed?

If you've got a club where they can test you, head out there with your monitor. Then get some reliable numbers and come back and let's see what we can do with ya.

Koffee

Applehead57

Toss those HRM's.
Your body will tell you what you need to know.

I have a friend who rides with one eye on the road and the other on his HRM.
If he approaches his suggested upper limit, he hits the brakes.
Drives me nuts, I can't go that slow.

MrCjolsen

On my ride to work today, did a few "all out" intervals where I try to get a new pb for "max speed, flat, no wind." On the second one, I got my HR up to 203 bpm at 26.3 mph. That's almost 30 bpm more than "220 minus my age."

So I should use that as my max HR? Do I train at about 75-85 percent of that if I want to lose weight and build my base?

Walkafire

Funny this thread came up...

I ran into an old buddy yesterday... he and I have been losing weight pretty steady since the beginning of the year.

He was telling me he was having Heart pains. He went to the Doctor, the Doctor told him he was in a Anaerobic state, you see, he works out hard, trying to get into shape. The doc told him to try to keep his Heart Rate at 85% of his max for 1 hour. Well he tried this, and thought it was nothing, hardly a workout... until... he did this for about 3-4 days... now when he works out (treadmill) he works up a big sweat, worse then before.

His doc told him to use: 220 - ( your age ) x 85 %
..Which in his case would be: 220 - 46 = 174 x .85 = @148

*EDIT* I just emailed him... it was 85%

webist

I just raise my HR "Zone" to something above that max I have achieved in order to keep the thing from beeping constantly and to get credit for additional time in the zone rather than above the zone. I have found that 75-85% of my formulaic max isn't really that much of an effort.

BaadDawg

Having used a HR monitor last year after a life of hard exercise without one, all I can say is this. I hated the damn thing. I figured out the right zones and my true max (much higher than the formula in my case). I just didn't like being so aware of my HR. Now I do as I always did, just ride (or spin). Take a day off or 2 once and awhile and eat well.

As far as I am concerned they are for people who are really committed to training (and know what they are doing) or for people with medical restrictions who cannot exceed a HR on doctors' orders.

joelpalmer

I tend to use mine to record, rather than really caring about the zone. I've shut off the alarm feature and just eyeball the HR it gives me to see where I'm at (makes me feel better on the days that I just can't seem to go faster no matter how hard I push) and then track the calories burned at the end of the ride. Since it's integrated with my bike computer it works well for tracking over the long-term.

fuzzthebee

I think that heart rate zones are best if based on maximum sustainable heart rate. You need to ride a time trial at a steady pace, at the highest power that you can sustain for an hour. This may be best done indoors on a trainer, in a controlled environment. Choose a gear and cadence that you can maintain for the whole hour. This will ensure a constant power output. Then take your average heart rate for the hour and base your zones around that.

1) Recovery: 70% or less
2) Endurance: 70-85%
3) Tempo: 85-95%
4) Threshold: 95-105%
5) vo2 max: 106% or greater

In my case, my max heart rate is 186 bpm but my max sustainable heart rate is 166 bpm, so the zones are based on percentages of 166.

MrCjolsen

Here's an update. For the ride home, I set the beeper at 172, based on 85% of 203. I did everything I could to keep my HR between 172 and 152 (about 75%).

I rode for 55 minutes. It felt pretty good, and I could have easily kept going.

The nice thing was I didn't have to worry about speed. Without the HRM, I was a slave to my average speed on my computer. Where I live, we have variable, shifting winds. So alot of the time, you never know whether you are bonking or if the wind shifted. With the HRM my output was constant, and my speed was the variable.

DannoXYZ 

You're on the right track. Use the actual measured max-HR that you hit in testing. Then base the zone-percentages off that real max-HR. I don't know who came up with the 220-age formulae, but I think it's pretty worthless. BTW, my max-HR is about 15bpm faster than the 220-age number as wel.

NoRacer

I'm almost 48. My MHR for running is 194 BPM; cycling is about 186 BPM.

Googled: THE SURPRISING HISTORY OF THE HRmax 220-AGE EQUATION

.

531Aussie

I tend to agree somewhat, even though I pretty much never ride without one.

Many bike trainers, such as Ric Stern, keep telling us that HR is not as accurate a way to train as is a good power meter, but who's got the money to blow on an SRM? Not me!! Training with a HR monitor alone is not the most effective to train, and probably shouldn't be rigidly adhered to. For example, heart rate can fluctuate depending on how fresh or 'dull' the legs are, and, as we know, hydration can also play 'tricks' with our pulse. So, as you say, a HR monitor doesn't really tell us all that's going on with our body.

My max is about 203, and when my legs are fresh I can sustain high 180s to low 190s for at least 30-40 minutes, but if I tried to do the same thing the next day, I'd have to kill myself to sustain 185bpm.

HR training isn't the exact science that your mate seems to think it is -- perhaps you can let him know. Tell him he needs to spend $2000 on an SRM


https://www.usauzziesales.com/srm_power_meters.htm

velocity

Word!
RPE and HRM is a good combination. Learn your HR zones through trial and hours of riding. OR better yet get a stress test done and then go on from there. But never live by the numbers of a forumula they can train you too much or not enough.
Velocity

Walkafire

I clicked on your google search... there are about 114 different sites... which one is it you are talking about, or is it all of 'em?

NoRacer

Most of them are the exact same article. I used the search because some people don't have Acrobat to read 'the' article.

.