Originally Posted by
rsbob
Heart rate monitors are cheap. You can get one on AliExpress for about $15 IF you have a bike computer that receive the input. They have those too for cheap.
As stated above, it is all about power to weight. The less weight you have to move the more competitive you will be, I’m 6’1” and have been working for the last 6 months to get my weight down to ideal precisely to help climbing. Have half a pound to go. But then I do it by half pounds rather than making huge goals which can feel defeating when I don’t hit them.
At 68, my max heart rate is 192 but that is unusually high.
I'll agree - heart rate monitoring is the essential key to effective training and improvement. Power meters are very nice, but without Heart rate it;s hard to correlate power production relative to 'effort'.
I have tried numerous Fitbit watch HRMs and find them very inaccurate (for me) as compared to a chest belt monitor. Especially in the most important range from 130 bpm and up.
Started using a Wahoo Tickr a year ago and very pleased with the function (nothing to do, just wear it), accuracy and comfort. Works and sends signal/info to my phone, track with many diffferent apps, including Ride With GPS, Connect (Garmin), Wahoo and many others... $50 - well worth the cost. I don't need anything more complicated. Will give full HR tracking for the entire length of use as well as good realtime HR.
Power to WEIGHT - what it all comes down to - whether climbing or time trialing on the flat-ish...
If I'm climbing strong, I'm riding strong overall - direct correlation.
2 suggestions:
do 1 weekly ride/workout dedicated to 'climbing' - pick a climb/ride which you can ro regularly which can give you at least 20-30 minutes of steady climbing - preferrablly with variable steepness, from 4-5 % to 10-12%+. Pick a standard 'start' and 'finish', and time every ride. You'll quickly learn more about the pacing which works best for you. Time EVERY ride.
Try to do 6-7 miles of warm-up riding before the 'climbng' section. Do 'cooldown ride after...
Most riders do best with a steady effort. A litttle harder on the flatter sections, steady but no accelerations as steepness increases. Key is to find that keeps you at your highest effort, without going Anaerobic.
To find out where your personal 'Anaerobic' zone/region really predominates, do an Anaerobic Threshold Test - currently terminology calls it 'Lactate Threshold' - basically same thing.
As your fitness improves, your AT/LT region will move to higher Heart Rate. It happens over time, like months... often longer segments like periods in a year or years.
Climbing is tough, and mentally testing. But very effective, both in fitness/strength improvement and also in mental strength, determination and willingness to suffer a bit.
DON'T compare yourself to others - it's purely a challenge to and for yourself !
Ride On
Yuri