Roadbuzz-

I quickly wanted to say that I train people all the time, and I use heart rate moniters (I actually have 28 moniters for loan). I teach classes, but I also do one on one training also. I'll train them for whatever objective they are trying to achieve. I think the people I train are the fittest, strongest people I've ever come across (as opposed to the typical aerobic bunny teacher) because I insist all my students use heart rate moniters. In the fall, I will start to incorporate strength training into my resume, since I 100% believe in resistence training to increase performance.

As far as your other comments, I think we are agreeing here, for the most part. It is true that for riders who are more recreationally inclined, it is easier to do an anaerobic threshold test rather than a maximum heart rate test. I would never personally try to administer a maximum heart rate test either, as it is too painful for the subject, and really should only be done by professionals in a controlled setting.

Actually, it does have to be so complicated for recreationally inclined people. What one has to keep in mind is that they are not professional athletes, no matter how much these people want to think they are. They want to look, act and dress like athletes, but they don't want to maintain the same fitness program. They couldn't- athletes spend their whole lives and days training. We can't. We have jobs and social lives and eat a bit differently than the typical professional athlete. But we can modify the program of a typical professional athlete for the average individual so they can get fit too. And when we are trying to get fit, there has to be a way to measure and moniter our fitness improvements. That's why we use heart rate moniters. I always tell everyone that going without a moniter is like covering your odometer in your car when you're trying to drive. How do you moniter your speed if you can't see how fast you're driving?

Ok, so then it does become complicated, but the good news is that it's not rocket science. It would be nice if everyone could go to a performance lab and get tested, but unfortunately, for a lot of people, it's not an option. Perhaps there's not one nearby, or they can't afford one, or whatever the reason. Well, you can still take some tests that are not as accurate as the performance labs' tests, but they are pretty accurate. Much more accurate than those generalized, one-size-fits-all formulas. I highly discourage formulas with everyone I encounter. When they start throwing out that 220- age, I cut them off, throw a heart rate moniter on them, then start training them to get used to seeing their number ranges for whatever drills we're working with that training session. We'll do this for a few weeks until I'm satisfied with their fitness level, and I think they are comfortable with using the heart rate moniter. Then I run them through a heart rate test, usually a anaerobic threshold test. I could take them through a sub-max test, but I would rather take them through an anaerobic threshold test (also known as the lactate threshold test). Once we get the heart rate number for their anaerobic threshold, we can calculate out all their heart rate ranges. From there, we can work with whatever they are looking to improve in. They want to work on hills? Well, now we have a good idea of what their heart rate ranges are (typically 80% and upwards), and using their heart rates, we can measure their performance, and as they get fitter, those numbers will change, and THAT'S how we can use the heart rate moniter to improve our performance. You want to burn some fat? Typically, fat burning occurs at anaerobic threshold. How do we know what anaerobic threshold is without using the moniter? Well, we know what the feeling is, but we don't know how we can measure it without quantifying that feeling. As we get fitter, we can more easily hit higher heart rates. By looking at those numbers, we now can see how we've improved, and we can readjust our program to reflect these changes. That's how we can constantly work towards getting better, fitter, faster and stronger. I work with a periodization program for a 12 month period. I slice up the time people will work within certain heart rates and put together a comprehensive training program. Even if this sounds complicated, I am equally sure that for the professional athlete, the amount of work I put together for my recreational athlete is a piece of cake compared to their training program. But I've never put one together and not seen substantial changes in anyone I've worked with. So I will swear by heart rate moniters until I die, and when I do, cremate my body and stick it in a heart rate moniter box and shoot it out into space. That's just how much I believe in them.

For what it's worth, maximum heart rate and lactate threshold are important to know. I know my maximum heart rate and my anaerobic threshold. I also try to work towards pushing my anaerobic threshold closer to my maximum heart rate so I can train at higher levels. But I also use lactate threshold to determine where my fat burning range is (for the ceiling). There is a floor for my fat burning range, and by knowing my maximum heart rate range, I can calculate out all my heart rate ranges and figure out where my low end fat burning range is. From here, I can design some great interval traning classes to increase my anaerobic threshold and expand my fat burning range. It's a battle. I have a lot of fat, so I have a lot of work to do.

We can talk until the cows come home about the importance of heart rate moniters. Bring it on... I love to talk and tonight's a slow night.... (look, just kidding, for real... I'm a heart rate moniter nut, man and I got it bad)

To make the long story short, the answer to the original question is... ???

I forgot.
Koffee