ScubaAl

This year I noticed my avg HR during my rides was from 150's to 175 bpm (this was the average for the ride) and spiking as high as 206. I'll be 70 next month, and in the past years I would occasionally check my HR and it would be in the 120bpm range average for my rides.
Long story short, went to the DR and turned out I have afib. They did a cardioversion and now my HR is back to normal. My ride avg HR now is back in the 110-120 range. Resting HR now in the 40bpm range.
Al

BengalCat

When climbing and trying for best effort or time I've found that for me I can maintain an HR of 90-91 percent of maximum on Cat 3 and Cat 2 climbs. My legs tell me what cadence and gear combo to use.

No matter what my fitness level is my HR info above never changes on climbs. What does change or dictates my pace is how strong or weak my legs are on those climbs. Then the cadence still stays about the same, (except on double-digit sections), but I have to use easier gears.

Hawkowl2

For you knowing your heart rate is part of your daily entertainment. That is certainly your choice. But to call Work of Breathing a "guesstimate" tells me you could benefit from some education.

Simply: The harder a person works/exercises, the harder it is to breath. It is the summation of all the individual components of the body.

Certainly people should have physical exams to determine their health.

tobey

Everyone is different so it's very difficult to compare. I'm 67 and a strong rider for my age group. Resting heart rate in the low to mid 50's. My max is around 155s and on many rides I never go above 150.
To get above 150 I'm usually riding a hill with a grade above 8% where I stay in my large front ring. My average heart rate ytd after 2,500 miles is in low 120's. Frankly I pay much more attention to how hard I'm breathing then my heart rate.

canklecat

Medications can be a big factor in heart rate regardless of other fitness parameters, including aerobic conditioning, strength, etc.

If I take sudafed for sinus congestion (pseudo-ephedrine, not the phenylephrine substitute), my heart rate will often increase 10 bpm or more. That might offer a minor benefit in some sports, although there are increased risks of heart stress and other problems.

Occasionally I take blood pressure meds for severe headaches -- for some reason, beta blockers and calcium channel blockers sometimes help with migraines. Metoprolol and lisinopril will decrease my resting HR about 10 bpm, and my exertion HR 20-30 bpm. So on a familiar route at my usual speed and level of exertion where my average HR would be around 140 and peaks around 160 bpm, instead the average will be around 120 and I'll have a hard time getting my peak HR above 140 bpm even when my legs are cooked and I'm about gassed out. It feels like I'm not getting enough oxygenated blood circulating. Efforts that would be moderate on most days feel like high intensity on days when I take BP meds.

And I tend to feel sluggish and sleepy on BP meds, although I don't take them every day and don't know whether I'd eventually adapt. I've resisted doctors' suggestions to take BP and cholesterol meds as preventive measures, and prefer to watch my diet, get plenty of exercise, etc.

horatio 

I’m pretty sure my HR is elevated by caffeine on my morning rides, but I just can’t do without my coffee. It’s the only vice l have left!

OldTryGuy

My use of "guesstimate" was referring to the (220 - age) formula for max. HR.

Carbonfiberboy 

I'm 74, been training consistently for 20 years. It's normal for beginning (or restarting) cyclist to exhibit very high HRs for the effort. The heart muscle is thin and weak, blood volume is low, and the muscles aren't efficient. That all means relatively high HR for the effort. HR gradually comes down over the next couple of years. Takes a while. For youngers, it is said that it takes 7 years to reach potential. The issue with olders is the our potential is declining at quite a rate, so it's hard to just stay even, much less get faster. However the HR for effort will come down. My resting is 45-50. Standing beside my bike, ready to ride, maybe 60. Cruising at 18 mph, ~118 HR. Long climbs, holding 133 is about it. Short hills, like 142-145. MHR probably ~150.

Ignore MHR, test for LTHR. There's a sticky in the Training and Nutrition forum. Test about once a month for a while, get a feel for it.

In general, relating breathing to effort, see: https://www.acefitness.org/fitness-c...ng-vt1-and-vt2
LTHR will be just below VT2. My VT1 is ~116, LTHR ~135.

ALANB58

I don't think the formulas mean squat, when I was training hard many years ago, I had a resting heart rate in the upper 30s, sort of Indurain ish. Unfortunately, not in his league.

terrymorse 

Light headedness when standing up is called postural hypotension, and dehydration is the most common cause.

There are other causes. One that can affect cyclists is coasting after a hard effort, where blood moves down into the legs once the leg muscles stop contracting. Here’s a good article about Postural hypotension during exercise.

Ronno6

Mine does not really occur upon standing, etc. But, rather when I stop wt the end of a ride.
As I have backed off on the intensity of my rides (but increasing the distance) the sensation is much reduced.

Last week's flat as-I-could-make-it 20 miler saw a 14.3 average and a 122 BPM average HR.
I felt a bit tired at the end, but no light-headedness whatsoever.

Today's similar 20 mile ride (1 small hill) was at 15.6avg and 129 BPM average. Only a slight sensation of light-headedness.

I ran the old ticker up to 130 pretty rapidly, and kept mostly 130-135 range for the duration.
It seems that, once in that zone, tho only way I can bring it down is easy spinning while going down grade or coasting.
Virtually ANY application of leg power, even if to maintain a constant speed on flat ground results in theHR easily going over 130 and up to 135 or so without really working at it.

But, if I put in the effort, things should improve (or, at least I HOPE so................)
But, I fear that those days of 5 hour centuries are long past..........

terrymorse 

Does the onset of light-headedness occur right when you stop?

If so, the cause might be your leg muscles suddenly stopping their contractions, which help pump blood back to the heart. When your leg muscles relax, the blood flow from your legs to your heart drops rapidly.

To avoid that, try doing some "cool down" riding after a hard effort.

On a group ride several years ago, one of our riders fainted at the top of a long and hard climb. He felt fine until he suddenly blacked out.

Ronno6

Yeah, that's when I first notice it.
I am guilty of not warming down sufficiently all the time..............

Road Fan

Ronno, did you talk to your physician about what to watch out for and any assessments that should be done?

Ronno6

I have not.
I saw her a couple weeks ago and she said I was a pretty healthy dude.....except for the infection which predicated the visit.
I'll be going in for a wellness exam soon....I'll discuss it with her then...........

Hermes

I buy all my shoes based on age.

My max HR by formula would be 150. So here is yet another wrinkle. For the time trial, hill climb and pursuit, my max HR is around 172 and my lactate threshold (LT) around 160. So I have maybe 12 beats of head room to raise my LT and there may be a couple more upside beats for my max HR. But.....In the 500 meter time trial at the track from a standing start, sprinting to 130 rpm, my HR maxes out at 186. So is my cycling max 172 or 186? It would make a difference as too how much head room I have to raise my LT. And I would probably have a different maximum if I sprinted 400 meters running - not that I could actually run a 400.

I think the answer is that the sport drives the heart rate and the 500 meter sprint at the track is a different sport than a hill climb but both done on a bicycle.

tourisme

Ronno, I'm 64. I used HRMs for many years when training seriously, and while I don't do that any more I still have the HRM on the bike just out of habit. it's quite usual for me to get my HR into the 160s, my lactate threshold is currently around 156.

You sound nervous about pushing your HR too high. Don't be. Unless you have some underlying heart condition, going as hard as you can is just fine. In fact, there's a growing body of evidence suggesting that short bursts of maximum intensity produces better health benefits for us old folks than does just plowing along at moderate effort. If you need reassurance about this, talk to the doc on your next visit.

You talk about Strava classifying your efforts as "tempo". This only means something if its based on your personal HR zones, and from what I read here you haven't tested for those. As has been mentioned, there's a sticky in the training forum showing how to do it if you want to. Those zones are based on LTHR, not max HR. The latter is a pretty unimportant number. You can't exceed it even if you wanted to, and there's huge variation between individuals.

I'm assuming that you want to get fit but aren't really interested in the metrics, or in training systematically for peak performance. If that is the case, I'd suggest leaving the HRM in a drawer somewhere. You know what going hard feels like, and you know what going easy feels like. Spend 10%-15% of your time going hard, and the rest going easily. Not too much time in between. You'll get fit, and without worrying about how fast your heart is beating. Trust me, it's beating as fast as it needs to.

Ronno6

I just don't want to keel over in the middle of a ride cuz I was working too hard................
I'm not gonna do any competing.
Getting back to being able to so a century would be nice.
Possibly even put my touring gear to use again.
It is just that, when I have ridden too hard on my morning ride, I am pretty much worthless for the rest of the day.
I am trying to establish a level of effort which will help me get stronger without wasting a day needing to recover after a morning exertion....

canklecat

Without a baseline test it's difficult to use a heart monitor effectively. But to be accurate the baseline test should be done under your usual conditions: same meds, especially for BP; usual amount of rest (or lack thereof), diet, etc. Preferably in the same weather conditions -- heat and humidity.

I did the baseline test suggested with the Wahoo Tickr, but I knew it would be applicable only to the test conditions:

• I did the test indoors, so if my maximum HR was 175, I figured 160-165 would be more realistic in Texas summer heat.
• I did the test without BP meds. I take BP meds only occasionally for severe headaches, often accompanied by unusual spikes in BP. Metoprolol and lisinopril will reduce my resting pulse from around 65 to 55, and max *effective* HR from 165 to around 145-150.

After Thursday afternoon's group ride, which usually finishes with 45 miles including my round trip commute to and from since I ride the whole way, I still felt pretty good after getting home. So I ate and went out again. Finished the day with 75 miles, the final 30 after dark when the temp dropped to 80 or lower. Felt great when I finished. Even felt like I could have done another 25 miles and called it a century, without having planned it. I didn't feel like I was pushing hard and my HR averaged 138, with a few peaks to 160 on climbs. That's typical for me.

Friday night/Saturday I had a horrific headache and my BP spiked to 150/90, which is high for me. It's usually 110-120/60-70. I took a metoprolol and lisinopril and rested Saturday.

Sunday morning I felt pretty good, just a little sluggish from the BP meds since I don't take them daily. But I was running a bit late and decided to skip the group rides. The usual moderate pace B-group didn't meet that day and I didn't feel quite up to the B+/A- group's 17-18 mph average. So I rode the same 40 mile route backward, averaging 15 mph. It felt comfortable at the time and I got home by 11 am, just as the temperature reached 90. My HR averaged 128 bpm and peaked at 150, despite feeling like the same effort as my usual that averages 140 and peaks around 160-165.

In effect I overdid it Sunday, neglecting to pay attention when my app notified me of my average HR every 5 minutes. My mindset was still "Oh, I'm well under my usual BP, let's try for a new personal best on this segment." That was stupid. So naturally within an hour after getting home I suddenly felt achy and exhausted. Napped for 6 hours, then was fatigued from hunger because I neglected to eat properly after getting home.

So I tested my baseline under best possible conditions that apply only to fairly cool, dry weather without much wind. And without BP meds. And it shows in my rides. When the outdoor conditions are like my baseline HR test conditions, sure, I'm faster and feel fine afterward.

But when I neglect those conditions -- despite knowing better -- I pay for it.

The silliest thing about it is, as usual, my body is the best gauge of how my body feels. I knew I felt draggy Sunday but instead of listening to my body I kept pushing a little harder, beyond my comfort zone. If I'd just ridden 1/2 mph slower, that would have made the difference between feeling good afterward and feeling exhausted rather than energized.

Ronno6

Alright. Let's see If I have my thinking cap on straight.

I went roe a solo ride this morning.
I rode a course which is nearly the same as one I rode 2-1/2 weeks ago, also solo.
I actually threw in a hill that I avoided the last time, so maybe a bit tougher.
Conditions similar, but hotter and more humid today.
Last time had 1 day of rest after a moderately vigorous ride.
Today I was operating on 2 days rest after a very vigorous workout on the bike.

At the end of it all, I averaged .8 mph faster, and my average HR was 5 BPM lower than last time.

Shouldn't I interpret that as improvement??

zjrog

I use my Wahoo Tickr all the time now. 18 months ago I saw a cardiologist for the first time. She scared me. I needed to be scared...

She started me in her cardiac rehab program. I was 378 pounds at 55. And I was in danger. Retaining water, sleep apnea and high blood pressure. She had me monitored during exercise for a while. That was something.

Fast forward. I had weight loss surgery last October. I'm under 250. I'm out of the rehab program with zero limits. I still retain some water, but nothing like before. My BP is actually low, waking heart rate in the low 50s.

I keep my exertion on the bike at a 130 average. But don't get freaked as I push to 165 or so on climbs or pushing for speed.

I like having that info in front of me at present. I've worked hard to get here, and I have more to do as I aim for 200 pounds...

Pouhana

I use Garmin. I get the same light headedness when I stop. I will go 150 beats. My finding is my lightheaded feelings are more temp related. 107 degrees last week and I was dragging. I have ridden 35,000 miles since I turned 62. So you can enjoy your rate in weeks going down from 90+ and also see your resting heart rate decline faster when you stop peddling.
I have knee pain more or less and almost none ever after riding a mile.

Pouhana

Breathing and heart rate are regulated by blood gases. Garmin can invent a blood gas test device? CO2 level

zacster

I was riding up the Manhattan Bridge a few weeks ago and my HR peaked at 191. I'm 64.

When I saw a cardiologist last year they turned off the machine when my HR just plodded along in a comfortable zone when most people my age would've been gasping for air. The prior time the technician was watching as my HR went down after she started the machine. I started to relax when the exercise started.

My max HR today was 182 when I decided to sprint at the end of my 30 mile ride because some jerk kept drafting me without asking. I first swerved left so that he was out of my draft, then took off. I had noted earlier when I was drafting by consent with someone that I'd go down about 100 watts when I got into her slipstream. Then I took the lead and turned it on even more. I think she got a kick out of going so fast.

zjrog

30 mile ride with a fast group. Unexpected 3.4 mile climb, mild, but taxing. I spiked 176 bpm on the HRM, and chose to slow down, and choose a lower gear. That was way over 110% of my max HR, as prescribed by my cardiologist. She wouldn't have been upset if it was for a minute or, but not over 10 minutes...

Otherwise, excellent with much faster guys than I usually ride with, they made me look better than I am... Though, they did give me a chance to chase, so I had to dig deep. Passed 2 of the 3...