rcapilli

I just purchased a HR monitor (Polar S725) and I am curious a to other peoples HR. While cycling I am around 150. Does that sound right?

peachthief2

it depends how old you are and how hard you are riding.
there is a calculator for this on the polar website, and probably in the s725 manual
here ya go
https://www.polarusa.com/targetzone/default.asp

rcapilli

I checked out the site, It just seems high to me. I am sure that it is right, but while cycling my HR just seems high. Guess never really thought about it.

CPcyclist

As a 30 something my HR sits in the 140-150s depending on how hard I push my max on the bike to this point is 194 which is above most calculators I am still alive so I know it is not to high.

bac

Do some research regarding heart rate training. Absolute numbers mean nothing. Percentage of max is the only useful number to know.

glassman

Do the fitness test, I made 51 on it the last time I did it and thats good for my age. Is that 150 when you are riding hard or is that your average for ride?

dstrong 

Right...and there are two basic ways to obtain your max: 1) Calculate it 2)Ride up a steep hill and monitor it.

I just went to the Polar link indicated and put in my info from 2 years ago when I first did the calculation. According to the calculator, my MaxHR is 175. However...one day, after calculating this number, I was crankin' up a big hill and looked at my monitor and it said 194. After the image of my heart exploding out of chest went away I looked again and it was still there...so no mis-read. Obviously 80% of 175 is a lot different than 80% of 194. So...I fiddled with my HRM settings so that it would establish zones based on what I witnessed to be true.

Recently I purchased a book from Bicycling Magazine called "Training Techniques for Cyclists", edited by Ben Hewitt. It discussed how to find your maxHR and says that a medical stress test is the most accurate but would only be recommended if you're returning to exercise after a sedentary period. They discuss the calculation method but say "A better (but decidedly more arduous) method is to use a long, steep hill and a wireless heart-rate monitor. Perform your test on a day when you're well rested; you should have done only easy rides for at least the previous 2 days. Warm up for 15 minutes then start the climb at a steady temp, slowly bringing your heart rate up until it feels like you can't go any faster. At this point, sprint like the hounds of hell were on your trail." Seriously...it says that.

hi565

fidn your max. That is only a ball park.

Go out and find a steep constant hill. and PUSH PUSH PUSH. Find out waht your max is then work from there. BTW it is reccomended that you check with your doc before that JIC...

2372ighost

I just did a hill ride in Birmingham and after hitting 194 it said TILT

spingineer

I typically use a HR for relative measurements so I can calibrate my training. I look at what my HRM says when I'm doing one of my normal climbs. Then, I do it again, and again, differing my approach each time, and notice what my HR is each time. Eventually, you'll find the HR to match what your body can handle. But that's just me.

chroot

I have learned to ride in distinct zones: 120-130 bpm is just cruising around leisurely. 140-150 bpm is a fairly moderate pace that I can hold for hours. 160 bpm is riding relatively quickly, but still sustainable. 180 bpm is where I begin to huff and puff, and is not sustainable. 202 is my max heart rate, and I can only hold it for a few seconds. I generally need at least five minutes to recover afterwards.

Saying "I ride at 150 bpm" isn't saying a whole lot. If you crank the pedals just a little harder, you'll hit 160 bpm.

- Warren

StanSeven

A better way to obtain your max involves warming up thoroughly, find a long stretch of open road ideally with a slight incline, get in your big chainring and gradually increase your speed until you can't go any faster sitting down. Then shift to a higher gear, stand up, and sprint all out for 10-15 seconds. Your vision may not be clear but look down at your heartarte at that point if your monitor doesn't save it to get your max.

socalrider

150 average is pretty high.. I would say my averages are between 135-145 depending on how hard I am riding that day..

va_cyclist

150 for me is like moderate-to-high effort. I usually try to get to 160 or above. But it totally, totally varies from person to person. How hard are you breathing at 150?

rcapilli

Wow. A lot of great info Here. I have not had a chance to really use my HRM. I just got it a few days ago and put it on my bike yesterday (10/12/05). I rode around the neighborhood just to make sure it was calculating correctly. When I saw my heart rate I was a bit suprised how high it was. I was moving pretty quickly and breathing heavy but I had not done any warm up or anything of the sort. I did do the Fitness Test that comes on the Polar Watch. It puts me at 188HRMax and 36Vo2 Max. I will take your suggestions and ride up a hill and push myself to the max to see if I can get a more accurate HRMax reading. Thanks for that idea actually. I have to do a little more research on Vo2. Not sure how that comes into play yet. I welcome any more sugestions on this topic, I will be wathcing it. Thanks everyone so far. Whoops, 1 more thing. How much does a fitness test cost and where do you go for something like that?

meme

I used my HRM for the first time on my commute to work. For the 20 mile ride this morning, my average HR is 160bpm (zone 4; in this zone for ~38 minutes), peak of 186bpm, and supposedly used up 1288 calories (this is just based on my weight; not including the weight of the bike/accessories and my backpack). My average going back home should be lower, because I don't need to rush home like I need to beat the clock to get to work on time.

SoonerRoadie

Thats pretty much consistent with my results, though I'm not sure of what my max heart rate is yet, I just got an HRM a little while ago.

rcapilli

Was there a HR difference when you returned home?

johnvw

I'm trying to decide on a new cyclometer/HRM. What do you think of the S725 so far. Do you use
it with your computer. I am using a Cateye right now, and I really like the thing, but it's a little
lean on features. I wear a separate HRM, want to combine the cycling data with the HRM of a period of time and see if I can track my progress. The other products I am considereing; The Polar C200cad
and the Hac 4 plus from Ciclosport. I really like Cateye, but they don't interface with your computer.
Any input would be appreciated. BTW, 150 does sound a little high to me. I just took a stress test in
Hackensack University Medical Center. Hooked up to a EKG, and echo cardiogram equipment. They put me on a tread mill and pushed me for 10 minutes. They got my Heart rate up to 140, put it took everything I had to get that high. When I ride, I get up to around 110-120 when I really work.

Keep rollin'
John

meme

I'm not sure if you're asking me, but if you were...yes, there was a difference. Even though my average speed was about 1mph slower going home, my heart rate was actually still about the same, though I was in the zone 4 for an even longer time (40 minutes); and calories burned actually was 1388, which makes sense because I typically have to fight the wind going back up north (particularly in the open areas w/ no structures to block the winds).

meme

Are you sure you gave everything that you got? When I did my stress test (several years ago; I was trying to see if my heart beated irregularly; but these things never seem to show when you go to the doctor), the doctor also put me on a treadmill. I did mine for almost half an hour; he kept increasing the speed of the treadmill and the incline until it was at maximum. I only did the maximum for no more than 3 minutes-->it was like sprinting at 10mph up a 45 degree hill. I signaled to the doctor to slow it back to walking speed; as I couldn't keep up anymore. At the end of the test, I was huffing and puffing and felt as if I wanted to throw up... Did you experience this? If not, you didn't work hard enough. The thing is that I took a look at the heartrate graph and everything seems normal, except for one beat, which the doctor dismissed... But heart rate sometimes goes over 200bpm, but realistically (for training purposes) my peak heart rate is about 185bpm; anything about 170bpm is not sustainable for me.

merlinextraligh

I agree with the basic sentiment, but HR at LT threshold is actually a very useful number also.

As an anecdote, a guy I often trained with had a max HR around 180, when mine was right at 200. Doing power intervals, I might be at 190-195, while he was around 170-175. If I tried to train off his HR numbers I'd never get a work out. If he trained off mine, he'd die. (and by the way he was faster than me.)