jslopez

Thanks for the chart, the weird thing though is that she would quite relatively easily hit 167+.

149 would be 2-3 minutes of soft pedaling so she would go back down to that rate. I'll have to make more in depth tests but all the input so far is appreciated.

I was thinking of gettign the polar cs100 for her btw, any other reliable heart rate monitor s out there at a decent price?

NoRacer

Yes, but as you can see, 167 BPM would be in "No-man's land"--too hard for an aerobic workout (aerobic endurance development), too easy for a VO2Max (aerobic capacity development) effort.

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Performance Bike has the Polar S150 on sale for cheaper - $79.99 compared to $99.99 for the CS 100.

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Here's the description for the S150. It's doesn't have the cycling-specific features that the CS 100 has, though:

jslopez

Was reading the review on the s150 and apparently the have issues with consistency.

jslopez

I thought LT was no man's land?

NoRacer

LT (actually just below LT) would be the highest you would want to go if you wanted to:

.

Guest

If she's at 186 and could go higher, then clearly, your assumptions would be inaccurate. I think we all determined that she may not be working at a high enough exertion. Given that, she may be able to go a lot higher.

Max heart rate can be determined by the size of the heart, but there are other factors that can also affect max heart rate, including genetics. Fitness can have an influence on heart rate, as well as age.

Additionally, 100% max heart rate should only be sustainable for maybe a few seconds. It's too difficult to reach, and once reached, it's difficult to maintain. I think assuming that 186 is her max is inaccurate, and perhaps highlly inaccurate. If you set max heart rate too low, then base all your other zones around that number, you'll end up not exercising at a high enough intensity to be effective, and then that's just counterproductive to what she's trying to do.

For now, I say just see how her heart rate numbers are just so she can get familiar with using a heart rate monitor and see what kind of numbers she's typically reaching. Then step two is to do some kind of test- try to find a fitness club, or at the very least, do a 2 x 20 anaerobic test... something that'll give her better numbers to work with.

Koffee

DannoXYZ 

Yeah, let's collect some real concrete data from imperical testing. Then we'll have a starting point to design a workout programme. I bet her real max-HR is around 197-203bpm. Only an actual test would determine that. Try the test on the bike as well as running on a treadmill. Most people can hit higher max-HR numbers on the treadmill. Use that number as the basis for all the HR-zone numbers.

yoda_chubaca

K So I got the HRM on yesterday and it seemed like my heart was a yoyo during the entire spinning class it was going up then down all in a matter of seconds almost.

However I do think that I worked out a tad harder yesterday than I have in the past.

But once I get my own HRM I will give you more info on my different heart rates.

Again thanks for the imput guys.

NoRacer

You have to watch out with the cheaper HRMs. They can be affected by gym equipment that have motors and electronics in them. Try to get a 'digital' HRM. Even the digital ones can be affected by 'digital' alarm systems, though.

Also, make sure that you wet (read: moisten) the chest strap contacts before putting on the chest strap. The receiver (the watch or other display device) should not be any further than 2-3 feet apart from the chest strap at any time or you may have reception problems.

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jslopez

She was using my HRM at the time (cs 200 Polar) and I Yoda's terms may not be how we normally describe things.

The HRM was consistent and when she says "it seemed like my heart was a yoyo during the entire spinning class it was going up then down all in a matter of seconds almost" it's more a testament as to how easily her heart was strained by the excercise and it really took a long time to go down IMO. Still undecided on the HRM as I really want somethign that has a coded signal but hopefully nto too expensive. Will shop around more today.

NoRacer

I see.

Fingers crossed for you on finding a good deal.

DannoXYZ 

That's fine, the fluctuations in HR is just a sign that she's not working out very hard and when the pace of the class picks up, it sends her HR up. No big deal. Working at a harder pace tends to stabilize the HR. For example, pushing it at TT pace just around your LT will typically have your HR stay within a +/- 10bpm range. It may be better off for your goals to do more steady-state workouts like 2-3 hour endurance rides. This will let you keep the HR elevated at a higher average pace than the spin-classes for burning off higher number of calories/hour.

Guest

I think if you actually gave us an idea of what you mean by going up and down with the HR, we can see what you mean. I mean, if you're heart rate climbs to 185, then drops to 169, then goes back up to 186, then drops to 170, I wouldn't be too concerned. But if it's going to 185, then drops to 150, then goes up to 186, then drops to 140, I'd want to know what's up. And how long does it take for your heart rate to drop?

Koffee

lws

As koffee implies, it is theoretically possible that you have a heart condition that is causing your heart to slow despite the demand. Some kinds of drugs can cause this. We can't really tell what's happening without being present in your spinning class. You might want to ask one of the trainers at your gym.

yoda_chubaca

So I now have a HRM! Yahoo!
My heart is about at 60 when I'm not doing too much.
On saturday I went spinning and was there for about 2hrs 45min and my heart was at about 147 or so.
However when I went biking on the bike path my heart was at about 88.
Tomorrow I will sumbit myself to a battery of tests to determine what my highest is and from there see where I should be.
More updates to come.

jslopez

By batter of tests she means me fumbling my way thru things.

I will try to do 2x20 aerobic test at the gym and see what numbers those yeild.

All I can tell from yesterday's ride is that Yoda's heart rate was lower than mine at the same speed. Apples and ornages I know but if she has a higher max and a lower resting rate, we may just train her for the TDF or something .

DannoXYZ 

The 2x20 test is good for finding your LT, but you also need to find your max-HR as well. Finding the max-HR is easier and quicker and can be done with the following:

BIKE
- start out in usual gear and spin up to 90-100rpms
- shift up one gear and spin up to 90-100rpms, hold for 5-10 seconds
- shift up one gear and spin up to 90-100rpms and push as hard as you can for as long as you can, shift up if necessary
- record max-HR

RUN
- get on treadmill and start run at usual pace, 5-8mph
- increase incline of treadmill by 1%, hold 5-10 seconds, maintain same running speed
- increase incline by 1% every 5 seconds while maintaining running speed
- go as hard as you can for as long as you can (imagine wild grizzly-bear or cougar chasing you)
- record max-HR

Both of these tests shouldn't take any more than 60-80 seconds to do and quickly hits your max-HR. Most people can reach 5bpm faster max-HR on the running test than the cycling test. The percentage of the max-HR that the LT occurs is another good indicator to have.

NoRacer

Danno,

How do you account for the Frank-Starling mechanism? Wouldn't a 10-20 minute aerobic warm-up be required to make sure that the initial stretching of cardiac myocytes is accomplished to ensure maximum preload.

DannoXYZ 

Yup, I figured an adequate warm-up is a pre-requisite for anything.

Sendy

Take some advice from the women on these boards. They really know what they are talking about. https://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=14

I would skip the pilates and do more weight training. Also don't live by the scales. Have your bodyfat checked. That is a much better way of gauging progress.

I have been lifting weights for 5 months. I have only lost 5lbs however I have lost 15% bodyfat and have gained some nice muscle in the progress. I do a 3 day split of weight training and 3 days of spin class. My husband loves my new body

Also, check out this for tracking your foods. www.fitday.com Start eating 6 small meals a day. Find out what your BMR is and that will help you with knowing how many calories you should be taking in every day.

Hope this helps
Sendy