Heart rate and other observations
 

So I am new to this heart rate thing...I have been wearing a monitor for a while and like it. I fell I get good date from it I think....

The question I have is recently I dropped some weight, before my heart rate was around 100 just getting ready to ride. My girlfriends heart rate was much lower all the time. I seemed ok getting into the upper limits of my range....about 165 I was in a situation where I needed to start backing off what I was doing....

Since it seems like my heart rate is a bit lower....getting ready to ride it is about 90 or so....the top limit is about the same.....I expect this will remainthe same but I should be able to play around there longer is that correct?

I am 38 years old by the way....

So can I expect for it to go lower? When will it stop? What would be the best way to get my resting heart rate?

:)

My method for getting morning resting heart rate (MRHR): get up, pee, get dressed, lie down on the couch with HRM where I can see a watch or clock. Watch the HRM for 5 minutes by the clock, while thinking pleasant thoughts, anything but cycling. Resting by a stream, etc. HR at end of period will be MRHR. IMHO, MRHR has very little to do with your HR zones when cycling. Maybe nothing to do with them. My MRHR varies between 48 and 58 depending on stressors. I have friends with MRHRs of 42 and lower. We are all old men. Yours may be lower. MRHR, again IMHO has a lot to do with the size of your heart's stroke volume. That will get larger over the years as you train.

Over time, your resting heart rate will go lower as you get increased stroke volume from training.

I find that my HR monitor is most useful to keep me from working too hard - many riders ride too hard.

The best way to get your resting rate lower is to try to get your described "upper limit" higher. 165bpm is almost certainly not the maximal rate your heart can go; you are being limited by your current fitness. The point you are describing is just where it becomes uncomfortable (LT) and where breathing becomes difficult (VT). This is the signal that your training is now most effective at promoting adaptation; endure some of it.