Here's a fairly extensive HR Zone calculator. Yes it's FREE!! - Page 2

GatorTrek · #16 07-14.-2006

Nice Doc. I am not a racer, heck I'm not even fast. But I am a numbers Geek. I like it. Let me ask you a question, Doc - I am 40 years old and have been cycling justs over two years. No seriously structured training. I am 195 (down from 255 3 years ago). Last year, on some pretty good little hills in Clermont, FL, I saw 188 on my heart rate monitor. Another day, I sprinted up a little hill at the halfway point of a 30 mile ride and saw 187. However, I have not seen anything close to that in over a year - even when I sprint at the end of a hard ride. How do I explain this as MHR is a constant fgure as I understand it?

Doctor Morbius · #17 07-14.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorTrek

Nice Doc. I am not a racer, heck I'm not even fast. But I am a numbers Geek. I like it. Let me ask you a question, Doc - I am 40 years old and have been cycling justs over two years. No seriously structured training. I am 195 (down from 255 3 years ago). Last year, on some pretty good little hills in Clermont, FL, I saw 188 on my heart rate monitor. Another day, I sprinted up a little hill at the halfway point of a 30 mile ride and saw 187. However, I have not seen anything close to that in over a year - even when I sprint at the end of a hard ride. How do I explain this as MHR is a constant fgure as I understand it?

There are hills in Florida?!

From what I understand, once you get into better shape your MaxHR will actually drop a little bit. Also it does drop with age, but not as quickly when one stays fit as when they are/were a couch potato. So MaxHR is not a fixed value over time.

I haven't done a MaxHR test in a couple of years so I don't even know if the number I'm using is accurate or not. However, being a few beats off isn't going to have a real world impact on training in most zones. A few beats variance is more than acceptable as using HR is just a ball park figure anyway. It's not as though training at 70% vs 72% MaxHR is going to have any profound impact on the physiological adaptations that take place from training. It just doesn't work like that. Summer heat can cause one to be in a higher zone just because the body is trying to work harder to keep cool.

GatorTrek · #18 07-15.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor Morbius

There are hills in Florida?!

From what I understand, once you get into better shape your MaxHR will actually drop a little bit. Also it does drop with age, but not as quickly when one stays fit as when they are/were a couch potato. So MaxHR is not a fixed value over time.

I haven't done a MaxHR test in a couple of years so I don't even know if the number I'm using is accurate or not. However, being a few beats off isn't going to have a real world impact on training in most zones. A few beats variance is more than acceptable as using HR is just a ball park figure anyway. It's not as though training at 70% vs 72% MaxHR is going to have any profound impact on the physiological adaptations that take place from training. It just doesn't work like that. Summer heat can cause one to be in a higher zone just because the body is trying to work harder to keep cool.

Thanks, Doc. I had heard MHR was fixed but I had suspected that I might never see those figures again. I am using 182 as MHR based upon the second formula on the tope of your spreadsheet. I know that gets me very close if not exact for MHR so that I can base my training zones on that.

Yesterday I did a section of incline at a sustained 176 for about two minutes. Believe me, I am no Floyd Landis. It hurt and I was glad when it was over. But afterward I always say to myself, "that wasn't so bad, you're a wimp!"

Thanks for the insight.

Tom Stormcrowe · #19 08-09.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor Morbius

I've noticed a few recent threads asking questions about heart rate training zones. Since it's that time of year again when everyone gets out their trusty steed and start logging miles I thought this would be useful.

It's a heart rate calculator for those of you that still train using obsolete methods

(like me). It's an Excel spreadsheet and you will need to know your age, resting HR, LT via Friel's test and LT via Coggan's test should you want to use those features. I'm sure most of you will already know your max heart rate but there are a couple of ways to estimate it should you need to.

You will find heart rate training zones from the following orgs/coaches...

Joe Friel
Andy Coggan
British Cycling Fed
Peter Keen (original BCF guidelines)
Sally Edwards
Karnoven Formula
Ric Stern
Dr. Peter Kanopka
ACSM guidelines

The information in BLUE is what you will need to enter. It currently has my info so just type over it. The pages following the calculator give more in depth detail of the coache's guidlines.

Unzip and have at it. If you don't have Excel you can download a free Excel viewer from Micro$oft. I used Excel 2003 to type it up.

Don't worry, the file has been tested several times for viruses. That's the last thing I would do to you guys. If you don't have an anti-virus package I highly recommend Avast. It is free for personal use. www.avast.com

It opened in Read Only for me! AAAAARGH! Could you email me an unzipped, uncompressed copy to my public email address? gunsel2001(at)yahoo(dot)com

Doctor Morbius · #20 08-11.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Stormcrowe

It opened in Read Only for me! AAAAARGH! Could you email me an unzipped, uncompressed copy to my public email address? gunsel2001(at)yahoo(dot)com

Can you just not read it or do you want to modify it? I had locked it down on purpose.

I've wanted to add some other coaches' zones and data but haven't had the time. Also, I have had computer issues lately but that's getting resolved via some new upgrades.

Oh, and where in Indiana do you live? I'm not too far from Brownsburg.

Tom Stormcrowe · #21 08-11.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor Morbius

Can you just not read it or do you want to modify it? I had locked it down on purpose.

I've wanted to add some other coaches' zones and data but haven't had the time. Also, I have had computer issues lately but that's getting resolved via some new upgrades.

Oh, and where in Indiana do you live? I'm not too far from Brownsburg.

Lafayette, and what I get is simply a readable copy, but now I see that's what you intended. OK, I was hoping for a functional spreadsheet I could use to track my data with.

Doctor Morbius · #22 08-11.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Stormcrowe

Lafayette, and what I get is simply a readable copy, but now I see that's what you intended. OK, I was hoping for a functional spreadsheet I could use to track my data with.

Oh no, it's nothing that elaborate. I can only do basic stuff with Office.

sooray02 · #23 08-15.-2006

thank you so much!!!

WrxAnt · #24 08-20.-2006

Thanks Doc! Good work.

Cheers
WrxAnt

BtonRider · #25 08-24.-2006

I don't know why you say it's obsolete technology. It's what most people use who can't afford $2000 for a power tap. I haven't read anything seriously suggesting HR training isn't still a highly efficient trainting method.

And you summed it up perfectly for all the major coaches. I don't think you need to get permission from the various authors/coaches to use their training zones as long as you reference where you got them from and you don't make any money off of your program.

Are you planning to add Chris Carmichael's zone's as well? I read his book a while ago and thought he had some good ideas.

... Thanks again for a great HR calculator

Doctor Morbius · #26 08-24.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by BtonRider

I don't know why you say it's obsolete technology. It's what most people use who can't afford $2000 for a power tap. I haven't read anything seriously suggesting HR training isn't still a highly efficient training method.

It pales in comparison to using wattage, at least for the higher zones. As a recreational rider I only ride for about an hour tops these days yet the amount of cardiac drift I experience can be substantial. It's very hard to gauge intervals on HR alone. I've done it in the past but now resort to a combination of RPE and avg speed.

Quote:

And you summed it up perfectly for all the major coaches. I don't think you need to get permission from the various authors/coaches to use their training zones as long as you reference where you got them from and you don't make any money off of your program.

Are you planning to add Chris Carmichael's zone's as well? I read his book a while ago and thought he had some good ideas.

... Thanks again for a great HR calculator

Thanks. Yes I am planning on adding Charmichael's older and newer zones. Just haven't gotten around to it.

BtonRider · #27 08-31.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor Morbius

It pales in comparison to using wattage, at least for the higher zones. As a recreational rider I only ride for about an hour tops these days yet the amount of cardiac drift I experience can be substantial. It's very hard to gauge intervals on HR alone. I've done it in the past but now resort to a combination of RPE and avg speed.

Perhaps you're right that power is a better way of measuring physical conditioning. I guess I think of HR as a measure of perceived effort. I know some people can gauge how hard they're working on a scale of 1-10 but I have a hard time using such a subjective scale. That's why I depend on HR. I know how long I can stay in any of the HR zones. I do some 12+ hour events and HR has worked great for me. You're of course right that for short intervals you don't have enough time for your HR to stabalize so power is a better measurement Perhaps someday I'll try a power meter but until they drop below $500 I don't see that happening.

bikecoach · #28 09-09.-2006

HR Zones can only accurately give you a training guide for Aerobic training. When you do an interval that is hard, your body and HR can not imediatelly respond. It is here when you are using your anaerobic system that your HR becomesmore irrelevent.

OscarC · #29 09-27.-2006

Nice spread sheet. I'm an analyst, work with numbers all day long and live on excel...nice compellation. Please let us know when the final corrected version is up. I have a brother that is just learning to train with an HR and I would love for him to see this.

Thanks!

Doctor Morbius · #30 09-27.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by OscarC

Nice spread sheet. I'm an analyst, work with numbers all day long and live on excel...nice compellation. Please let us know when the final corrected version is up. I have a brother that is just learning to train with an HR and I would love for him to see this.

Thanks!

Thank you Oscar. The version in post #7 in this thread has been corrected. Eventually though I am going to add some more zones to it - most notably Charmichael`s older and newer zones and possibly some others as well. That will probably take place this winter.

Glad you liked it.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.cyclingforums.com/cycling-training/339229-heres-fairly-extensive-hr-zone-calculator-yes-its-free.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date
TriTalk.co.uk :: View topic - Thoughts On Training 'At The Right Level For You', Pt 2.	This thread	Refback	07-09.-2009 08:22 AM