Heart Rate Monitor

I just got a Polar S610i and wanted to set the Max HR. I am doing an Olympic distance Tri this
weekend and was wondering how accurate it would be to use the Max HR from each sport to figure where
I should be training at.

Thanks

"Lenny Kersten" <kerstenlumber@charter.net> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:viar4op25jslb4@corp.supernews.com...
> I just got a Polar S610i and wanted to set the Max HR. I am doing an
Olympic
> distance Tri this weekend and was wondering how accurate it would be to
use
> the Max HR from each sport to figure where I should be training at.
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
Hi Lenny, I really can't figure out what your question is.

The MaxHR is one of your individual parameters and not related to any sport. It's just the max.
pulse rate your heart can produce.

If you trace your heart rate at different sports you will usually find the lowest rate at swimming
and the highest rate at running. But it does'nt mean that you need to train running.

Anyway...enjoy your new watch - I think it's a nice little piece of equipment, only the instructions
suck ! Manfred

"Manfred D?tsch" <doetsch@hotmail.com> wrote:
> "Lenny Kersten" <kerstenlumber@charter.net> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> news:viar4op25jslb4@corp.supernews.com...
>> I just got a Polar S610i and wanted to set the Max HR. I am doing an
> Olympic
>> distance Tri this weekend and was wondering how accurate it would be to
> use
>> the Max HR from each sport to figure where I should be training at.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>
>>
> Hi Lenny, I really can't figure out what your question is.
>
> The MaxHR is one of your individual parameters and not related to any sport. It's just the max.
> pulse rate your heart can produce.
>
> If you trace your heart rate at different sports you will usually find the lowest rate at swimming
> and the highest rate at running. But it does'nt mean that you need to train running.

But more to the point, no, you probably won't see your actual max HRs when you're doing an olympic
distance triathlon, except perhaps if you have energy left and sprint the end of the run _hard_.
The HR you'll see during an oly is probably closer to your lactate threshold or a bit lower. LT is
usually around 10k race pace.

Easier to just go meaure your max HR on the track. Lots of warmup, and then progressively build up
to your fastest possible pace that you can sustain for 400m. Or do the treadmill or track LT tests
from "Triathletes Training Bible" and do it to exhaustion. It's kind of fun in a sick sort of way.
;-) Helps to have a friend egging you on so you don't wimp out prematurely. Probably not wise to
do if you're a cardiac patient, but having your HR at various paces written down is really pretty
nice for training and comparison purposes.

-Dave

--
work: dga - at - lcs.mit.edu me: angio - at - pobox.com MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
http://www.angio.net/ (note that my reply-to address is vaguely despammed...) bulk emailers: I do
not accept unsolicited email. Do not mail me.

Lenny,

You're obviously new to using a heart rate monitor for training and racing. Your MHR is a fixed variable. Do an easy warm-up run for a mile or so, and then run up a steady incline for about a quarter mile as fast as you can. The maximum bpm that you get doing this will be a fair indication of your MHR.

Then when you train, you use % of the MHR to set specific training goals. Just about any modern fitness and training reference will talk all about this. I encourage you to read a few articles on this.

Typically, for a longer distance triathlete, you would only spend a small amount of time training above 90% of your MHR. Perhaps one session in each discipline a week.

Easy recovery runs/rides may be around 60-70% of MHR, and endurance building runs would be between 70% and 85%.

Over a short running event (say, 10km), I use my heart rate monitor to regulate my speed, especially on a new course with a lot of hills. I know that I can sustain 190 bpm over 10km, so I set my upper limit alarm to this figure, and it lets me know when I need to slow down. (For example if I go out too fast due to the adrenalin rush at the beginning of a race, if the incline increases gradually, or if I am trying to keep up with someone who is really going too fast for me, etc.)

In a long triathlon, you use your heart rate monitor in a similar way, although it is even more important, because you are using it to regulate your energy usage. For example, on a half-ironman distance, I set the alarm to around 170 bpm. If I go faster than this on the bike leg, I will burn up too much carbohydrate and will 'bonk'. By staying below my limit, I use more fat for energy and save my legs for the run, allowing me to finish the race.

MHR's and sustainable HR's vary greatly from person to person regardless of fitness level, so you'll need to determine your own from experience over time. If you used my figures, for example, you'd probably crash in the first 2km, because for some reason my MHR is about 20 bpm faster than average, even though my resting HR is around 50 bpm.

Your heart rate measurements can also be a great source of motivation. I keep records of every run and ride I do, and it is good to see progress where, for instance, you see your average heart rate drop for a particular distance and time. This can also be a good indicator for when you need to let yourself rest, for if your average heart rate is unusually high for a particular distance and time on a familiar course, then you may be fatigued and need to take some easy days.

Regards,
Harrow.