Heart Rate Monitors

Peter Jones said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they
worth getting ? I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a
monitor to tell me that ?
What is the benifit of one ? And are they easy to use and set up ? And
finally, whats a good one and what should I pay. Thank you all.

HRMs give you an idea of how hard you are working on the way t
achieving your particular goals. E.g. you can work at a certain pace fo
longer if you don't go too hard too early - the HRM helps you contro
the tempo as it indicates your intensity. Possibly more importantly
they let you control your intensity when you are recovering. E.g. yo
need recovery rides in between hard efforts. Failing to recove
properly, by working too hard, will reduce the training benefit you ar
trying to get. You might know when you are pushing yourself, but yo
don't always know how hard, unless you've been training for a while
They are also a funky piece of kit you can play with 🙂 I like Pola
HRMs. I have a rather expensive S710 unit, but they make much cheape
ones (A and M series?)

What are you trying to achieve with one? Why were you told to get
good HRM? Are you training for something specific? Lose weight, racing
weight-lifting

hipp

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"Peter Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they

worth

Quoted message said:

getting ?
I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me

that

Quoted message said:

?

What is the benifit of one ?
And are they easy to use and set up ?
And finally, whats a good one and what should I pay.
Thank you all.

I got a Polar combined bike/hrm the other day. It is great. Lets you know
how hard you are really working on the bike. Also gives you an idea of what
your resting heart rate is and how fit you are. I am fairly new to all this
but I am really happy I spent the money. I got it off www.scalesgalore.com
and was really happy with their service. Landed an S150 cost me about $195
and the best my LBS could do one for was $295. Most places had them at
around the $320 mark. I love the internet with the aussie dollar at the
moment. They are pretty to use and setup. Just put the bike bits on like
any bike computer and put the chest strap on like some sort of wierd man bra
and away you go.

Fraser

I gotta s710 (2nd hand off mate) and only really starting to get th
hang of it

It certainly does help you ease up on longer rides and not be tempted t
go too hard. Its been interesting recently seeing my HR lower as i los
weight/get fitte

I havent got the software tho which is a real pain. Must reset m
Altitude reading as currently Beach Rd is -27m!!! (now that's wet!

-

"Peter Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they

worth

Quoted message said:

getting ?
I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me

that

Quoted message said:

?

Nup (o: However, a HR monitor will tell you allow you to know which
training zone you're in. Depending on how serious/pedantic you are about
your training this may or may not be of any use. HR monitors provide
excelling information about your HR. Training HR is often used as an
approximation for your training zones. This information, like any
information, is only any good if you're going to do something, or make a
conscious decision to continue doing something, based on that information.
For example - if you're riding along, and you find your HR is 120, and your
training diary had this down as a u1 ride, are you going to go harder in an
effort to get your HR into the right training zone? If not, then what's the
point of knowing.

otoh - a HR monitor may make exercise more enjoyable because of the added
interest factor. As I say to my wife, anything that makes exercise
enjoyable is a good thing (tm).

Quoted message said:

What is the benifit of one ?
And are they easy to use and set up ?

yep, pretty painless on the whole. Obviously the more advanced features you
want to use, the more you'll need to know. But the basic "what is my HR" is
a piece of cake.

Quoted message said:

And finally, whats a good one and what should I pay.

Polar are the benchmark brand, and depending on what you're after prices
vary greatly. I wouldn't have a clue what they cost thesedays.

cheers
dim

They are good for finding your maximum heartrate.
From this you can work out your training rates as a percentage of max.heart
rate etc.
I found my maximum heart rate was way above that predicted by several of the
"formulas" in training books (for my age) .
I don't use mine any more as I have found, after wearing one for a while,
you can judge your heart rate approximately by how you feel.
bristan

"Peter Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they

worth

Quoted message said:

getting ?
I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me

that

Quoted message said:

?

What is the benifit of one ?
And are they easy to use and set up ?
And finally, whats a good one and what should I pay.
Thank you all.

if youre undecided you get get a feel with a cheapie at DickSmith or
think Hitchy mentioned a cheapy on Spencer St a week or so back..

sometimes its amazing how much you can enjoy just riding and turning th
HRM over (so you cant see it) and just go by feel. Less depressing u
hills too :-

-

Peter Jones said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they worth
getting ?
I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me that
?

What is the benifit of one ?
And are they easy to use and set up ?
And finally, whats a good one and what should I pay.
Thank you all.

I bought a 520 recently with the cadence sensor, shipping and exchange rate,
cost $395 which is a bargain. The web site is
http://heartratemonitor.bizhosting.com/ a friend also ordered from there with no
problems (we are in Perth BTW).

I like having cadence, speed and HR all visible at one time when riding, it
gives a good view of how you are pushing. Also when you hang back in the bunch
you can wait for the HR to drop before jumping out again.

davidp.

--
David Pascoe, [email hidden], Western Australia

When u r training what should u be aiming to do with thr monitor.........
What exercises should u do as the book that comes with it does not say much
of the application to training

BG

"Peter Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they

worth

Quoted message said:

getting ?

Not really

Quoted message said:

I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me

that

Quoted message said:

?

No. listen to your body

Quoted message said:

What is the benifit of one ?

It tells you your pulse.

Quoted message said:

And are they easy to use and set up ?

Strap it on

Quoted message said:

And finally, whats a good one and what should I pay.

If you really want one pay as little as possible, but polar make the best
ones.

Quoted message said:

Thank you all.

Heart rate monitors started being fashionable about 10-12 years ago as it
was the only device that could give any feedback about how hard you are
working. It was found that heart rate almost followed power at low
intensities.

The problems with using this as gospel are there is a time lag between
effort and heart rate (eg when climbing a short hill your heart rate will
peak after the effort has eased),
or if you are tired your heart rate will be lower for a given effort,
or if you are dehydrated your heart rate will be lower for a given effort,
or the amount of cooling you are getting affects heart rate (especially on
an indoor trainer)
or the position you are sitting in affects heart rate (mine varies 6 beats
per minute if I ride on bar tops compared to drops while at a constant
power)
or if you ride hard for a few days in a row your heart rate will be lower
for a given power.

Peter

"Peter Vesel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[snip]

Quoted message said:

or if you are tired your heart rate will be lower for a given effort,
or if you are dehydrated your heart rate will be lower for a given effort,

really? lower? I have absolutely nothing to back this up with, but I would
have been pretty confident saying the reverse was true. where'd you get
this info from?

cheers
dim

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they

worth

Quoted message said:

getting ?

Not really

Quoted message said:

I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me

that

Quoted message said:

?

No. listen to your body

Um... isn't that what a heart rate monitor does..?

Peter Jones said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they
worth getting ? I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a
monitor to tell me that ?
What is the benifit of one ? And are they easy to use and set up ? And
finally, whats a good one and what should I pay. Thank you all.

I started using a Polar HRM last year, and I think it's worth ever
penny. Given that I already had cyclocomputers that gave me the info
needed, I opted for one with HRM features only. What guys are sayin
above about it's value in training is valid. I do not race, and hence,
don't have an intensive training program. However, I use the combinatio
of HRM and computer info to monitor my progress. I also use HR an
cadence values for maximising my efficiency and minimising possibl
damage. In a simple comparison, I keep an eye on these values during
ride as I do for the tachometer while driving

Any driver may question the value of having a tachometer. The answe
goes back to individual's perception of driving. I beleive the sam
argument is involved in HRM, cyclocomputers and riding

I hope it helped

Cheers, Amir

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Quoted message said:

Originally posted by Dmitri Colebat

Quoted message said:

"Peter Vesel" <[email hidden]> wrote: or if you ar
tired your heart rate will be lower for a given effort, or if you ar
dehydrated your heart rate will be lower for a given effort

Quoted message said:

really? lower? I have absolutely nothing to back this up with, but
would have been pretty confident saying the reverse was true. where'
you get this info from

I have always used the advice that 'if your resting HR is elevated, sa
more than 10bpm, you are not recovered from the last session'. I used t
measure my resting HR (RHR) every morning to watch for this - don'
bother now. I've also heard that, if your RHR is suddenly lower tha
usual, you might be heading for a cold or virus or similar

hipp

-

Quoted message said:

I have always used the advice that 'if your resting HR is elevated, say
more than 10bpm, you are not recovered from the last session'. I used to
measure my resting HR (RHR) every morning to watch for this - don't
bother now. I've also heard that, if your RHR is suddenly lower than
usual, you might be heading for a cold or virus or similar.
hippy

when you say RHR in the morning, are you talking as you lie bleary-eye
in bed kinda morning or just AM

as for the last sentence, i have this nagging doubt that Im coming dow
with something; hasnt reared its head yet but that's just my superio
aerian genes at work :-

DF feeling flat, changeing down..

-

Quoted message said:

Originally posted by flyingdutch when you say RHR in the morning, ar
you talking as you lie bleary-eyed in bed kinda morning or just AM

As soon as you wake up. But I have also heard that you should wake, li
still and measure it a little later

Quoted message said:

as for the last sentence, i have this nagging doubt that Im >comin
down with something; hasnt reared its head yet but >that's just m
superior aerian genes at work :-

Not sure about this, I've never noticed it myself, it was somethin
I was told

hipp
- leaving tomorrow :-

-

"Dmitri Colebatch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Vesel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[snip]

Quoted message said:

or if you are tired your heart rate will be lower for a given effort,
or if you are dehydrated your heart rate will be lower for a given

effort,

Quoted message said:

really? lower? I have absolutely nothing to back this up with, but I

would

Quoted message said:

have been pretty confident saying the reverse was true. where'd you get
this info from?

cheers
dim

My personal experience is if I'm dehydrated my pulse won't get very high.
The point is it changes wrt the power output, and the power output or effort
is what you are trying to measure.

Professor Andy Coggan wrote this which is a good read
http://www.midweekclub.com/articles/coggan.pdf

(no he doesn't sell powermeters)

and see also

http://www.midweekclub.com/powerFAQ.htm
is a good starting point with plenty of links
then
http://topica.com/lists/wattage
for more information.

Peter

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Originally posted by flyingdutch when you say RHR in the morning, are
you talking as you lie bleary-eyed in bed kinda morning or just AM?

As soon as you wake up. But I have also heard that you should wake, lie
still and measure it a little later.

Quoted message said:

as for the last sentence, i have this nagging doubt that Im >coming
down with something; hasnt reared its head yet but >that's just my
superior aerian genes at work :-)

Not sure about this, I've never noticed it myself, it was something
I was told.

hippy
- leaving tomorrow :-)

I used to look at morning pulse as well but found some of the days my pulse
was elevated and I even felt pretty rough once I got out on the bike I was
actually riding better than when I felt great.

Conversly I've had days where I felt great but got dropped on the first hill

Peter

"blah" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have been told to get a good heart rate monitor, but first, are they

worth

Quoted message said:

getting ?

Not really

Quoted message said:

I mean I know when I am pushing myself, Do I need a monitor to tell me

that

Quoted message said:

?

No. listen to your body

Um... isn't that what a heart rate monitor does..?

No. I tells you how fast your heart is beating

No. listen to your body

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Um... isn't that what a heart rate monitor does..?

No. I tells you how fast your heart is beating

Touche. Well done.