HEART RATE SITTING HIGH... IS THIS A PROBLEM??? NEED ADVICE!!!!

[lara fara]

Hi,

Basically, i am worried that my heart rate is often sitting too high and that this could be from inadequate base training and always training at higher intensities.

I have done lots of research on this, and still I am confused. I always seem to train in higher end aerobic zones, partly because i enjoy it and also becuase I am female and i ride with guys all the time and i am always going to have a higher cardiac output than them.

It seems a lot of the time i am riding around with a very high heart rate when riding in a bunch or with my boyfriend. What i want to know is this: Have i done myself a disfavour by never really doing a couple of solid months of "base training" where my heart rate doesn't go above 70%, at the moment that would be around 130-140bpm, i dont do too much training in this zone, its usually 150-165bpm for my aerobic stuff and then higher for fast bunch rides and other training sessions.

from what i have read on this forum, this base training stuff with a low heart rate is not necessary, my lecturer at uni said that i need training below lactate threshold that can still be close to LT so long as it dosn't go over, so if my LT is around 175 then does that mean i can say that anything below this is base training or do i really neeed to just ride for a good month with it not going above 130-140? Lots of people around here seem to think this, but they are mainly older people. I know that base training builds capillary density, but stroke volume is still the biggest determinant of VO2 max.


Can anyone pleae give me ther advice and/or personal experience..

Lara

 

[bgoetz]

I think you kind of alluded you it, but my guess is you are riding with slightly stronger riders that push a larger gear at a lower cadence, while you are pushing a smaller gear at a higher cadence and therefore have a higher HR. I would guess this would be typical with many female riders as they are often more comfortable at a higher cadence. This is the case with my wife, she is far more comfortable at a higher HR than I am, she can ride at 170+ bpm without to much of an issue, while I tend to stay below 170 bpm. The difference is at the same HR I am putting out 125+ more watts than she is, which makes it kind of difficult for us to ride together and both get the same type of a workout. I am having her work on pushing a larger gear to increase leg strength, so she can increase her output at a given HR. You may be well served spending some time on long steady hills where you are keeping your cadence low and increasing leg strength or spending time on the trainer pushing a larger gear.

Base miles are always good, but base miles are not always done at a real low HR. On recovery days this may be the case, but there are times when I am out doing base miles at 85-90% of my LT HR and even mixing in some 20 min intervals. My opinion for you would be to develop a structured training program that focuses a bit more on building leg strength and allows for some recovery type rides as well. You don't want to get caught up in the same training regimen day in and day out. I am sure some others will chime in.

 

[lara fara]

hi - yeah i think you are onto it my legs rae probahly not as strong as what i think they are! I do somtimes feel that my cadence is even too low, but maybe i am in a gear that is too big but I am unable to push it at a decent cadence so i fatigue because my legs are not strong enough so my hart rate gets too high at the same time and I get dropped. Its probably even worse this way than a high cadence because i fatigue my legs so i probably should have high cadence and do leg strength to increase the gear i can push.

With those hill reps i just have a couple of questions as i had started doing those a while ago and have actually just started doing a bit of a structured training program so i am hoping i will get stronger. There are some farily steep hills around where i live where my cadence is forced to be extremely low anyway, does thei ntensity at which i do these climbs affect the strength results i get? if i just cruise up the hill with my HR at 160 is this going to give me different results to riding them betwen 170-180?

thanks for your help, you may have pointed out something that is causing my weakness that i had been overlooking.

 

[bgoetz]

The hill reps would be a decent starting point, but make sure you incorporate some other things as well. If I were going to focus on building leg strength I would try to stay in the largest gear I could up the hill, standing when needed, trying to keep a steady pace. I would not focus to much on HR, just taking note of where it is and how you feel at that HR. Regardless of cadence at some point the effort you are putting out will cause your HR to rise, so you will end up at a low cadence and a high HR if you are really putting out an intense effort.

You could also go out and do 1-2hr endurance intervals, where you are at the hardest steady pace you can maintain for the full time. You could do 2 x 20 min intervals throughout your rides where you are doing the same thing as above only the intensity will be higher because the duration is shorter. As you suggested above base miles are always great, you could just go out and ride as long of a distance as you can at a nice easy steady pace. The key is that it is your training and has to be at your level of effort to work for you, you can't go out with your bf and expect to get the same type of workout for the 2 of you.

The only training that is done with my wife are my recovery days where I do most of the pulling and she just hangs on for her endurance intervals. Of course there are days that we just go out and ride for fun with no focus in mind, so mostly her riding is limited to riding with me and with her group on group rides 2-3 times a week, so her "training" is restricted to endurance intervals and some shorter intervals during the group rides (I also try to have her stick with my wheel as long as she can for some intervals when we ride). I put training in quotations because she never really thinks of anything as training she just likes to ride her bike, I alter my pace to accommodate her and at times focus her on riding that will make her a better rider (training, but she does not think of it like that, LOL). I guess my point is that you can accomplish most of your training goals with your bf and his friends, but they are going to have to alter their training to help you accomplish your goals. It won't work the other way around unless your goals are different, such as when I go at a steady recovery pace and my wife rides at a steady endurance pace. For the days you just can't make it work you and you each have specific goals in mind you each may have to do your own thing. Maybe you can get his friends girl friends or wives into riding /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

[guy231]

bgoets is spot on. The best for you would be to find domeone youcan ride with as to not hinder your boyfriends training and pace. Otherwise he will have to compromise and focus on your developement first.

 

[john gault]

I know that's the case with me. I tend to push it too hard and not just hard riding, but also a lot of really hard sprints from a stopped position. So my resting HR is always high for a few days afterwards (~70 bpm), usually 45 - 50. I have to force myself to slow down, sucks during the ride, but I do feel better after.

Good stuff on increasing leg strenght: http://www.livestrong.com/article/188226-importance-of-muscular-endurance-training-when-designing-a-fitness-program/

And intensity level: http://www.livestrong.com/article/121402-heart-rate-zone-training-cycling/

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by lara fara .

Hi,

Basically, i am worried that my heart rate is often sitting too high and that this could be from inadequate base training and always training at higher intensities.

I have done lots of research on this, and still I am confused. I always seem to train in higher end aerobic zones, partly because i enjoy it and also becuase I am female and i ride with guys all the time and i am always going to have a higher cardiac output than them.

It seems a lot of the time i am riding around with a very high heart rate when riding in a bunch or with my boyfriend. What i want to know is this: Have i done myself a disfavour by never really doing a couple of solid months of "base training" where my heart rate doesn't go above 70%, at the moment that would be around 130-140bpm, i dont do too much training in this zone, its usually 150-165bpm for my aerobic stuff and then higher for fast bunch rides and other training sessions.

from what i have read on this forum, this base training stuff with a low heart rate is not necessary, my lecturer at uni said that i need training below lactate threshold that can still be close to LT so long as it dosn't go over, so if my LT is around 175 then does that mean i can say that anything below this is base training or do i really neeed to just ride for a good month with it not going above 130-140? Lots of people around here seem to think this, but they are mainly older people. I know that base training builds capillary density, but stroke volume is still the biggest determinant of VO2 max.


Can anyone pleae give me ther advice and/or personal experience..

Lara

Base training is always a fun discussion but, for me at least, it seems like the easiest part of the training to grasp. It gives you a nice foundation of miles ridden at a fairly hard pace, not the old school 42x17 twiddlefest where you could chat easily with friends. For me it's about 3 hours at Coggan's high L2 to mid L3 - a taxing effort that doesn't leave me smashed but it does require concentration to maintain the pace in the last half hour or so. When finished I'm ready to get off the bike... Ideally you'll ride as you intend to race - in a position that you'd race in so you can become comfortable in riding in that position and comfortable with riding at that effort for several hours. Something that you could do on Saturday and Sunday. During the week you could mix it up with some intervals on the trainer that are around threshold if conditions aren't favourable for riding out doors for a couple of hours.

As for the other comments about hills, cadence and strength. Cycling isn't limited by strength and as Cancellara diplayed in a brutal manner last year in Flanders, going up short, steep hills fast can be achieved in a low gear at high revs - they don't have to be ridden in a big gear and out of the saddle. You get better at riding in the hills by riding hard in the hills. Typically, I prefer not to fall below 70 to 75 rpm on the hills unless I'm gear limited because of the gradient. How do you find your preferred cadence when climbing? Find a stretch of road and ride it several times close to threshold in different gears - either ride it at the same percieved effort and see which is fastest or ride at the same speed and see which is easiest. Your preferred cadence may well change with increased fitness, test every few months.

If you're competative then at the end of the day it's all about speed. If you go through a block of training and find yourself riding faster then it's worked.

 

[frankiemuniz01]

The group is separating which makes it insanely more difficult to draft. coming thought the final turn, I stood up and laid in the acceleration, sprinting. One guy next to me was doing the same, and he was just a hair faster than I, but he couldn't hold it for the duration and I edged out in front. I passed two other riders who had were not sprinting. It doesn't really mean anything since I am no where near the top 20 among this 105 riders present. Yeah, there was quite the turnout for the first race of the season. End result, I am happy with my performance today. And as I said earlier, I still have all my skin.

 

[lara fara]

I think my cadence is proabably too low when climbing because i am too focused on trying to get over the hill fast, but in the last week or so i have been focusing more on cadence and a lower gear and riding them at my own pace (it still feels hard but using cadence instead of gear makes me slower but stops my heart rate from sky rocketing becuase i am standing and using more of my body). I think i'll do a little more riding at a lower heart rate to make sure i cover all bases and it also means i can do a long ride without having smashed legs.

thanks for the advice

 

[JSWin]

The heart rate thing. If you do cardio regularly you'll be fine. I've not really checked it. A few times a nurse did here and there. They could always tell that I did cardio. Probably they see hardly anyone need much of anything that works out on a regular basis. I think if you get curious about it sure, but it really to me is not something that you need to go over board with. You can feel how your heart rate is. When it is pounding or super fast you know it. I guess some people calculate everything. I'm starting to get more into the technical stuff. It does actually make a difference.

 

[Damien Lee]

You need to have your blood and sugar levels checked by a doctor. You may feel totally healthy and be physically capable, but a high heart rate can be incredibly dangerous. Please take some time out and consult your doctor. It may be nothing and a false alarm, but it's better to be sure.

 

[An old Guy]

Hi,

Basically, i am worried that my heart rate is often sitting too high and that this could be from inadequate base training and always training at higher intensities.

I have done lots of research on this, and still I am confused. I always seem to train in higher end aerobic zones, partly because i enjoy it and also becuase I am female and i ride with guys all the time and i am always going to have a higher cardiac output than them.

It seems a lot of the time i am riding around with a very high heart rate when riding in a bunch or with my boyfriend. What i want to know is this: Have i done myself a disfavour by never really doing a couple of solid months of "base training" where my heart rate doesn't go above 70%, at the moment that would be around 130-140bpm, i dont do too much training in this zone, its usually 150-165bpm for my aerobic stuff and then higher for fast bunch rides and other training sessions.

from what i have read on this forum, this base training stuff with a low heart rate is not necessary, my lecturer at uni said that i need training below lactate threshold that can still be close to LT so long as it dosn't go over, so if my LT is around 175 then does that mean i can say that anything below this is base training or do i really neeed to just ride for a good month with it not going above 130-140? Lots of people around here seem to think this, but they are mainly older people. I know that base training builds capillary density, but stroke volume is still the biggest determinant of VO2 max.


Can anyone pleae give me ther advice and/or personal experience..

Lara

How are you calculating your percentages? Some use the max heart rate. Some use the difference between max and resting heart rates.

It is unlikely that you can stop your body from building capillaries by riding hard. I think your current training is appropriate.

 

[KimPete83]

I'm definitely not a doctor and not an expert by any means, but I also noticed that I ride at a higher heart rate, which tends to peak at the beginning of my rides. I went to a doctor in my state who works with riders for Tour de France. He said that what your resting and max heart rates should be are actually specific to the individual rider. He put me on a trainer, had be ride low and heavy gears and at different paces, then put together a chart for what my heart rate should be, where my danger zones were and where I needed to be as far as interval training goes. Hope that helps!

 

[Jcycle]

You need to have your blood and sugar levels checked by a doctor. You may feel totally healthy and be physically capable, but a high heart rate can be incredibly dangerous. Please take some time out and consult your doctor. It may be nothing and a false alarm, but it's better to be sure.

Why are you correlating heart rate with glucose levels? Why are you dispensing medical advice at all? This is a training issue. It isn't like she was talking about a high heart rate during normal activity.