Long time cyclist...HRM newbie....HELP!

[thesciguy]

Is this right?

I have been cycling for almost 20 years, even tried racing a few times (always lost, but still went fast). I trained every which way you can imagine, long solo rides, fast group rides, trips to mountains (I lived in NYC...no mountians), winter trainer, etc... But I never used a HRM. I have read Chris's book (lance coach) and know all about the Zones and what they are suposed to do.

So, I bought one last week. Did the MAX HRM test (190) and the 3mile time trial (intermediate - to advanced) and set up my 7 week program (I'm doing the advanced).

Did my first HRM ride last week and on my EASIEST effort I'm in Zone 2! As soon as I hit 20mph I'm in Zone 3! Any climb at all and I'm in Zone 4 to 5 (even hit MAX HR a few times).

My whole ride was supposed to be in Zone 2 with 10min of "Tempo" in Zone 3-4. Inorder to do this, I would have to ride backwards!!

Is this really supposed to work? My training would have to be MUCH LESS INTENSE to stay in my zones. I would never dream that TRAINING was supposed to be EASY. This is counter to everything I have ever thought or learned about traning.

I need confirmation that STAYING IN THE ZONES works. I don't have many seasons left and would hate to waste valuable training time.

Similar experiences or concerns, please reply.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[dhk]

Originally posted by thesciguy
Is this right?

I have been cycling for almost 20 years, even tried racing a few times (always lost, but still went fast). I trained every which way you can imagine, long solo rides, fast group rides, trips to mountains (I lived in NYC...no mountians), winter trainer, etc... But I never used a HRM. I have read Chris's book (lance coach) and know all about the Zones and what they are suposed to do.

So, I bought one last week. Did the MAX HRM test (190) and the 3mile time trial (intermediate - to advanced) and set up my 7 week program (I'm doing the advanced).

Did my first HRM ride last week and on my EASIEST effort I'm in Zone 2! As soon as I hit 20mph I'm in Zone 3! Any climb at all and I'm in Zone 4 to 5 (even hit MAX HR a few times).

My whole ride was supposed to be in Zone 2 with 10min of "Tempo" in Zone 3-4. Inorder to do this, I would have to ride backwards!!

Is this really supposed to work? My training would have to be MUCH LESS INTENSE to stay in my zones. I would never dream that TRAINING was supposed to be EASY. This is counter to everything I have ever thought or learned about traning.

I need confirmation that STAYING IN THE ZONES works. I don't have many seasons left and would hate to waste valuable training time.

Similar experiences or concerns, please reply.

Thanks,
Paul

I've got the same book, plus a couple of others that stress the same principals. Even going back 20 years or more, the idea of doing the majority of your training within your aerobic capacity has been pretty common advice for biking, running and other endurance sports.

Believe in the book, Lance wrote that he does 4-6 hour base endurance rides at 60-62% of his (201 max) HR. If he still trains this way, I probably should be also. Of course, he's probably loafing along at 22-24 mph, where I'm only going 14-15 mph at the 60% HR effort.

If you really follow the program, I bet you'll be surprised at the improvement at the end of 7 weeks. I think you'll see your average endurance speed slowly pick up while your zone 2 HR drops. And, on the tempo or interval days, you'll find you're able to climb stronger and do faster tempos before you hit your max.

 

[thesciguy]

Originally posted by dhk
I've got the same book, plus a couple of others that stress the same principals. Even going back 20 years or more, the idea of doing the majority of your training within your aerobic capacity has been pretty common advice for biking, running and other endurance sports.

Believe in the book, Lance wrote that he does 4-6 hour base endurance rides at 60-62% of his (201 max) HR. If he still trains this way, I probably should be also. Of course, he's probably loafing along at 22-24 mph, where I'm only going 14-15 mph at the 60% HR effort.

If you really follow the program, I bet you'll be surprised at the improvement at the end of 7 weeks. I think you'll see your average endurance speed slowly pick up while your zone 2 HR drops. And, on the tempo or interval days, you'll find you're able to climb stronger and do faster tempos before you hit your max.

dhk,

I gotta believe (Lance can't be wrong). And you're right, Lance's 60% is prob around 22mph, while mine is about 16-17mph. I just can't imagine NOT comming home "empty" after a ride.

I'll check in from time to time and report back after the seven weeks. I'll try to collect some early data (avg. HR and speed and time in and out of zones, etc..) and compare it to late data.

Here's a short list of data (some from memory)

Age- 39
Weight - 160 (usually down to 154 during mid summer)
Max HR - 190
Avg HR for my last 20mile ride (4 climbs...1 hard one, but mostly rolling to flat terrain) 155
Avg speed for my last 20mile ride - 18mph
HR for lactate to start - around 165 (start to get that "side stitch")
Recovery speed (MAX to about 150) 30-40 sec

Let's see what happens.
Paul