Max rate you've had your heart
- Thread starter cdaleguy
- Start date
cdaleguy said:
212 at age 42, at the start of the season - and no the higher rate doesn't mean much except perhaps that you are out of shape (as was the case with me, I can't get much higher than 190 these days)
Try to determine what your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR) is, it is a much more useful number to base your training on. Usually this is something like your average HR on the last 20 miles of a 30 mile time trial, where you are going fast but steady the whole way. There are other ways to determine too, but that would be close.
In a real MAX heart rate test, you'd be on a treadmill or spin cycle for only about 20 minutes because they don't want tired muscles to be a limiting factor in the results. They'll ramp you up 10 bpm and have you hold that for two minutes, then go up another 10 for another two minutes, etc until you fall off (then they add a couple beats because you weren't REALLY at max). So from 100 to 200 is only 20 minutes.
I took a sub-max test where they did the same thing, but the instructors tried to identify our 80% max point by how well we could talk while exersizing - they claim a pretty good correlation with the MAX heart rate test but with less health risk to the testee. They came up with 187 for me (which would be 232 minus my age), but I saw 192 once last summer (that was on a hot day when I was certainly tired during the final sprint of a 40 minute climb). So I think my MHR is probably 195 (which would be 240 minus my age) and I see high 180's on almost every hard ride, but I'm only saying that to show that the 220 minus age thing is way over-used and innacurate (but probably safe from the perspective of exersize equipment manufacturers).
And no, MAX HR has no correlation with performance or fitness... it's a genetic thing that decreases somewhat with age. Useful for training purposes on an individual level; useless at comparing two different people in any meaningful way.
I took a sub-max test where they did the same thing, but the instructors tried to identify our 80% max point by how well we could talk while exersizing - they claim a pretty good correlation with the MAX heart rate test but with less health risk to the testee. They came up with 187 for me (which would be 232 minus my age), but I saw 192 once last summer (that was on a hot day when I was certainly tired during the final sprint of a 40 minute climb). So I think my MHR is probably 195 (which would be 240 minus my age) and I see high 180's on almost every hard ride, but I'm only saying that to show that the 220 minus age thing is way over-used and innacurate (but probably safe from the perspective of exersize equipment manufacturers).
And no, MAX HR has no correlation with performance or fitness... it's a genetic thing that decreases somewhat with age. Useful for training purposes on an individual level; useless at comparing two different people in any meaningful way.
225 a couple of times is the highest i've ever got. RHR is about 55, have only been cycling about 7 months, was into weightlifting before that. Can get my HR down about 100beats within 3 minutes after a hard excercise, but it also gets above 100 quite quickly also
My max HR was 180 bpm last year, now it's 174 bpm, doesn't matter if I do a short sprint or a long 100 km ride, it's always my legs that go first. My heart seems to be easily able to keep up with whatever I'm doing now after training 6 months solidly.
-Bikeguy
-Bikeguy
My Max is 195 now, but comparing back to 1996 when I first started riding I used to get the max of 201.I wonder if any one experience anything similar?So I have lost about 6 beats all these years and in this time,between 2000 - 2002 I was off the bike all that time due to laziness.Could this contribute to the dropping of the max heart rate?
One thing I notice is my thresthold used to be around 178-185 depending on the day I can hover around this marks for hours witihout much problem.But now my threshold is around 168 - 175,however my arerage speed for the same terrain for all these years hasn't dropped at all.So it does mean higher max HR doesn't indicate better performance.
One thing I notice is my thresthold used to be around 178-185 depending on the day I can hover around this marks for hours witihout much problem.But now my threshold is around 168 - 175,however my arerage speed for the same terrain for all these years hasn't dropped at all.So it does mean higher max HR doesn't indicate better performance.
Yep, that's exactly what it means. Being able to ride for "hours" at a high heart rate, and the power you generate at that heart rate does indicate performance however. There's many threads on this forum that talk about it.giantbike said:
Also, you maximum will drop over time with training and theoretically with age. I'm 37 and mine is 191 (observed) on a bike.
John
I have used a HRM for the last two rides and have found that my average heart rate in rolling to hilly rides is about 175 to 178. When climbing these hills I have watched my heart rate climb well over the 200 mark. Around 230 is the highest I have seen it and I can hit it several times on a few climbs I have on my rides. On a two hour ride yesterday my heart rate was over 190 for over 34 minutes and below 140 for only 11 minutes. I don't know if this is good or not. It doesn't seem like I can control my heart rate like I would like.
Is there any corralation between breathing and heart rate? I am really getting winded on these climbs and don't have any more gears left to make it any easier on me. I don't have the luxury of riding flat areas from my house without driving somewhere. Are there some breathing excersises people do so they don't get as winded?
Is there any corralation between breathing and heart rate? I am really getting winded on these climbs and don't have any more gears left to make it any easier on me. I don't have the luxury of riding flat areas from my house without driving somewhere. Are there some breathing excersises people do so they don't get as winded?
Thanks for the thread. I covered 39 miles today chasing my son. I'm 49, he's 20. Over the last 26 miles, my HR averaged 165 and peaked at 183. I've run or cycled for the last 26 years. According to the 220 minus age I should have had some problems today, but I didn't. Resting HR is in the forties. Two years ago before knee surgery, HR was 43 in the hospital, no caffeine. During the climbs today I was in the 170 range with no problem.
I don't know if the HR thing is as important as perceived effort. Many years ago Frank Shorter commented that HR monitors weren't that great. I don't have an answer to Max HR and what the affect training has except genetics.
I don't know if the HR thing is as important as perceived effort. Many years ago Frank Shorter commented that HR monitors weren't that great. I don't have an answer to Max HR and what the affect training has except genetics.
