Traing With Heart Rate Monitor/fitness question



rclouviere

Member
Apr 10, 2011
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Couple questions:

1) I've just started training with a heart rate monitor. Any suggestions on how to best use it for workouts?
2) If I'm fitter than my buddy, and let's say we're both cycling at a 9 out of 10 in exertion, will my heart rate be the same as his, or lower?

thanks, rick
 
1. HR monitors can be great tools when you learn how to use them. I'd recommend that you first find your max HR and then calculate your HR zones. If you're just getting into exercising than I'd recommend using your estimated max HR for a while by subracting your age from 220 (eg: if you're 30 years old 220 - 30 = 190). After you've been training for a while you may get the desire to find your true max HR. An easy and cheap way to do this would be to start with a nice warm up then begin to ramp up your exertion until you simply can't pedal anymore (I've usually always used this method on a trainer to prevent falling off the bike and hurting myself) but be carefull if you desire to do this. Most experts recommend seeing a doctor before attempting to exert yourself to these extremes.

2. Everyone's HR is different. I think it would be safer to say that if you and your friend were riding a 9 out of 10 in exertion you may be in the same "zone" but again, everyone is different. I for one feel fairly comfortable while riding in my zone 4 where some of my friends can only spend little amounts of time there.
 
In general, as your heart gets stronger: (1) your heart rate should be lower for the same effort and (2) you should be able to hold the same effort for a longer time.

But don't compare your heart rate to anyone else.
 
Yup. The more fit you are, the lower your max Heart rate becomes. After studying exercise physiology as my major in undergrad, if there is one thing I learned it is that HR is highly variable person to person. Find your zones with a HR zone calulator online and start with that. Many people use HR as an objective percieved exertion. It keeps them from trying too hard or not hard enough. For example, on my recovery day, I may shoot to maintain 60% of max HR for x amount of time. Or, if I am trying to increase my threshold, I may see how long I can maintain 90% of max HR. Those are some basic examples of how to use HR in your work outs. There is a lot of literature out there so read up!

As an aside, HR can also be used to indicate over training. An increase in resting heart rate may tell you that you're not fully recovering.

Hope this helps!
 
Yup. The more fit you are, the lower your max Heart rate becomes. After studying exercise physiology as my major in undergrad, if there is one thing I learned it is that HR is highly variable person to person. Find your zones with a HR zone calulator online and start with that. Many people use HR as an objective percieved exertion. It keeps them from trying too hard or not hard enough. For example, on my recovery day, I may shoot to maintain 60% of max HR for x amount of time. Or, if I am trying to increase my threshold, I may see how long I can maintain 90% of max HR. Those are some basic examples of how to use HR in your work outs. There is a lot of literature out there so read up!

As an aside, HR can also be used to indicate over training. An increase in resting heart rate may tell you that you're not fully recovering.

Hope this helps!
 
Great post. Very helpful. Makes sense, because it seems the fitter I get, my maximum heart rate seems lower (or, even when I'm at 90%, it seems to be lower than I remember), and I had always thought it would get higher.

However, here's another formula I had worked off to get a training heart rate:

TRAINING HEART RATE
1) Take resting heart rate (54)
2) 220 - age (54) = 166
3) Subtract resting heart rate (166 - 45 = 121)
4) Multiply this number by 60% (121 X 60% = 72.6)
5) Add resting heart rate (72.6 + 45 = 117.6) - This is 60% of max
6) Multiply 117.6 by 80% - 94.8
7) Add resting heart rate (94.8 + 45 = 139.08)

60% 116
70% 127
80% 139
90% 151
95% 157
100% 163

I'm 54 years old and have a resting HR of 45.

What do you think of this approach?

thanks
 
Originally Posted by pengrac2 .

The more fit you are, the lower your max Heart rate becomes.
I think what you mean is the more fit you are the lower your RESTING heart rate becomes.
 
This thread makes me want to cry so I have to shout this: DON'T BASE TRAINING ZONES ON MAX HEART RATE.

It's a pretty worthless number and really has no bearing on your fitness as it changes. As an example, my max heart rate over the past year has gone down about 1 BPM due to age. But because of my lack of riding (more than six months off the bike), my LTHR went down about 10 BPM.

Instead, estimate your 'lactate threshold heart rate' (LTHR; it's not really your lactate threshold but we're going to use it because everyone other than Allan and Coggan do). Hit the road and o 15 minutes of warm up, then start a timer. Ride for 30 minutes at the fastest pace you are able to maintain on a flat course with as little wind as possible. Hopefully there won't be any stops along the way, if there are, try to find a better route. When you are 10 minutes into the effort, hit your lap timer and the average heart rate for the last 20 minutes will be your approximate LTHR.

Head here to see the percentages used to set the actual heart rates: http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/11/quick-guide-to-setting-zones.html
 
HR is highly variable (fatigue, hydration, core temp, training status, stress, nutritionals, etc;) and lags with effort. If you cannot afford to use power as your primary tool, I suggest performing a VO2 and LT/VT test with HR on your bike in a lab. Make sure the person who tests you is accredited.


Regards, William Thomas Owner of Ergogenic Sport Nutrition MS, CSCS, CSN, CFT, NESTA ECB.