Originally posted by peteaj
Although I've been cycling for two years just for the fun I want to get a bit more serious about it and try to use my HR Monitor to help me shed a few pounds. The problem is that I don't realy know the most effective way to use the monitor to assist me in my weight loss. As I have said I have been cycling for some time and feel that my body has conditioned its self to my routine (about 12 miles a day). I know its not much to some but considering two years ago I did absolutly nothing it can't be a bad thing.
Hi,
The key to using a HRM is to set up HR zones. There are a bazillion different permutations but to summarize -
Determine your Maximum HR max. There are formulas (220 - age). Many people find these useless because they are not even close to their actual MHR. Serious Cycling by Burke recommends doing a time trial and clocking your max HR.
Your MHR is your anchor point for the next step which is setting up heart rate zones (ranges for your HR). Here is where you see a lot of different methods - typically set up 5-7 zones based on percentage of max HR. Some people use zones of the same width and some don't. Some set up zones based on the gap between resting HR and max HR. Some set up zones based off MHR.
I use 3 main zones each of the same width. My MHR is 200 BPM and my RHR is 50 BPM. So I set up bands of 10% or 15 BPM (the range is 150 beats from RHR to MHR). When I did 10% bands off MHR (thats 20 BPM per zone) I found it a little wide to be useful. This is what it looks like -
Zone 5 185-200 BPM phewwww this hard work
Zone 4 170-184 BPM hard work
Zone 3 155-169 BPM I can do this all day!
Zone 2 <155 BPM if this isn;t a recovery ride you're wasting your time
I found 3 work bands easy to manage compared to say 5, 6 or 7. I found a fixed 10% range easier to do the math in my head when I'm riding. You'll have to figure out what works best for you.
With the zones - I try to alternate between easy and hard days. On the hard days I'm supposed to spend a good chunk of time in Z4 and Z5. this could involve intervals or a fast group ride.
I'd recommend you pick up a book too - something like Burke. Many others like Friel. I'm not a big fan of The HR Monitor Book for Cyclists.
Happy riding.
SR