HEART RATE

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fionahills
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HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:07 pm

Hi - sorry another question.....

AGE 52 - Resting HR - 62

Max - exercise HR recommended is 168 - (just used an online calculator to get this)
80%= 147 - think this is aim for improving fitness

On Hills - I have been getting up to 173 and 178 - the averages are 141 and 129 - 40 km loops

On the flatter rides over last 5 weeks - averages are 132,135,119,132,131 - Maximums are 163,161,163,163,158 - (20-25 loops and a couple of 50km rides and a 100km)

I really have no idea about zones except what the garmin tells me it is - any easy advice about interpretation - have read lots of stuff but bit much for someone just starting just want to make good use of my time, make appropriate efforts, NOT have a stroke and avoid doing too much for my level of fitness (not much).

Did ECG and other tests and got all clear Dr recently so no known issues - mainly don't want to cause one - thanks again sorry to be a pain. Fiona

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Alex Simmons/RST
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:30 pm

fionahills wrote: Max - exercise HR recommended is 168 - (just used an online calculator to get this)
- any easy advice about interpretation -
Ignore calculators for HR estimates, they are only population averages with a standard deviation of about 15bpm.

Tony6463
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby Tony6463 » Mon Nov 05, 2012 2:30 pm

Hey fiona,

My advice is not to get to wrapped up in the numbers just yet, or at all. They look ok though. At this stage go by what feels right and use the HR as a secondary guide till you work out what is normal for you with what you are doing. You will know if you are working hard or if you have more to give. Remember though not everything should be 100% all the time on every ride. Just get out and ride and enjoy it, the rest will follow.

Tony

fionahills
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Mon Nov 05, 2012 6:31 pm

thanks guys - I am a bit over the top in trying to get this cycing stuff right - but really am having fun challenging myself.

Knowing that I am working towards a good result does make me enjoy it all the more - and would like to do the best I can with what I have - I think that will open up all sorts of opportunities to travel with the bike and participate in community based rides etc with a bit of confidence that I won't embarrass myself - I'd like to think that this is something that I can do til I am in my dotage and in that case worth the effort to get good advice from those of you who really know what you are doing.

thanks and promise I will keep on riding - will try not to get hung up on numbers but come from the school of thought that if you don't measure it, you can't improve it - just don't want to have a stroke doing it!!! :D thanks again Fiona

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DoogleDave
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby DoogleDave » Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:32 pm

fionahills wrote: thanks and promise I will keep on riding - will try not to get hung up on numbers but come from the school of thought that if you don't measure it, you can't improve it - just don't want to have a stroke doing it!!! :D thanks again Fiona
You are right that there is no harm in measuring these things to monitor yourself and see improvement but as everyone else has said, don't get hung up on your HR too much.

When I first got my Garmin I constantly monitored my HR and zones etc on every ride and when I saw it jump up to what I thought was really high I'd slow right down until it dropped etc. After a while I decided I was paying far too much attention to my HR so now I don't show my HR on the Garmin at all (that way I can't be tempted to look at it), and ever since I did that I have enjoyed riding so much more.

I still check my HR and ave HR for every ride once I have uploaded my data onto the Garmin & Strava websites (and always wear my HR monitor whenever I ride), and it usually averages out to around the same (give or take a couple of bpm on average)....however my ave speed has increased by 4-5 km/h, so this tells me my fitness is improving as I can sustain a much faster average speed with around the same HR I had months ago at my slower ave speed.

I'm happy with that knowledge and no longer need to know what my HR is doing every two minutes of a ride - but more I can feel when I have more to give and when I have nothing left in the tank and need to slow down or conserve energy.

You sound like you're doing just fine Fiona, just keep up the riding and trust that the improvements will come as you continue enjoying your cycling....and don't stop monitoring your stats, just don't worry about a particular stat too much, but moreso look at your averages over time which will give you a better indication of how you are progressing over time.

Dave
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fionahills
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Mon Nov 05, 2012 8:19 pm

Hi Dave,

part of the 'beauty' of getting old is I can't see the numbers while I'm riding (need glasses for any reading now) - and also technically incompetent so tend to hit random buttons at random times trying to find things like HR etc- but usually end up with all these random laps.and bit chunks of the ride missing..... :oops:

So husband set up the garmin so i only have cadence and speed showing in big numbers -under strict intructions not to touch it while on the bike- so now just check the data when I get home and put it on the computer -

glad you got faster and fitter - hope I can report the same soon - rest day today and hill repeats (all of 3 if I am lucky and tough enough) tomorrow at Gyndier Dr and hopefully a play on the new crit track at Girraween if not too many people there - hopefully Noosa tired them all out and they are either resting or at work - its so much fun riding on roads with no traffic..

fiona

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Re: HEART RATE

Postby LM324 » Mon Nov 05, 2012 8:22 pm

Like the others have said, enjoy cycling and don't get too caught up in the numbers. But...

If you want to train to get fitter, riding in the 80% of MHR is pretty "useless". From http://www.cycling-inform.com/heart-rat ... ur-cycling" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Zone E2. (General Aerobic Endurance) 75-84%MHR
While this is an important zone for training in to build an increase in muscle glycogen storage, you''ll need to be careful spending time in this zone. It’s sometime referred to as “on-man’s land” or “temp riding” as you are riding too fast to build your aerobic base but too slow to develop your V02MAX and lactate threshold. The result of spending too much time in this zone is that you’ll get home feeling tired but not have really improved your fitness. Therefore this zone is not an efficient use of your training time. And… in a lot of cases it’s the zone you’ll be in when riding in medium paced bunch rides. For that reason it’s important to monitor the time spent in this zone. In moderation, it is however a good zone to ease you into interval training and during a specialization period before starting to race. Cyclists that train in this zone a lot end up quickly reaching a plateau in their fitness.
Of course this is only applicable if you are specifically training (which I am not). It's no fun to always either ride slowly or super fast

fionahills
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Mon Nov 05, 2012 8:44 pm

On my garmin notes it goes from zones 1 through 10 -

Its probably a really really dumb question but which zone represents which % of HR - I know it is 1 as the lowest - but don't really understand where I should be working - I don't spend a lot of time in 5 or above - mainly 2 and 3 - could you let me know what they represent?

This is from yesterday when I went for mainly flat 30 odd km ride with 3 hills (I found them very challenging )-


HR Time Zone 1=7.2 Z2 = 38.44 Z3 = 31.07 Z4=9.14 Z5= 0.38
DISTANCE Z1=2KM, Z2=15.1KM, Z3= 12KM, Z4= 3.3KM, Z5 = 165M
SPEED TIME Z1 = 04, Z2= 10.17, Z3 = 19.15, Z4 = 44.01, Z5 = 11.29, Z6=1.52, Z7=0.56, Z8=0.35, Z9=0.01
Speed Distance Zone 1 = 10m, Z2 = 1.9km, Z3 = 5.3KM, Z4=16.6KM, Z5=5.3KM, Z6=1.1KM, Z7= 646M, Z8=469M, Z9=8M

sorry to ask - but I'm really not sure I have a real idea of what the above means - except that I struggle on the hills and am slow on the flat!!!

an idiots guide to HR monitors may be a best seller - :D

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DoogleDave
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby DoogleDave » Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:22 pm

fionahills wrote: could you let me know what they represent?
THIS might prove interesting reading Fiona.

I'm sure some people may not agree with everything written in this article, but it gives you the basic gist of zones and what they represent...although the Garmin uses a 5-zone system, so the percentages per zone will be slightly different when reading the "zones data" from the Garmin.

It also goes without saying that unless you can (reasonably) workout your MaxHR and set this accordingly into your Garmin then all your HR zone and % stats will not be as accurate as you may want. Also, many fitness units are fairly accurate but are susceptible to inaccuracy (particularly from heart rate monitors receiving interference from flapping jerseys etc which cause false readings, resulting in inaccurate data being recorded).
Again, all this data is fine to rely on (in general) but there will always be some element of inaccuracy in the data...but for the recreational cyclist and/or one who is trying to improve their fitness it's not a big deal....IMO.

Dave
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fionahills
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:38 pm

thanks Dave -interesting - and written without too much jargon- (at this stage I have no idea about VO 2 max, threshold power and all I know about lactic acid is it hurts!).

I think I better understand the different zones and what each key one is used for training wise. I have rechecked the garmin based on the more accurate HR max calcuation so whatever info I get will be more accurate but not too bothered that it will be out a bit. As everyone says it is an indicator - so not taking it as gospel.

I guess my main thing is what I should do - in a planned way to improve things over time- without getting too hung up on it - I am all for a coffee ride or better yet icecream ride every week - had an ice coffee after I finally got over the hills and ate the whipped cream!!!

I will get the coach I am seeing on wednesday to tell me what sorts of riding I should be doing now -I think I am probably doing a little of everything for no real effect, except am out on the bike 6 days out of 7 and still loving it. He may also be able to finally get me to use the gears properly - Cadence is OK though - think I have that sorted but on the wrong ring most of the time - still I have improved and managed to ride on the big one without giving too much away is av rpm.

I think having goals has been important to keep me going - so at the moment trying to get good enough at hills so that I don't end up in the SAG wagon on McEwan's piccolo fondo - apparently not brutal(??? - I'd like to see his definition of this!) but a couple of short steep ones to get over - oh well as long as I can finish and not embarrass myself.....

thanks again for the link - very much appreciated Fiona

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Re: HEART RATE

Postby Tony6463 » Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:50 pm

Hi again Fiona,

Measuring your performance and having goals are a very good thing and give you something to aim for and a measure of your progress. For what I think you are after using HR is probably not ideal. It would probably be better to use a fixed route, or several, and keep an eye on your times over these routes. Use them as your measure. You can play with candance and HR etc to try and improve these times but use the routes as a set and known measure. For most of your training if you work to a point where it would be difficult to hold a conversation then you are working at a good heart rate. You can vary this by going hard for a period of time or distance, say 5 min or 500 meters, or what ever suits you, then backing off and recovering for a time/distance. You can mix over all easy rides with ones where you go your hardest for the whole ride. Then you can go hard over your set route and check your times. Important thing is to keep things varied and mixed up and have fun on the bike.

Tony

fionahills
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:07 pm

Thanks Tony

sounds like a good plan- I do tend to always ride the same route during the week so will be easy to measure time- also good to know that it is the 'hard to talk' phase that is useful and thanks for setting out a time/distance - always unsure about that part of it.

bit weary today so will take it easy and start pushing a bit more on Thursday.

thanks again

Tony6463
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby Tony6463 » Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:36 am

Hey Fiona,

Also remember that you are not going to be super fast every day. You will vary up and done with you speed and motivation. Some days you will feel super good and ride well others you will struggle to get out of the door. This is normal. It is good to sometimes have a day off to recover. As long as there is a steady improvement over time that is what you are after. Have fun with it.

Cheers

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barefoot
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby barefoot » Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:51 am

I certainly don't have the expertise of others that have posted on this thread, but a point to note is that most "zones" setpoints are defined as a % of MHR, so it's important to get a good estimate of MHR so the zones actually mean something.

The standard "220-age" calculations are nonsense... I figured that out when I was occasionally exceeding 210, when I was in my early 30s and "should" have had a MHR somewhere in the 180s (feeling like I was going to die at the time, of course). Seems I have a faster heart than average. So I re-calculated my zones based on an assumed MHR of 215, and everything made more sense... zone thresholds matched much better with perceived effort thresholds.

Apparently there are methods of testing your MHR, but I've never done them because they sound quite unpleasant. So I still work on a guestimate. As a starting point, you should do the same. It will be more realistic than the calculator you initially used. If you're regularly seeing 175 BPM on hard hill climbs, then maybe your MHR is somewhere closer to 200. Calculate your zones based on this, and see whether your real-world perceived effort lines up. I found anaerobic threshold to be a good telltale - you can usually feel when you're going anaerobic (or hovering around it, drifting in and out), so it's good to confirm that your HRM matches.

Then, once you've got a halfway believeable estimate of your MHR, you can re-set the rest of your zones and set whatever alarms and/or training plans you like.

An assumed MHR of 210 works for me (at 37 years old). When I do short-course MTB (most weeks) or cyclocross (a couple per year) races, I set my HRM to beep when I go over 170 BPM (which is about my anaerobic threshold), to remind me that I'll blow up if I spend too much time there... although I still hit 180 most laps. Last year I did the Around the Bay 250km (after a very limited training program) by setting an alarm at 150 BPM (a bit over 70%MHR) and trying to stay under it as much as possible.

tim

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Re: HEART RATE

Postby bychosis » Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:41 pm

fionahills wrote: I do tend to always ride the same route during the week so will be easy to measure time
I'm nowhere near an expert, but I'd avoid riding the same route all week unless it's a commute. You probably don't want to get 'route fit' and condition your body to that route. Try to find a couple of routes and mix them up a bit. Eg 3 routes, do them in different order, at different intensities.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

fionahills
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Re: HEART RATE

Postby fionahills » Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:52 pm

Thanks so much for all your comments - went to a coach this morning and learnt lots - especially useful was learning just what the right training HR felt like - how long I should do the efforts for and what constituted a real effort rather than my earlier attempts - did a loop of 30 odd kms - with a 3 km slight incline (gyndier dr and over the top and that included a couple of shorter steeper hills - was really great and feel like I have a better idea now.

Am sure that I have been having a lovely time and my 'efforts' were very slack previously -the only bummer is that I rode hard (for me) and still only averaged 21.5 kph - :D

Came home with homework and will have another session in a week or two - after I practice what I have learnt today - make its so much easier to have someone riding beside you and providing instant feedback - lovely guy - did say I was maybe a bit competitive - who me??? and while I am a bit slow I was better than he expected - isn't that nice and my cadence was good - that's thanks to forum advice because I previously had no idea what it even was - so thank you all..
am sure I will have even more questions - like how does strava work??? and hope you will all put up with me asking.

I think the advice about the regular loop is very good - I have joined a couple of new group rides - so hopefully they will atke me further afield and mix things up a bit - I have only been riding the same route cos its familiar and feels 'safe' when I am on my own - but I am much braver within a bigger group so will try and do 2 rides a week with groups

thanks again Fiona

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