Bought a heart rate monitor... Now what?

[doog]

I use mine on the turbo trainer..... Previously used it for running and road work on the bike but found too many variables interfere with objectives ie traffic / obstructions etc .

 

[lukesdad]

I thought he said training runs not turbo, Hr will increase with effort so low cadence on a steep climb will certainly increase your HR.

 

[Tomba]

One point to note is your HR won't rise if your cadence is low, no matter how hard you pedal. You need to get your cadence up to 95 rpm for your heart to be used efficiently.
I use mine on the turbo as reference for how my body is feeling the effort.

I must have a dodgy ticker then cos when I use a monitor on the turbo solely using big gears at a slow cadence my heart rate rises?

 

[Tomba]

You need to establish your own HRmax. That's your first step. It would be better if you could get more zones, but if you can manually adjust your zones, then set Zone 1 from 65% to 80%, Zone 2 from 80% to 90% and Zone 3 from 90% to 100%. Use Anything below Zone 1 for recovery rides and endurance training, Zone 1 try to avoid as much as possible (also known as no-man's land*), Zone 2 for SST and threshold training, and Zone 3 for anaerobic endurance and maximum effort interval training.

*Known thus because it adds little to your conditioning, but adds to your fatigue.


This is kinda quick and dirty, if you want to use it more effectively get a good book on HR training. One I like is Arnie Baker's Smart Cycling: Successful Training and Racing for Riders of All Levels

I got that book at Christmas and just starting to get through it. Some good workouts in it

When you say Zone 1 is no mans land and should be avoided, I've been using my zone 1 at 65-74% MHR as my base training which is quite a lot. Cant find the article I read it at the moment but will have a look later after work.

edit: Found the article and it says Zone 2 75-84% is no mans land?? http://www.cycling-inform.com/heart...ate-monitor-and-zones-to-improve-your-cycling

 

[VamP]

I got that book at Christmas and just starting to get through it. Some good workouts in it

When you say Zone 1 is no mans land and should be avoided, I've been using my zone 1 at 65-74% MHR as my base training which is quite a lot. Cant find the article I read it at the moment but will have a look later after work.

edit: Found the article and it says Zone 2 75-84% is no mans land?? http://www.cycling-inform.com/heart...ate-monitor-and-zones-to-improve-your-cycling

Yeah, you are correct. Most people quote the no man's land as 70 - 85% of max. The trouble with Monkspeed's comp is it can only accomodate three zones, when you really need a minimum of 4. As I said, my advice was quick and dirty, and was just to get him looking in the right direction.

 

[ushills]

Said this before but google karvonan

Have a look at karvonen method for calculating the appropriate thresholds for exercising, it is important to exercise appropriately for long term benefit and spending significant time at maxHR unless a super fit athlete will only cause damage, injury and fatigue.

Also as you get fitter you will use less of your HR capacity for the same work, i.e, your heart gets more efficient. MaxHR and resting HR will change little.

It is also a useful gauge of your wellbeing, I went out with a cold earlier this week and my HR was a good 15-20bpm above normal outside my normal zone, because of this I eased off and didn't overdo it.

 

[ushills]

This is a good resource for setting zones

http://www.livelongbestrong.com/resources/karvonen.htm

Try and stick in the cardio zone.

 

[Seamab]

One point to note is your HR won't rise if your cadence is low, no matter how hard you pedal. You need to get your cadence up to 95 rpm for your heart to be used efficiently.

This is just plain wrong i'm afraid.

It doesn't matter what gear you are in - if you pedal harder your HR will always rise unless you have reached your MaxHR.
There is no such thing as a standard cadence at which all cyclists are most efficient. You may be most efficient at 95rpm but this will differ for others.

 

[Arsen Gere]

Sorry folks in posting "One point to note is your HR won't rise if your cadence is low, no matter how hard you pedal." What I meant was won't rise to your max HR.

 

[endoman]

Sorry folks in posting "One point to note is your HR won't rise if your cadence is low, no matter how hard you pedal." What I meant was won't rise to your max HR.

Try telling my heart that on ascending a 25% climb! The two times I have hit MHR have been after 5-10 minutes hard climbing then a 25% stint.

 

[Arsen Gere]

"Try telling my heart that on ascending a 25% climb! The two times I have hit MHR have been after 5-10 minutes hard climbing then a 25% stint. "
Interesting, so what kind of cadence was this at? Were you out of the saddle?

I can see that the original load would create a demand and thermal effects then the 25% would push it up a notch. If you were out of the saddle using your arms, shoulders and back you'd create a lot more demand than just your legs alone.

Hitting your max HR on a bike is notoriously difficult, doing it running or swimming is much easier because of the range of muscles involved. I've not met anyone who can get to max hr on a turbo without a good cadence so I'm curious about your case.

 

[Monkspeed]

OK, first proper use of the HR monitor today.

I know someone suggested I do a 10mile flat out TT pace but to be frank, I'm no where near the level to do a 10mile TT, maybe 10km but not miles!

I did about 20km total, tried to stick to a good cadence ~90rpm and saw mostly ~165bpm on the monitor. I thought to myself surely my max of 185 can't be right, it must be higher!? Anyway at the end of my ride I thought I would tackle a nice steep hill, used a 39/25 gear (I refuse to use granny gear any more), right near the apex my HR Monitor alarm goes off to tell me I've gone over max and then in an instant my legs below my knees got very hot and almost felt like they were seizing up.

I thought wow, I guess my max of 185 must be about right then

Haven't used the zones at all yet, although I will for sure, I just wanted to see where I was at for this first ride with it.

Thanks everyone for the replies

EDIT: Oh! I forgot to mention. I used the fitness level program which gauges you recovery after your workout. Mine was a level 3 rating with level 1 being super fit and level 6 being unfit, so not bad I suppose since I've only been cycling since the end of November 2011.

 

[endoman]

"Try telling my heart that on ascending a 25% climb! The two times I have hit MHR have been after 5-10 minutes hard climbing then a 25% stint. "
Interesting, so what kind of cadence was this at? Were you out of the saddle?

I can see that the original load would create a demand and thermal effects then the 25% would push it up a notch. If you were out of the saddle using your arms, shoulders and back you'd create a lot more demand than just your legs alone.

Hitting your max HR on a bike is notoriously difficult, doing it running or swimming is much easier because of the range of muscles involved. I've not met anyone who can get to max hr on a turbo without a good cadence so I'm curious about your case.

Yep out of saddle, cadence around 60, maybe less as any more not possible. Max effort.

 

[Sittingduck]

Also as you get fitter you will use less of your HR capacity for the same work, i.e, your heart gets more efficient. MaxHR and resting HR will change little.

Sorry - don't agree. As you get fitter, surely you would expect to see a lower RHR?

 

[Crackle]

Sorry - don't agree. As you get fitter, surely you would expect to see a lower RHR?

Unless he means when you are fit. My rhr unfit, 75, fit 48, really fit 44.