heart rate for newbies

[eagles633]

I'm going to go against the trend a bit here

Love the gadgets myself, the more the better :-) One of the main motivators for me is looking at the stats after a ride, how far, how fast, what was my heart rate on that segment/hill etc, its fun and enjoyable. Obviously each to their own but it seems some people dont understand that other people get enjoyment from these devices, and the figures they give you. To say forget about the Garmin and just enjoy the ride/scenery, to people like me, and it sounds like the OP as well, would just take half the enjoyment of cycling away.

However, while its good to take note of the numbers, all you are looking for are trends. I wouldn't say I take too much notice of the actual figures, but if it shows my speed increasing on a particular segment, or recovery time for a ride that use to be 12 hours is now say 8 hours for example then its good to see that my fitness is going generally in the right direction.

As the Op says, there are a lot of science behind these metrics the gadgets produce, most of the numbers are not just picked from thin air and can be a useful motivator.

The one caveat I would add is wrist based heart rate monitors for cycling (your fitbits etc) - see DC Rainmakers review of any wearables and the figures they produce for heart rate, while cycling, are hugely out compared with chest straps . Even allowing for my 'ignore the actual figures just follow the trend' above is useless as they tend to produce such wild erratic figures that they are, in DC's words (just for cycling, and its just wrist based wearables) "useless". For the general 24/7 measuring heart rate etc they are fine, but any high intensity activity sends them haywire, in his opinion.

Continue to enjoy the rides, continue playing with your new toys, and enjoy them both :-)

great post !
i got the chest strap monitor with the bundle when i was bought the garmin.
i'l be interested to see the changes as i go along.

 

[bpsmith]

I am currently a tiny bit heavier than my summer weight of last year and also not as fit yet as not ridden loads in 2018 yet.

I went for a short blast last night, chasing the light before it got dark. I pushed myself a bit and wore my HRM to see what the stats looked like when I got home.

I wasn’t out of breath but doing a reasonably hard equal effort for 11.5 miles. Here’s my HR data:

The start was mostly downhill and filtering in traffic. The rest was mostly bypass type roads and on the flat.

What it shows is that your heart knows what it’s doing and shifts the right amount of blood around. I didn’t feel unwell at any point, even when it peaked at 198 as have no idea where that happened. My point is, you can “listen to your body” as stated numerous times above. You can still do that whilst wearing a HRM, but have the added bonus of having the data to compare later on, once you get fitter.

At my highest fitness level last year, I could do an hour with an average HR of 183 and topping out at 205. At 40 years old, that definitely doesn’t meet the so called standard Max HR or 220 - your age.

We are all different! Just don’t panic if your HR is higher than expected. If you feel fine, then you usually are.

 

[eagles633]

I am currently a tiny bit heavier than my summer weight of last year and also not as fit yet as not ridden loads in 2018 yet.

I went for a short blast last night, chasing the light before it got dark. I pushed myself a bit and wore my HRM to see what the stats looked like when I got home.

I wasn’t out of breath but doing a reasonably hard equal effort for 11.5 miles. Here’s my HR data:

View attachment 398973

The start was mostly downhill and filtering in traffic. The rest was mostly bypass type roads and on the flat.

What it shows is that your heart knows what it’s doing and shifts the right amount of blood around. I didn’t feel unwell at any point, even when it peaked at 198 as have no idea where that happened. My point is, you can “listen to your body” as stated numerous times above. You can still do that whilst wearing a HRM, but have the added bonus of having the data to compare later on, once you get fitter.

At my highest fitness level last year, I could do an hour with an average HR of 183 and topping out at 205. At 40 years old, that definitely doesn’t meet the so called standard Max HR or 220 - your age.

We are all different! Just don’t panic if your HR is higher than expected. If you feel fine, then you usually are.

Thanks for this. put my mind at rest a bit more. My graph is a bit more up and down than yours. That's with all the stopping i'm having to do at the minute though. Snowing heavy here today so another days rest for me. Probably for the best.

 

[bpsmith]

Thanks for this. put my mind at rest a bit more. My graph is a bit more up and down than yours. That's with all the stopping i'm having to do at the minute though. Snowing heavy here today so another days rest for me. Probably for the best.

I know my effort was a last minute blast, at fairly constant level, so not surprised at my graph.

You can certainly take comfort in your graph showing your HR dropping when you stop, then riding again with effort. Certainly shows your heart is doing what it’s supposed to. If it remained high after stopping, for continued length of time, then I would be a bit more worried.

Sounds like you’re certainly being careful with your approach, but don’t get too bog down by progress and stick with it. Once the legs and the lungs get used to this change in routine you will soon build up more endurance and be able to tackle longer rides.

It doesn’t get easier, you just get faster.

 

[eagles633]

yeah taking it easy. Plan is 2 days off for everything to fully recover. Hopefully i'l get all the way around without stopping tomorrow. A couple of hills gonna get their arses kicked tomorrow #overthetop ha

 

[bpsmith]

Is the # cross-referring to an 80’s Sylvester Stallone movie?

 

[eagles633]

Is the # cross-referring to an 80’s Sylvester Stallone movie?

ha ha sure is from the movie,good spot! I remember watching at the cinema and actually liking it. I see it's on netfix now. Don't think it would of aged well

 

[bpsmith]

ha ha sure is from the movie,good spot! I remember watching at the cinema and actually liking it. I see it's on netfix now. Don't think it would of aged well

Enjoyed the reference used to describe climbing the hills. Fair play.

 

[Cuchilo]

I haven't read the whole thread as most replies say dont bother and thats not what you are asking about .
You already have your max heart rate at 180ish ( mine is 193 i think ) you need to find your resting heart rate to set your zones . I did this by waking up one morning , putting the monitor on and laying back to snooze with the garmin running .
Look at your heart rate after riding to see what you are doing , you know the ride so can see what zones you are in .

 

[eagles633]

I haven't read the whole thread as most replies say dont bother and thats not what you are asking about .
You already have your max heart rate at 180ish ( mine is 193 i think ) you need to find your resting heart rate to set your zones . I did this by waking up one morning , putting the monitor on and laying back to snooze with the garmin running .
Look at your heart rate after riding to see what you are doing , you know the ride so can see what zones you are in .

Thanks for the info.
My heart rate was set to 30 on the garmin. I'm going to reset it for next time.
I did check my resting heart rate when i first got the monitor. It was under 60 if i recall. Below avg as i'm definitely not an athlete.
Been out today and did 14 miles 850 feet elevation.
zone five 40%. zone four 40% on the garmin app
Stopped a few times on the hills so not sure if it means much at this stage.
Sun shining, no wind and over 5 degrees temperature.
Felt great :-)

 

[buzzy-beans]

Sun shining, no wind and over 5 degrees temperature.
Felt great :-)

And as each mile went past you no doubt heard a blob or two as varying degrees of blobby blobby dropped off

 

[eagles633]

And as each mile went past you no doubt heard a blob or two as varying degrees of blobby blobby dropped off

Lets hope so as that's my main goal for getting on the bike.
With it being so cold lately iv'e been going out wearing 4 layers.
Still wore 4 layers today when it was scorching 5 degrees and nearly melted in the sun.
Was soaking wet when i got home. Addicted to the scales at the minute.Can't go past the bathroom without checking my weight :-)

 

[vickster]

Assume you've changed your diet too? You won't lose weight just by cycling, you'll hopefully feel fitter

 

[eagles633]

Assume you've changed your diet too? You won't lose weight just by cycling, you'll hopefully feel fitter

I'm trying my best :-) 20 days off the booze after being a drunk for 30 years.
Iv'e stopped the crisps and crap.
I'm not too concerned at the moment cutting to much just as i start on more exercise. Don't want to crash and burn before i get started.
Thought i'd lost a pound in weight earlier but it turns out i wasn't wearing my trainers ha
tx for posting

 

[Alan O]

Thanks for the info.
My heart rate was set to 30 on the garmin. I'm going to reset it for next time.
I did check my resting heart rate when i first got the monitor. It was under 60 if i recall. Below avg as i'm definitely not an athlete.
Been out today and did 14 miles 850 feet elevation.
zone five 40%. zone four 40% on the garmin app
Stopped a few times on the hills so not sure if it means much at this stage.
Sun shining, no wind and over 5 degrees temperature.
Felt great :-)

Excellent. The "Felt great" bit is what really counts - as long as you're feeling good after a ride, you'll want to keep doing it.