How hard do you ride?

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

https://intervals.icu uses 98% of your highest 20min average heart rate to give an estimated Lactate Threshold Heart Rate, which would be top of your zone 4.

Used to often be 170-175 for me when healthy, but with long covid it's recently been 156, which is how low mine would drop around lurgies pre October '22.

 

[yello]

The point, if one is concerned about the intensity, look back at family history as well...it may help form a more helpful outline

I'd agree with that. Knowledge is a good thing. The more you can factor in, the more informed a decision you make.

Moving on, related...

My dad had a heart attack, so it's a factor the doctor takes into account when assessing my health (cholesterol etc) What they don't know is my dad was idle and had a poor diet (his ideal meal was mince and mashed potato) So I pretty much ignore that factor. I'm aware of it, that's all.

My point is, I go as hard on my bike as I feel is within me at any given time. Everything is in the moment, according to feel and desire. I can't know anything else.

 

[lazybloke]

The people who scoff at the idea of occasionally measuring their heart rate...
It's not about enjoyment of cycling, it's about having an understanding of how the body operates.
Do you also wilfully ignore your bp, cholesterol, HbA1c and BMI? Had a recent healthcheck? Chances are you could do more to monitor your health and avoid becoming an avoidable burden on the NHS.

All the more important if you still smoke/vape, drink booze, eat overly-processed foods & other unhealthy junk, etc,
Not saying I'm a saint; few people are. All the more reason to have metrics to understand how the body operates, and to be aware of changes that develop over time. Also have jabs if you can, and don't ignore health screening invitations.

None of that is very relevant to the how hard I ride.
I've had a HRM for nearly a decade, but wear it quite rarely, and hardly ever look at the numbers during a ride. I ride by 'feel'.
If I want to look at stats, that's to be done later, on the sofa. With a glass of wine!

 

[Alex321]

Is this all about keeping aerobic, and presumably a figure based on a percentage of max heart rate designateds this threshold of ot getting enough oxygen?

Not all about that, but it does come into it. But different training regimes will have you spending different anounts of time in each zone.

I've never been a competition cyclist, nor ridden with an actual training plan, so I'm only going by what I have seen on various cycling sites & Youtube here.

I do wear a heart rate monitor, and keep track of it, but more out of interest than as any real training aid.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I ride harder than a Ross Kemp documentary.

 

[Marchrider]

I do wear a heart rate monitor, and keep track of it, but more out of interest than as any real training aid.

probably something I best avoid, I can become obsessive about keeping detailed records of pointless stuff

I have the distance and ascent and maps of all 2131 rides since i started cycling again in 2009, and my weekly gas and eletric readings, plus weather - plus chain wear..... compiling heart rate would just be more madness

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I know it's probably not a wise thing to do but given hilly area where I live and my usual style of riding it happens.

It will be your style of riding and lack of fitness leading to max HR on hills. No need for it to be an all out effort on a hill unless you want it to be.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How do you monitor your heart rate, are you wearing some sort of medical device, or god forbid have one implanted ? do you watch these numbers and rhythms on some sort of screen whilst riding

Seriously, have you missed the last 40 years or so cheap wearable heart rate straps have been available? Have you missed the matching watches you have been able to wear on your wrist to see your heart rate? Been commonly worn during exercise by people from all walks of life.

 

[Marchrider]

Seriously, have you missed the last 40 years or so cheap wearable heart rate straps have been available? Have you missed the matching watches you have been able to wear on your wrist to see your heart rate? Been commonly worn during exercise by people from all walks of life.

basically yes

although come to think of it, I think someone bought me something like that years ago, before i started cycling, have no idea why they bought me it, horrible strap to go round chest and a plastic watch (I never wear a watch) wonder if it is hidden in a draw upstairs, if it is I wonder if it still works - I coud try for my MHR probably end up in A& E

 

[PaulSB]

For most, a long climb attacked or sustained sprint will get you within a few beats of maximum. That's good enough for just about everyone, whether its 179 or 181, it matters not for just a couple of thumps

This is very interesting. Thank you.

Today I rode a local climb that I've ridden many times. For context I'm recovering from a major RTC in June 2024. Today was my first ride on my Cervelo C3 for more than 12 months. I'm 70 years old, I was 67 when I set my PB on this climb.

The climb is 3.63 miles, average 2.6%, not steep but a challenge. My PB is 12:29, today I rode in 13:44. This is coming off the back of serious injury and nothing but steady Z1/Z2 rides since October.

I maintained an HR of 150 - 158 for 13:29 minutes. Riding solo I had nothing more to give. If one of my buddies had passed me I might have found something more. I don't know.

I feel this demonstrates that for this rider 220 - 70 is a reasonably accurate assessment of my max HR.

As an aside we rode 63 miles, 14.2avg and my average HR was 102. An easy ride chatting all the way, 13 minutes excluded.

 

[Binky]

ha ha - so you are wondering if I actually ride a bike because I didn't know that many/most cyclists obsess about heart rates ?

How do you monitor your heart rate, are you wearing some sort of medical device, or god forbid have one implanted ? do you watch these numbers and rhythms on some sort of screen whilst riding

What is with the attitude? Seriously. The only reason I asked if you cycle was because you don't seem to know some cyclists monitor HR among other things, eg speed. This wasn't intended as any sort of slight although you appear to have taken it as such. Wearing a HR monitor definitely does not mean you are a "proper" cyclist, whatever that is. It means you wear a HR monitor. Nothing more or less.
I wear a HRM on a chest strap and yes I have it as one of the metrics on my bike computer.

I was purely asking a question about whether others monitor HR and if so do they get near max. My basis for asking is health related, ie is it a good thing to do to regularly get near maximum exertion. Obviously this isn't a medical forum so I was wondering if others pay attention to this sort of thing or not.
It appears you don't so good for you.

 

[Binky]

Ever get the feeling you wished you hadn't bothered?

Quite why a few are getting seemingly "exercised" by a simple question is I guess one of the many downsides of an anonymous forum.

Anyway. As it happens just back from a big ride(for me) 80miles and over 6000ft climbing and yes I clocked up a max HR of 165 which for me is near max. And no, I'm not sure I could have gone any easier up the horrific hill as I'd have stopped.

Thanks those who replied about this.

 

[Marchrider]

What is with the attitude? Seriously. The only reason I asked if you cycle was because you don't seem to know some cyclists monitor HR among other things, eg speed. This wasn't intended as any sort of slight although you appear to have taken it as such. Wearing a HR monitor definitely does not mean you are a serious cyclist, whatever that is. It means you wear a HR monitor. Nothing more or less.
I wear a HRM on a chest strap and yes I have it as one of the metrics on my bike computer.

I was purely asking a question about whether others monitor HR and if so do they get near max. My basis for asking is health related, ie is it a good thing to do to regularly get near maximum exertion. Obviously this isn't a medical forum so I was wondering if others pay attention to this sort of thing or not.
It appears you don't so good for you.

Seriously i did not know cyclists were doing this - seems a bit whacky

Anyway, this may explain something (see my post 4 above) what I now think was in 2010 someone bought me a heart rate monitor, it was a puzzle at the time as I had a bad back not a bad heart, I thought what a bizarre present, they knew I had taken up cycling and thought I would need one of these. I never knew it was cycling related, It was never used and has been in a draw ever since.

Anyway, I have found it Sigma Sport PC3, I will get some batteries for it and give it a go - I am curious now what my max is

 

[CXRAndy]

I feel this demonstrates that for this rider 220 - 70 is a reasonably accurate assessment of my max HR.

It may be for you, but it really is an outdated method to workout your max HR and training zones.

For me my max HR is about 20 BPM higher than the 220-age.

I know my max HR from indoor racing on Zwift. Outdoors I never go to maximum. I also ride an ebike mostly these days outside trips

 

[Dogtrousers]

My original reason for asking was to see if I'm the only one who gets near to max most rides. I know it's probably not a wise thing to do but given hilly area where I live and my usual style of riding it happens.

If you have time (and inclination) it might be good to try a few longer rides. You'll need to ride less hard in order to go the distance. It might be a refreshing change as well as building endurance.

But as it's all about enjoying yourself, if you find long steady rides boring and prefer blasting away, then do that instead.

As to why I personally wear a HRM. It's a gadget. I like gadgets. Cycling= good. Cycling with gadgets=better. And they produce data to feed my spreadsheet habit. I don't know (or care) if that makes me a proper or an improper cyclist.