Heart Rate

matttill1982
matttill1982 Posts: 8
edited May 2008 in Training, fitness and health
What should i be looking for on my heart rate monitor as an indicator of my performance? I'm fairly new to all of this and don't fully understand the ways in which a heart rate monitor can be a useful guide.

What can i learn from my max heart rate? my average heart rate? should i be looking more at how long i can stay at max? or how long it takes me to recover to a resting heart rate? Is it a good sign that my heart rate drops after finishing a tough climb or would it be better if it stayed high?

Comments

  • Alex_Simmons/RST
    Alex_Simmons/RST Posts: 4,161
    matttill1982 wrote:
    What should i be looking for on my heart rate monitor as an indicator of my performance?
    nothing, heart rate is not an indicator of performance
    matttill1982 wrote:
    I'm fairly new to all of this and don't fully understand the ways in which a heart rate monitor can be a useful guide.
    some people use them as a guide to the intensity of their rides (or sometimes sections of their rides). in training, intensity is the most important factor to manage, since, along with duration, these determine the overall training stimulus and physiological adaptations you adopt.

    There are several ways to guide and/or measure intensity. Perceived exertion, speed (especially up a hill), and power output are some others. They each have their pros and cons.
    matttill1982 wrote:
    What can i learn from my max heart rate?
    how fast your heart can beat. sometimes people use a measure of their maximum heart rate to set training zones which define broad levels of intensity when riding.
    matttill1982 wrote:
    my average heart rate?
    not much. If it related to a particular ride or section of a ride then perhaps it would be a general (but not always reliable) indicator of intensity.
    matttill1982 wrote:
    should i be looking more at how long i can stay at max? or how long it takes me to recover to a resting heart rate? Is it a good sign that my heart rate drops after finishing a tough climb or would it be better if it stayed high?
    generally, as you get fitter your heart rate will be lower for a given power output. Also, your heart rate will generally fall more quickly back towards resting levels after intense efforts.

    Just be aware that there are several limitations to what you can interpret with heart rate. Heart rate fluctuates from day to day and there are many things that will influence those fluctuations, aside from the training that you do.

    Just remember, a heart rate monitor measures on how fast your heart beats. No more and no less. it does not, for example, measure changes in cardiac stroke volume and so it doesn't tell you about changes in your cardiac output. when in doubt ride by your own personal rating of exertion. If it feels hard, it is hard.

    Some models are integrated with a cycling computer and the data can be downloaded to your computer into some form of ride diary software. that's nice for keeping a log of the riding that you do.
    RST Sport : Coaching - Training Plans - Powermeters -- My blog -- AeroCoach Australia
  • CrookedCucumber
    CrookedCucumber Posts: 324
    Lots of people like to train at a certain, fixed heart rate, e.g., between 140 and 150 beats per minute. The rationale is that they will continue to train at the same intensity relative to their fitness as they get fitter by doing it this way. If you ride at a fixed speed, or a fixed cadence, you'll get progressively less exercise as your fitness improves.

    Or so it's argued, anyway.

    Post-training examination of heart rate has never struck me as very useful. But YMMV.

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