Maximum heart rates and what does it mean?

320DMsport

Hi,

I recently got a HRM and did a test on a climb, i hit 194, i'm 35 so a little over my 220-age, but i've been training now for quite a while and have gone onto a road bike now, on a ride this week i was climbing out the saddle before sitting back in the saddle i hit 196.

So when on the turbo or base training i'm using the 196 as the max to workout my percentage zones level 0 to level 3.

I'm finding cycling at 75-85 percent of 196 attainable, being able to speak about 4 - 6 words so i guess that's about right?

I was chatting to a mate, and he was saying if i hit 196 on a climb i would of been sick?

I was out of breath and breathing through my mouth only, and felt my arms and legs feel quite tight so i guess i was pretty much at my limit.

But would hitting that rate make me puke, and what does it mean by hitting a higher rate, as an example, being 35 and reaching 196, if a similar aged person could only reach 185 does that mean my heart is fitter or stronger or is it just a genetic thing?

Not really sure what it means, wether higher max is better or not?

Any views would be great.

Bronzie

Everyone's maximum heart rate is entirely individual and cannot be predicted accurately by a generalised formula. For some it can be quite accurate, for other it will be miles out.
Have a look at this thread for examples:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12594618

The fact that you apparently have a high maximum means very little other than your heart can beat faster than the average. It's the amount oxygen you can transport and utilise in your muscle cells that's more telling (VO2 max), although having a high VO2 max does not in itself mean you are capable of being a great cyclist.

Finding your absolute maximum heart rate is also not that straightforward as you really need to be able to push yourself way beyond the comfort zone. It's quite possible then that your actual HR max is higher than you've so far recorded. Have a look here for a suggested test to find your HR max:
http://www.timetrialtraining.co.uk/S6Ma ... eTests.htm

320DMsport

Cheers for that, it makes abit more sense now.

I'll take a look at the site you recommend.

When i did my last highest i was chasing alot faster rider and i got to the point where i could go no further but sit down and calm down.

But i'll see what it says.

I was just confused with my mate saying it wouldn't get that high without being sick, and another mate that said my monitor must be wrong to go that high?

Obviously their rate is lower but there would be no point in training in particular zones at a lower heart rate if my max is higher to start with.

I think i'll keep training in the zones working off my current max until i read this site and see about doing a max.

320DMsport

Also must say i'm enjoying the road biking!

320DMsport

Looking at the other thread it seems there is alot of people that don't fit in the box of 220-age!

The guy of 65 especially!

Suppose you need to train as a individual.

BeaconRuth

320DMsport wrote:

I'm finding cycling at 75-85 percent of 196 attainable, being able to speak about 4 - 6 words so i guess that's about right?

Sounds just right to me.

I was chatting to a mate, and he was saying if i hit 196 on a climb i would of been sick?

Don't listen to your mates - they don't know what they're on about!

Ruth

redddraggon

BeaconRuth wrote:

I was chatting to a mate, and he was saying if i hit 196 on a climb i would of been sick?

Don't listen to your mates - they don't know what they're on about!

Ruth

I reckon Ruth, that his mate was probably trying to say that if he hit his maximum of 196 he'd be sick.....

Surely you agree hitting your actual MHR might lead to case of vomiting?

320DMsport

Cheers for replys,

Yes Ruth i thought the chatting thing was a good guide so you'd know how exerted i was while riding at 75-85 of 196 MHR.

Reddraggon, first heart test i did i started off slow in a medium gear on a gradual climb and picked up 2mph every 30 seconds which was recommended as a on the road MHR test, i did this till i was out of the saddle and could not pedal any further, i was gasping and my legs shut down, i turned around a cycled a easy gear home, felt very weird, lims were tense, felt light headed and abit sick, couldn't of ridden any further on that ride other than home.

It recorded 194 that day, but that was a month ago, i've been base training about 6 hours a week since then and hit the 196 on Monday, totally exhausted at the top of the climb and peddled easy for a while to recover, wasn't sick or anything but is being sick part of hitting MHR?

Not sure if my mate mean't your rate can't of been that high or you would of been sick or he was implying it would not even get that high.

He worded it you didn't hit 196 or you would have puked, but the monitor registered that and there was no one around with a monitor on that day to interfere with mine or power lines or anything.

kevin_stephens

sorry, rubish inaccurate post deleted (red wine after turbo training and all that) :oops:

320DMsport

Well i'm doing my first sportive at the weekend and there is some good climbs on there, i'll see what it records.

I MTB to, but even off road on steep climbs i haven't got it as high as on the road, probably due to granny ring and the techy nature of rocky climbs.

I can kind of feel what's a good pace for me, with my breathing and what you say about the converstion while riding, when i check it i can almost guess when i'm in that 75-85 zone.

Hell if it goes higher than 196 i think my eyes may pop out.

Maybe i'll try a turbo effort too and see what it gets to on there.

couldashouldawoulda

Hi there.
I was in similiar position once - until I realised that all HR monitors are far from the same -very far!


It's like the old addage about the guy with 3 rolex's - you never know what time it is - but If you have a HR monitor you really trust - and I'd say if you find one that's close to 220-age and that's tied very closely to what you percieve as your max- you're close to ok.

As an idea of how different they can be- I have 3 and on the same training cycle at exactly the same time:
- A Cateye says 148
-A Sigma 133
- A York 122 (built into an exercise bike)

if you only have one you know you're prlobably wrong? Bliss is ignorance.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Kevin Stephens wrote:

I think your max should be a lot higher than 196

Why?

Alex_Simmons/RST

redddraggon wrote:

BeaconRuth wrote:

I was chatting to a mate, and he was saying if i hit 196 on a climb i would of been sick?

Don't listen to your mates - they don't know what they're on about!

Ruth

I reckon Ruth, that his mate was probably trying to say that if he hit his maximum of 196 he'd be sick.....

Surely you agree hitting your actual MHR might lead to case of vomiting?

As for vomit inducing, that's actually pretty rare, provided you haven't eaten something silly or immediately before high intensity training.

When it does happen, it is mostly the result of specific anaerobic capacity work where you are doing multiple maximal efforts of 30-60 seconds duration. Nausea can definitely occur under such circumstances.

Here's an example of some riders that sometimes vomit when doing such training:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2008/ ... meares0804

320DMsport

Yes i was thinking lastnight you don't see the indoor cyclists and 100m 200m sprinters being sick everywhere after a race?

Alex i'll read the link you have posted.

The monitor i have is nothing fancy, one i got from wiggle, but surely the strap/sensors pick up the beat and the monitor just displays what its counting?

Would testing 3 together not interfere with each other? Just a thought?

Saying that when i've climbed reasonably hard, enough to end up breathing through my mouth only it has recorded 185, which would be 220 - age, but when i 've been really pushing when i was chasing my faster mate on a longish gradual climb and knew i had at the top that's when it recorded 196, i had to go into a easier gear and back off as i had nothing left.

So maybe the monitor isn't so far out?

But it will give me a better idea of what to set my zones at as my mate said we are about the same? People aren't the same, he has a lower max that me, and has been riding alot longer and is a stone lighter and whupps me on the climbs.

I mean if i went off the 220- age thing i'd be under training my heart and CV?

nickwill

couldashouldawoulda wrote:

It's like the old addage about the guy with 3 rolex's - you never know what time it is - but If you have a HR monitor you really trust - and I'd say if you find one that's close to 220-age and that's tied very closely to what you percieve as your max- you're close to ok.

I think we need a sticky that says;
Please ignore the 220 - age rule. It doesn't work!.

BeaconRuth

320DMsport wrote:

Well i'm doing my first sportive at the weekend and there is some good climbs on there, i'll see what it records.

I wouldn't recommend riding up any hills in a sportive such that you get close to your maximum! If you want to ride round in a good time the best plan is to pace yourself sensibly and hold back on the hills.

Reddragon- I've never known anyone throw up during a maxHR test but I expect it does happen sometimes. The mate was quite wrong to say "you couldn't have reached you maximum because you didn't throw up" though.

In any case, don't forget that someone's maximum is not an intrinisic maximum. We know maxHRs vary with age and people do differ in what they can achieve on different days and whether they test on the road, a turbo, a steep hill, a less steep hill, fitness level probably affects it too. Best thing is not to get too hung up about it. Try to find your max and then just get on and use it. All training zones based on HR are fairly wide and if you had the wrong maximum by a couple of bpm, it wouldn't render all your training useless. There's no point in using anything other 'broad brush strokes' when dealing with HR anyway.

Ruth

320DMsport

Yeah cheers for that ruth, it think your right, thing is i've come from mtb and i'm finding it tougher to climb steep climbs on road gearing, i'm in the lakes so steep mean steep so naturally my HR goes pretty high to get up these hills, haven't had to get off and push yet!

But like you say if it's 192/ 194/196 or whatever, working between 75-85 as a example leaves a good few beats either way and lets face it, i'm never going to become an olympian!

As long as i get fitter on the road bike for my MTB races next year and the odd sportive that would be great.

Maybe it would be more beneficial to ride without my HRM on the sportive and ride on feel and try to keep around 75 percent, still being able to say a few words?

Kind of felt abit put down when i was told my HR wouldn't be correct or that high as i wasn't sick.

The only time i've ever been sick of exertion was when i was a kid BMX racing, full speed from the start and flat out to the end, sometimes puked after a race but at 11 years old i'd probably stuffed a burger with onions down my neck between races which prob didin't help!

smoo

I think we need a sticky that says;
Please ignore the 220 - age rule. It doesn't work!.

Yup, my max is exactly the same as yours, and I'm 41!