Heart Rate Stuff

stumpyjon

Well I've just gone and got a cheapo heart rate monitor from Tesco which seems to work OK but I've no real point of reference for the data it's generating.

On my 1 hr training loop I've been averaging around 155 bpm, maxing out at around 175 / 180 bpm. My resting (sitting down quietly) rate seems to be around 85 bpm, don't know what it is first thing in the morning. In the 5 mins immediately after getting back my bpm goes from around 150 to about 95 bpm if I sit down.

Few more stats, I'm 38, weigh about 85 Kg, the loop is about 9 miles with a 1000ft of climbing, some very steep bits.

Comments, critique, abuse welcome (well maybe not the lst one ).

PS I know these things are all a bit realtive (like BMI) trouble is I like to have some frame of referrence.

The Northern Monkey

kinda off topic.. but how much did it cost you from tesco? 8)

stumpyjon

£ 14.64 I think, reduced from £ 19.99 plus VAT reduction. Comes with a watch and chest band and even a handle bar mount for normal bars :shock: . Seems to work wirelessly pretty well. Part of their One Body range I think.

Thewaylander

175-180 bpm is not a bad power output.

The fitter you get the higher you will be able to push this and the lower generally your rest rate will become. its a min max thing as you get fitter

AndyBike

I dont know what you know so humour me.

Your 85 rate isnt realy resting HR, your average persons HR is 75 as much as you can take anything by an average. I think the lowest recorded ive seen was 27 by a downhill skier.

Take your HR in first thing in morn for a 3 day average before getting out of your pit a couple of mins after waking. I suspect you'll be alot lower than 85. You can watch for overtraining if you RHR is above its normal level when youve established it. Ive been down to 50 when I were a youngster but think below 60 is pretty good fitness.

You can train in zones which are a % of max HR (calculated with various formulas 220 - age = 182 for yours) but ive found this hard with MTB because of the variability of effort required to climb descend and cover rough ground etc. Not forgetting the desire to go completely mad on some sexy single track. Its easy to get right out the zone.

The zone %'s determine what your goals are so from 60% your cycling aerobically (fitness) too low 90's where its more anerobic (strength) training.

Oh and welcome to the world of MTB techno geeks, if you start writting spreadsheets to monitor this stuff whilst watching Star Trek its time to sell your bike.

stumpyjon

AndyBike wrote:

but ive found this hard with MTB because of the variability of effort required to climb descend and cover rough ground etc.

Likewise, my local loop has some short but really steep sections where it's impossible to keep the HR down without walking.

As for spreadsheets, I ... ermm ...... have one of those....but in my defense I haven't watched Star Trek in quite a while.

supersonic

Miguel Indurain had a RHR of 28. Mine was once 37, but that was due to the wrong dose of beta blockers lol.

Ditch Witch

Resting HR should be monitored immediately after waking, before you get out of bed. Just sitting up requires energy so your HR will go up.


The fact that your HR drops so quickly is a good indication of your fitness.


the max that your showing looks good for a cycling HR.

AndyBike

stumpyjon wrote:

AndyBike wrote:

Likewise, my local loop has some short but really steep sections where it's impossible to keep the HR down without walking.

As Ditchwitch said how quick the HR recovers to a level is prob a better indicator, i'm sure going over the max is OK , i'm still alive.


As for spreadsheets, I ... ermm ...... have one of those....but in my defense I haven't watched Star Trek in quite a while.

Who mentioned Star Trek???????

stevieboy

Emmanuel wrote:

One forum member wonders: "[During a walk] my friend's heartrate never got higher than 90bpm...she has noticed this before in higher intensity workouts at the gym - her heart rate is always 20-30bpm slower than what the instructor says it should be. Should she be working harder? Is this just a factor of her fitness level?" Heart rate isn't always the same for everyone and there are many factors that affect heart rate. So, what do you think? Come join the discussion and tell us!

Heart rates are so individual it is impossible to generalise like the instructer seems to be doing. Unfortunately though HRM's vary too.

But walking, yeah if your fit walking could be less than 100bpm, it could be higher too...

ade975

I've been training with a heart rate monitor about 4/5 times per week for almost 12 months now; at the start I could get a HRmax of about 184, now I cannot get above 175. It doesn't matter how hard I sprint or how steep a hill I climb, I can be panting for breath & still not get above 175. Is it normal for HRmax to decrease as you get fitter? I am 37, about 79kg (lost about 6kg in last 12months) & have rest weeks built into my training schedule.