Heart-rate based training - help please ...
KnightOfTheLongTights
Posts: 1,415
So I'm new to this so bear with me - and also I access t'internet at work so can't do as much searching for previous related posts as I'd like ...
Just did a session at a spin class where they provide a heart rate monitor (for the first time for me) and they've emailed me my session profile. It is based on the 220-age for MHR estimate, which is therefore 180 for me. It is in a PDF but not sure if I can display / attach that here?
I was above 85% of MHR for 33.30 out of the 43.00 minutes, and above 92% for 27.30 of those. I averaged 161bpm, or 90% - and peaked at 183bpm.
Two questions:
1. The only way to get a proper MHR measurement is to do a gym test of some sort? Is there any way get a better estimate from this session profile?
2. Having read a bit about target heart rate and zones, it looks to me I'm well above THR for most of the session, in the high zones. Should I be taking it easier and aiming for lower zones like 135-165 bpm?
Just did a session at a spin class where they provide a heart rate monitor (for the first time for me) and they've emailed me my session profile. It is based on the 220-age for MHR estimate, which is therefore 180 for me. It is in a PDF but not sure if I can display / attach that here?
I was above 85% of MHR for 33.30 out of the 43.00 minutes, and above 92% for 27.30 of those. I averaged 161bpm, or 90% - and peaked at 183bpm.
Two questions:
1. The only way to get a proper MHR measurement is to do a gym test of some sort? Is there any way get a better estimate from this session profile?
2. Having read a bit about target heart rate and zones, it looks to me I'm well above THR for most of the session, in the high zones. Should I be taking it easier and aiming for lower zones like 135-165 bpm?
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By the way, if I have an aim it is to increase my threshold power. And general aerobic endurance and strength-endurance in the legs - which, er, would be lactate threshold, maybe?0
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the 220 - age can be way out. I'm 40 and my max is 196.
Do some short hill repeats till you vomit/pass-out/die.
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OK, thanks so far.0
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Clearly your max HR is at least 183 and I would guess perhaps 5-10 beats higher would not be surprising. Spinning classes are good for giving yourself a good belting and getting very sweaty - taking things easy is better done outdoors over a longer period of time. My suggestion would be - go again adn if you're otherwise healthy give it some real welly adn use teh max hr you record as a guide ... repeat and so on...0
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[quote=
Two questions:
1. The only way to get a proper MHR measurement is to do a gym test of some sort? Is there any way get a better estimate from this session profile?
2. Having read a bit about target heart rate and zones, it looks to me I'm well above THR for most of the session, in the high zones. Should I be taking it easier and aiming for lower zones like 135-165 bpm?[/quote]
1, As said previously its minimum183, do the hill repeats when you cant do any more -sprint for as long as you can that should get you close enough.
2, THR to achieve what? If your looking for zone 2 endurance mileage then you really need to be in zone 2 sorry for stating the obvious. Out on the road is the best place to put in your zone 2 training. spin cass is usually like intervals- so speed, acceleration etc Death or Glory- Just another Story0 -
thanks all - v helpful
mattshrops - I guess what I meant by THR was that I'd read somewhere that it is possible to train 'too high' in the heart rate zones and that actually a lot of benefit accrues by targetting zones 3-4 instead?
But then a couple of the spin instructors have said that if I have a good base - which I think I do, then - as you say - spin classes are best used targetting the higher zones with interval / threshold sessions, while out onthe bike is best for longer efforts in the lower zomes.
(After all, if you can keep up at 90% of MHR for 40 mins then it's got to be doing you some good, right?)
I'm upping my MHR estimate to 188 for the time-being, for the purposes of the spin class zones.0 -
It isn't really possible to train too high, if you had the motivation you could training at above racing speeds, but the recovery would be longer, and you wouldn't be able to do as much of it.
Spin sessions are just pure fitness classes where you aim to go as hard as possible for the duration of the class. For proper bike fitness, you need to ride a bike to get the best benefits, and they come at all levels, with the exception of recovery level.
With regards to MaxHR, unless you do a proper test to assess what it could be, all you can do is use the maximum you have ever seen in that discipline, so currently use 183, though for the purposes of the spin class anything is better than the 220-age thing.0 -
SBezza wrote:For proper bike fitness, you need to ride a bike to get the best benefits, and they come at all levels, with the exception of recovery level.
yeah totally, am just being a winter wuss - ain't much fun riding round London in the dark0 -
SBezza wrote:It isn't really possible to train too high, if you had the motivation you could training at above racing speeds, but the recovery would be longer, and you wouldn't be able to do as much of it.
Which is a good enough reason why it is possible to train too high!!.
As for base work, its good, when used in combination with other types of workout.
One thing you do need to be carefull of is junk miles, those miles that aren't neither hard or slow enough to benifit either "system"0
