Heart Rate questions

JamesFree

Hi there just got myself a nice Garmin 500 with HRM and was having trouble finding out my max heart rate and what was generally normal for a max heart rate.

Background info:

I'm 25, male, 180cm, 71.5kg, resting HR is between 46-50.

When I'm generally going at a fast but relatively comfortable pace for 3-5 miles pace at say 24-25mph my heart rate will be between 147-157 but im having trouble finding out my max heart rate as no matter how hard I sprint even to the point of having to stop from exhaustion i'm only ever reaching a max heart rate of 170 which seems very low compared to most people. Is there another way to find out my max heart rate or is that my actual max ?

danowat

There is no "normal" MHR, everyone is different, its the maximum YOUR heart can beat, if 170 is what you get when pushing as hard as you can, then thats what it is, google max heart rate test.

As for "comfortable pace at 23-25mph", thats a whole other debate!!! :roll:

JamesFree

danowat wrote:

There is no "normal" MHR, everyone is different, its the maximum YOUR heart can beat, if 170 is what you get when pushing as hard as you can, then thats what it is, google max heart rate test.

As for "comfortable pace at 23-25mph", thats a whole other debate!!! :roll:

As for a comfortable pace that is the fastest I can hold for a few miles w and don't worry thats on the flat, dont worry I can't go everywhere that speed but my last 66 mile sportive I did manage a total moving avg speed of 18.4 mph so whats so hard to believe that I can manage a whole 3-5 miles at 23-25mph?

JamesFree

Also will i actually achieve my max hr on a bike or is it better trying to do achieve itrunning ?

danowat

JamesFree wrote:

Also will i actually achieve my max hr on a bike or is it better trying to do achieve itrunning ?

I'd say unlikely, my MHR is 183, I can only hit 177 on the bike.

JamesFree

danowat wrote:

JamesFree wrote:

Also will i actually achieve my max hr on a bike or is it better trying to do achieve itrunning ?

I'd say unlikely, my MHR is 183, I can only hit 177 on the bike.

Out of interest how did you achieve your MHR ?

nhoj

Try skipping, or as the Americans call it, jumping rope. A cheap rope will do. Shouldn't cost more than a pound. Maybe you'll find your MHR is around the 190s. Rule of thumb is 220 - age, but that's very general.

danowat

JamesFree wrote:

danowat wrote:

JamesFree wrote:

Also will i actually achieve my max hr on a bike or is it better trying to do achieve itrunning ?

I'd say unlikely, my MHR is 183, I can only hit 177 on the bike.

Out of interest how did you achieve your MHR ?

MHR test on a treadmill

DaveL

Your Max HR is sport specific, so it will be different for running than it will be for biking, I must admit, I don't know by how much. Your Max HR is pre set and individual to you, and you can not increase it, although I do believe it comes down with age, again I don't know by how much.

If your are going to to a Max HR test, see a doctor first and don't do it on your own. I did mine about 6 years ago when I was 38 and it was 199, and it is something I will never do again. I was nearly physically sick, and gasping for air so much I couldn't breathe, not a nice place to be and hard to describe. I did mine on a big hill on MTB.

Find a road about 5 miles long, with little traffic and no traffic lights, preferably sightly uphill or into the wind. Warm up for 15 mins at a moderate pace, increase your effort by 10% by shifting into the next highest gear for 2-3 mins at a cadence of 75-80. Repeat every 2 minutes until you can't go any harder, then sprint flat out for as long as you can (10 seconds+) that should be somewhere near your Max HR

Good luck

For what reason do you want to know your Max HR?

Dave

neeb

I was nearly physically sick, and gasping for air so much I couldn't breathe, not a nice place to be and hard to describe. I did mine on a big hill on MTB.

I climbed Mt. Dialblo (South Gate) in California a couple of times during the summer, and that's a great way to find out your HRmax. Although it's a steady 11mile climb at 5.7% average, it gets progressively steeper towards the top and finishes off with a 100 meter 17% ramp... If you do it on a standard 53/39 chainset and push hard all of the way up, you will need to reach your HRmax to make it up that last 100m! Both times I felt exactly as you describe at the summit and had to do that gasping-with-forehead-on-the-handlebars thing for several minutes.

milese

Personally I dont think I'd ever get close to my hax hr on my own, it hurts too much and I'm not mentally strong enough.

I've got my max HR by doing lots of riding with my HR monitor, which logs the max. I thought my max was 182, which I'd seen a couple of times on very steep hills whilst trying to hold a wheel, then once without even realising it, I got 184 in a race. (28 years old).

Its not unusual for me to spend a noticable amount of time at around 178 in a race without really noticing, but on the turbo I am ready to cry at around 174.

styxd

My heart rate on the flat is nowhere near what it is when hill climbing.

Find a steepish hill and ride up it as fast as you can.

JamesFree

DaveL wrote:

For what reason do you want to know your Max HR?

Dave

Just so I can gauge my various heart rate zone for training.

ut_och_cykla

You can also do a sub max test - a well paced hard 20 minute effort and take the average HR for last ten minutes. Divide reslult with 1.05 gives result pretty close to your threshold - train above this for hardfer intervals and below it for distance /endurance work.