HR Training Zones, advice please for a noob.

Simonhi

So,

I have recently started to take my cycling far more seriously than the occasional 25 mile weekend MTB ride and have upped my game to twice weekly 17mile flat SS MTB flat sprint and a 55 mile hillyish road ride on the weekend.

My predoninant aim in doing all this, apart from loving road riding, is that I quit the gym a year ago after a car accidentand have finally decided that it was about time I lost a few pounds (two stone gone since last June, mostly through healthy eating/Slimming World) as the weight steadily piled on since I quit smoking three years ago.

My reason for posting, and finally getting to the point, is that my knowledge of training in HR zones is a big fat zero. One thing that does worry me though is that my Garmin Data from my last ride (first one with a HR monitor) worries me.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139899939

Am I over cooking things a touch to be bordering Zone 5 for the majority of my ride, I feel that if I ease off I would not be working as hard as I am able and where fitness is concerned I have always been of the type that likes to go to war :-)

Explanations of what would be best to maximise on my time in the saddle, what would be good practise and what not is all gratefullt received.

Ta,

Si :-)

ps - Sorry for the long winded explanation, never was able to summarise.

SBezza

First things first, how are you determining your zones, if it is from MaxHR (I think Garmin Connect is), then what have you put in as your maxHR ( I am assume you have entered 184-185 bpm, given on this ride you managed 101% of it). I doubt you are doing a 3.5 hour ride in zone 5, so I suspect you have your MaxHR wrong. The average HR looks high but depending on your MaxHR might be in the right ballpark.

If you have never completed a MaxHR test you have no idea what it could be, and this would be a starting point. Find out what it is and then use the zones in Garmin. I wouldn't undertake one unless you are fairly fit, it is very taxing. If you do a search on the internet there is bound to be a few examples of tests you can do.

There are a few variations on zones some coaches will use 4 zones, some even have 7 zones, not sure what they are in Garmin Connect as I don't use it for HR Zones.

Simonhi

Cheers for the speedy response SB, I think from what I can see Garmin use 6 zones.

Only going on Max HR as 220 less my age (36) leaving me 184, no idea on other methods although I know the 220 less age is a very rough marker.

Having not done a Max HR test before I would be scepticle as I am certainly not what I would call fit, although much relatively fitter since cycling more regularly.

Just concerned that I am pushing myslef too hard and not reaping the potential benefits from training smarter, not harder, although as stated above I do like to push myself.

Also, I accept that the Garming HR monitor may be woefully inaccurate.

SBezza

Forget the 220-age, it is likely to be out. The actual HR the Garmin reports is likely to be correct though, it is very simple to measure your actual HR.

If you don't want to do a MaxHR test, then don't really worry about the zones Garmin Connect reports, the fact that you did 3.5 hours at that average HR obviously means you are OK. One of the keys to judge if you are going to hard, is could you go out the following day and do a similar distance/duration without too many difficulties, or do you have to spend a couple of days off the bike to recover?

Simonhi

No I reckon I could go out and do it again, albeit maybe a bit more slowly.

I'm not too worried about my heart, just wondering whether I am getting the most out of the effort that I'm expending.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Forget the age related formula, you set HR levels according to your own HR response.

Can either:
- determine HRmax from a Max HR test and monitor rides after that to see if hard efforts elicit anything higher (which are not erroneous data)
- Do a 10-mile TT effort, record average HR and then adjust the max HR setting so that the 10-mile TT HR is in the right "zone", whatever Garmin's zones would call a TT / race effort.

Xommul

I have used a HR monitor for a long time although out on the road I always find it less useful then using it on a turbo trainer.

You need to work out your max hr in order to ensure you use your monitor correctly and train in the right zones for your goals.

A good test is a 10 min warm up and then 2 x 10 min efforts as hard as you can go with 5 mins rest between. Take your max hr from that.

65-75% is your endurance zone, long rides for aerobic building
80-85% threshold training zone, increase your ability to tolerate lactate build up for race pace
90-100 % short term sprinting and hill climbs

It's much easier to train in the right zone on a turbo as its controlled resistance , outdoors you have to contend with traffic, junctions terrain all which send you out of your zone,

So if you want lose weight spend time at endurance pace, simples