Calculating HR training zones

coopsman1

I am looking to train more (more train in the correct areas) in order to aid in the weight loss. I currently weight 93Kg at 26 years old and I am aiming to get down to around 85Kg. I have read that calculating your HR training zones is much better that using the old standard 220 minus your age = Max heart rate.

I have a turbo trainer, HR monitor and a cycle computer. Could someone please explain what test I can do on the trainer in order to determine my max HR and ultimately my HR training zones.

Any help would be appreciated

ddraver

Google ramp tests - and be prepared to cry

mattshrops

Never done it on a turbo but similar to road -warm up well, then gradually increase resistance/change gear over a period of say 20 mins. once you hit top gear go as hard as you can for as long as you can. When you cant go on any longer stand up and sprint for as long as you can. Max hr recorded is your max. One note of caution take care if you are seriously unfit and dont do it if you have any history of heart condition etc

Pseudonym

mattshrops wrote:

Max hr recorded is your max.

possibly - possibly not.

mattshrops

Pseudonym wrote:

mattshrops wrote:

Max hr recorded is your max.

possibly - possibly not.

I bet the op's delighted you decided to help :roll:

Edit : Max recorded hr is your usable MHR for calcs.(happy now?)

doyler78

Or do a lactate threshold test and base your heart rate zones of that.

Pseudonym

mattshrops wrote:

I bet the op's delighted you decided to help :roll:

what, by adding some clarification to your post..? you're welcome...

Team4Luke

These are the original zones calculated by Peter Keen, Chris Boardmans coach back in the day, later used by BC, further these were expanded by other coaches into more specific zones, I still use these to this day and feel they are very much still valid, also give you a descriptive for what their purpose is and how long you could ride in these zones.

http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bcfguide.html

ddraver

Pseudonym wrote:

mattshrops wrote:

I bet the op's delighted you decided to help :roll:

what, by adding some clarification to your post..? you're welcome...

I'm sorry...how did you clarify anything? You were your usual useless self..?

Pseudonym

ddraver wrote:

Pseudonym wrote:

mattshrops wrote:

I bet the op's delighted you decided to help :roll:

what, by adding some clarification to your post..? you're welcome...

I'm sorry...how did you clarify anything? You were your usual useless self..?

Mate - you're showing yourself up - how is it useless to point out that doing all that may not actually give you your true HRmax..? All you did was tell him to 'google ramp tests' - like that was really helpful. I dunno, maybe you just enjoy feigning indignance on behalf of others..?

As usual, you haven't thought through your reply before tossing it out...

ddraver

And how does "possibly, possibly not" equal what matt said exactly? You introduced more uncertainty, the exact opposite of clarifying. You did nothing more than boast 'I know something you dont'. If you want to help, help.

Pseudonym

ddraver wrote:

And how does "maybe, maybe not" equal what matt said exactly? You introduced more uncertainty, the exact opposite of clarifying. You did nothing more than boast 'I know something you dont'. If you want to help, help.

You're hard work, you are. Doing all that 'matt' said is no guarantee that you will establish your true HR max. That is all that can be said, so that is all that I did say. What do you want - a sworn affidavit..?

Do you actually disagree with any of that, or do you just enjoy behaving like a first-year drama student..?

ddraver

See now that IS a helpful post, you have something to add to the discussion and you add it. Would nt it have been easier for everyone if you'd said that 3 posts ago?

Thankyou for the contribution. Now, how does it help the OP establish his H.R. zones..?

doyler78

If someone asking how to test for maxHR then they are unlikely to understand the limitations using heart rate as training tool (which is not saying that is ineffective - far from it). What comments like that can do, though seemingly unhelpful, is to promote a discussion around them which could be much more helpful to the OP than simply giving the info he asked for.

As for whether it will or will not ellicit his actual max for cycling isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things so long as he is well rested and has given his maximum effort on that day. It will be sufficiently close (assuming no illness) to allow him to set zones which are broadly useful and that's about as good as you'll get with HR.

Team4Luke

doyler78 wrote:

If someone asking how to test for maxHR then they are unlikely to understand the limitations using heart rate as training tool (which is not saying that is ineffective - far from it). What comments like that can do, though seemingly unhelpful, is to promote a discussion around them which could be much more helpful to the OP than simply giving the info he asked for.

As for whether it will or will not ellicit his actual max for cycling isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things so long as he is well rested and has given his maximum effort on that day. It will be sufficiently close (assuming no illness) to allow him to set zones which are broadly useful and that's about as good as you'll get with HR.

correct.
Max HR can vary day to day and over time in years, however, these variations are very small and for calculating HR zones very much more than adequate. One of the reasons I gave the link above as there is guidance here as to how long you could train in the given zone, this allows some give either way in zones.
15/20 years ago I could hit 193bpm, now where I am far more aerobicly fit, best I ever see is 183bpm, but I am much faster now than back then.

20mins is just about twice too long for a max test. Fiding your max HR is difficult unless you can and are fit enough to really put yourself into huge oxygen debt to reach it, an event HC or finishing a 10TT pretty close to max HR too.

lochindaal

I make all my HR zones based on Anaerobic Threshold rather than Max HR.

If you do a ramp test and plot a graph of your HR every 30secs you will see a constant curve that at some point will start to flatten out. This inflection point is your AT. From this value I calculate my zones.