help with heart rate monitor results

team47b

Hi, just started to use a heart rate monitor, set it up using 220-age(58), giving me 65% which is 105bpm and 85% which is 137bpm.

Couple of problems, I discovered that my RHR is about 70bpm at best! so to achieve 105 takes very little effort, couple of fast jogged laps around the lounge! and 'normal' cycling with a bit of effort thrown in gets me above 137. And my recovery rate is 17bpm after one minute.

I haven't owned a car for the last 6 years, I cycle everywhere as a matter of course, and use a road bike for distance and speed. I see myself as fit and active, BMI 20.4, weight 56k.

My 'guinea pig' comparative test model (Mrs T) is similar build, bit lighter, bit younger but she eats exactly the same as I do and exercises the same as I do, she has a RHR of 53 and a recovery rate of 35bpm after one minute.

I am an insulin using diabetic with peripheral neuropathy, if other diabetics can let me know if they have a higher than 'normal' RHR this would be useful to see whether this is the cause.

What could be the possible reasons for my apparent lack of fitness?

neeb

It's well known that 220-age is next to useless, and tends to under-estimate HRmax.

People's heart rates vary a lot, and what can be a "fit" resting HR for one person can be very unfit for somebody else. A RHR of 70 is on the high side for someone who is cardiovascularly fit (although very normal for an otherwise healthy sedentary person), but you could still be pretty fit and have a RHR of 70 if you have a naturally high heart rate.

The other thing is, how are you measuring RHR? It will vary a lot throughout the day. Try taking it at different times of day, including first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, and see what the lowest count you can get is.

team47b

Thanks for that.

How do you get nearer to your actual max HR than the average 220-age?

I have since tested it before getting out of bed, it was 65 at its lowest.

I suppose my real question here is...
Anyone ever over trained and ended up with a higher resting heart rate temporarily?

(Was concerned about autonomic nervous system, either I have over done exercise and this is temporary or as I have peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage in my feet, knees, hands etc) I could also have autonomic neuropathy which can affect the heart. Shall have to wait and see if it goes down.)

Alex_Simmons/RST

team47b wrote:

How do you get nearer to your actual max HR than the average 220-age?

You ride hard enough to induce it.

team47b wrote:

I suppose my real question here is...
Anyone ever over trained and ended up with a higher resting heart rate temporarily?

Elevated RHR is quite common and can be caused by many factors, including acute fatigue, illness, stress, hydration level, body position, pain and so on.

One does not need to become overtrained in order to see a different HR response. Overtraining is really, really hard to do.

An elevated RHR may or may not be a sign that some recovery is in order, however RHR on its own one should not be the determining factor on whether or not to train that day.

team47b

I will ride harder and use that figure, thank you.

"Elevated RHR is quite common and can be caused by many factors, including acute fatigue, illness, stress, hydration level, body position, pain and so on."

I have a fair few on that list, and a few others! sounds more likely than over training.

Any other diabetics have a higher than 'normal' RHR?

Alex_Simmons/RST

team47b wrote:

I will ride harder and use that figure, thank you.

Well make sure that you are in reasonable enough shape to push that hard, as getting HR up to that level is stressful. It's not for the chronically ill, or anyone who is or has been sick recently, has heart problems (or a history of such things), are a smoker, older and not cleared by doctor to do strssful exercise etc.

It does require a maximal effort on the bike, something like sprinting the final 100 metres of a 5+min hillclimb with everything you've got after you have ridden up it about as hard as you can. HRmax will typically occur a little after you stop your effort once completely exhausted. Best to have a device that records it, as trying to look at it let alone remember what it says can be difficult when you are in that much oxygen debt.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Most HRM's would have a max reading though? When I review a ride on the cateye v3 it gives averages and max for speed/hr and cadence. Although admittedly,I don't actually know what my max is yet,I just see working HR coming down

ChrisSA

You'll be lucky to get to your MHR on the bike.
Something like sprinting the last couple of hundred m in a 5k running race will get closer to it. Or lab testing.

doyler78

ChrisSA wrote:

You'll be lucky to get to your MHR on the bike.
Something like sprinting the last couple of hundred m in a 5k running race will get closer to it. Or lab testing.

Maximum heart rate for the purposes of zone setting is said to be sport specific because there is no point in trying to train to some number that you can never reach on a bike or whatever sport you are testing it for.

team47b

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Most HRM's would have a max reading though? When I review a ride on the cateye v3 it gives averages and max for speed/hr and cadence. Although admittedly,I don't actually know what my max is yet,I just see working HR coming down

It was my personal, ultimate maximum HR I was trying to ascertain in order to input it into the monitor to work, to say, 85% of my max HR.

But I take your point I could look at the max HR achieved each trip and review progress from that.

I was more concerned for medical reasons to work with figures specific to me so that I don't overdo it.

GeorgeShaw

FWIW, my "MRH" went up by 5 beats when I did a night-time chaingang and couldn't see the computer screen ... I would guess that's still not my true MHR.

sampras38

team47b wrote:

Thanks for that.

How do you get nearer to your actual max HR than the average 220-age?

I have since tested it before getting out of bed, it was 65 at its lowest.

I suppose my real question here is...
Anyone ever over trained and ended up with a higher resting heart rate temporarily?

(Was concerned about autonomic nervous system, either I have over done exercise and this is temporary or as I have peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage in my feet, knees, hands etc) I could also have autonomic neuropathy which can affect the heart. Shall have to wait and see if it goes down.)

I've done a few MHR tests over the years, some on turbo and some on the road and I've been considering getting tested properly in a lab recently. (not sure how much I'll gain from that as I think I'm pretty close). You might want to try testing your resting heart rate first thing in the morning a few minutes after you wake up. You'll be your most relaxed hopefully, and doing a it every day for a week will give you an average that'll be pretty close. Mine's around 46/48 and I'm 41.

Your MHR can drop by a beat or 2 as you get older too, so using 220-your age is pretty much useless in the same way BMI is next to useless if you happen to be fit but carry a lot of muscle. These formulas are years out of date.

team47b

@ sampras38

Tried the testing before gettin' out of bed over a few days, 65bpm was the lowest, now think this is the neuropathy not age, fitness or over work.

Will try to get other diabetics with neuropathy to tell me there resting HR to see if most are high, will try diabetic sites. If I can find any diabetics (other than cyclists on here) who do any exercise!

Thanks all for all your help

neeb

team47b wrote:

Tried the testing before gettin' out of bed over a few days, 65bpm was the lowest, now think this is the neuropathy not age, fitness or over work.

65bpm could still be a healthy, fit RHR if you just happen to have a naturally high HR. Do you know if it was higher or lower in the past?

team47b

Unfortunately I have no idea what it was before.

napoleond

I wouldn't do a mhr test on the road, having done one in a lab there was no way I was in a fit state to stay upright at the end. I've never done one since either. It was fooking horrible.

Alex_Simmons/RST

NapoleonD wrote:

I wouldn't do a mhr test on the road, having done one in a lab there was no way I was in a fit state to stay upright at the end. I've never done one since either. It was fooking horrible.

Many years ago, when I bothered with a HR strap, I would always get higher numbers outside from maximal all out efforts than I did in testing (even though my testing power was consistent with outdoor performance). I managed not to fall off, although have come to a rolling stop and have had to let myself gently fall over on the grass and lie in a foetal position for a while