Heart rate on long drags vs short steeper hills

suzyb
suzyb Posts: 3,449
edited June 2012 in Road beginners
The past couple of rides I've changed to a route with shorter sharper climbs instead of the one long drag. I have noticed my heart rate, measured by my garmin, isn't really that much different between the two routes even though I spend most the new one huffing and puffing as I climb the steeper hills.

I'm just a little curious how my heart rate could be so similar between the routes even though I'm breathing so much heavier on the second. I would have thought breathing heavier meant my heart and lungs would both be working harder.
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Comments

  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    Maybe the hill just isn't long enough to raise your HR as high
  • HonestAl
    HonestAl Posts: 406
    Another (unlikely) possibility is that your heart has maxed out on both. No matter how much harder you work (if you can), once it's peaked it's not going a lot higher. How high is it?
    "The only absolute statement is that everything is relative" - anon
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    HR lags effort so if they're short hills then your HR may not be getting higher or even as high as it does on the long drag. Also, since you're putting in more effort up the short hills then presumably you're resting going down the other side.

    Basically, comparing average HR for the rides doesn't really tell you anything useful.
    More problems but still living....
  • suzyb
    suzyb Posts: 3,449
    It was more max HR I was looking at. I know that isn't my maximum HR as it has been higher, it's only around 175-180bpm on both climbs and my max is at least 186bpm.

    I just thought it would be a lot higher with climbing steeper hills as my breathing was a lot heavier. I guess it may just be the hills are too short as suggested though.
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  • ShutUpLegs
    ShutUpLegs Posts: 3,522
    What is your cadence like, may be you need to push a bigger gear :?:
  • suzyb
    suzyb Posts: 3,449
    Average is around 75-80.

    Actually I just read a response to a similar post elsewhere which says breathing is not linear to heart rate which I assumed it would be. Which would I suppose explain me breathing like I'm putting in a hard effort but my HRM not really showing that I have.
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  • slowondefy2
    slowondefy2 Posts: 348
    It might be worth comparing the vertical absent rate between the climbs - they might be similar. Which, to some extent, could indicate that your power output is more similar between the climbs than you think.
  • hmbadger
    hmbadger Posts: 181
    suzyb wrote:
    It was more max HR I was looking at. I know that isn't my maximum HR as it has been higher, it's only around 175-180bpm on both climbs and my max is at least 186bpm.

    I just thought it would be a lot higher with climbing steeper hills as my breathing was a lot heavier. I guess it may just be the hills are too short as suggested though.

    My max heart rate almost exactly corresponds to the steepness of the hill. Very steepest (2 chevron type stuff) gives 180, slightly less gives 178 etc. But for a long drag (miles at anything up to 9%) as opposed to very steep then doesn't get anywhere near that.

    How steep is your long drag?

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