Can't get heart rate up?

willhub

Hi

I've just started using HR again since about this time last year when my HR monitor broke.

I went out on a ride today, I did a few hard efforts, unstructured, which I did 4*5 now but never intended on doing any real hard riding in the first place. Anyway I started trying to get my HR up.

Last year, I was able to do short efforts, half a mile or so on the flat at around 196beats, and could maintain 189 for quite a while, in the same situations, balls out for half a mile I'm only achieving 193 now, and 181 beats.

You can see the graph on this ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214326828

I'm also surprised to see that when I'm riding by perceived effort, and think I'm riding steady, then look down at my Garmin, my HR is around 139-145.

Now if I'm riding on the turbo, my perceived effort at 123 beats is around how 145 beats on the road feels: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213612247

This ride on Tuesday: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213412772 I found I was pushing as hard as I could at 181 beats, up one hill I managed to hit around 193.

Could it be lack of interval training? Last year I was doing quite a few 2*20s and 4*5, but this year I've being doing lots of 10 mile time trials so would expect my HR would still be able to go high?

Thanks.

danowat

I find it easier to hit higher heart rates when I have some form.

Heart rate is affected by so many different factors, this is why I prefer using power.......

willhub

I prefer using power. But power is too expensive.

Brommers76

Probably a leaky heart valve - that was one of my symptoms.

Seriously though - the difference is negligible and when you add up variances such as level of hydration, temperature, equipment tolerance then it isn't worth thinking about.

arthur_scrimshaw

willhub wrote:

Hi

I've just started using HR again since about this time last year when my HR monitor broke.

I went out on a ride today, I did a few hard efforts, unstructured, which I did 4*5 now but never intended on doing any real hard riding in the first place. Anyway I started trying to get my HR up.

Last year, I was able to do short efforts, half a mile or so on the flat at around 196beats, and could maintain 189 for quite a while, in the same situations, balls out for half a mile I'm only achieving 193 now, and 181 beats.

You can see the graph on this ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214326828

I'm also surprised to see that when I'm riding by perceived effort, and think I'm riding steady, then look down at my Garmin, my HR is around 139-145.

Now if I'm riding on the turbo, my perceived effort at 123 beats is around how 145 beats on the road feels: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213612247

This ride on Tuesday: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213412772 I found I was pushing as hard as I could at 181 beats, up one hill I managed to hit around 193.

Could it be lack of interval training? Last year I was doing quite a few 2*20s and 4*5, but this year I've being doing lots of 10 mile time trials so would expect my HR would still be able to go high?

Thanks.

you're getting old

SBezza

Could be many reasons for it, fitness, enviromental conditions, your general health, hydration levels, recent sleep etc. Unless it is significantly different over many days I just wouldn't worry about it. 5 min intervals are not always the best gauge though as they are short efforts and HR might lagged behind too much.

willhub

HR is frustrating me.

I thought I'd go for a steady ride and throw some short hard bits in just to see my HR.

Well at an effort that I felt was easy I was doing 130-140, on anything about 2% gradient taking it easy was like 150, had to really back off to get it down.

The first hard bit I did I was thinking this is about as hard as I could go, only doing around 181 beats, the second I managed to hold 190 for a bit and at the end pushed as hard as I could and managed 193.

http://app.strava.com/rides/20084272 - Just noticed can't see HR or anything unless logged in, would use Garmin Connect but won't work at the moment.

I used to be able to hold 185 beats for 25 miles in one go last year, now it's like I'm struggling to do it for 3 miles.

I hope I've not got a dodgy heart, I can always feel it beating though, laying in bed and its thumping away.

dw300

What about trying to get it up on a steep hill instead of on the flat? Too easy to back off on the flat, and takes more time to get to max HR.

SBezza

willhub wrote:

HR is frustrating me.

I thought I'd go for a steady ride and throw some short hard bits in just to see my HR.

Well at an effort that I felt was easy I was doing 130-140, on anything about 2% gradient taking it easy was like 150, had to really back off to get it down.

The first hard bit I did I was thinking this is about as hard as I could go, only doing around 181 beats, the second I managed to hold 190 for a bit and at the end pushed as hard as I could and managed 193.

http://app.strava.com/rides/20084272 - Just noticed can't see HR or anything unless logged in, would use Garmin Connect but won't work at the moment.

I used to be able to hold 185 beats for 25 miles in one go last year, now it's like I'm struggling to do it for 3 miles.

I hope I've not got a dodgy heart, I can always feel it beating though, laying in bed and its thumping away.

If you are worried go see a doctor, no-one on here can help with that. Other than that stop worrying about your heart, from what you have said nothing seems unusual to me.

As mentioned above HR variations could be for a multitude of reasons, one main reason for not being able to hold the HR for as long could just be simple fitness, or you could be coming down with a bug etc. The thing is with forums, trying to diagnose problems is impossible, thats why we have doctors.

willhub

Well from October last year I came down with a cold, then another one, and kept getting them till January, I took a month off The bike, now since then I have not got a cold, just one tonsil is slightly swollen, I keep getting hayfever and slightly inflamed sinuses and some days feel like I'm coming down with a cold, but by the next day realise I was not

I did actually go to the doctors, and then to the hospital to a ENT specialist, they could not find anything wrong, I even had an MRI scan, nothing on it. So doctors as far as they know nothing is wrong, my lymph nodes in my neck are always changing sizes sometimes slightly swollen, but as far as doctors can tell that is all nothing to worry about and should not be affecting my fitness.

John.T

Probably all the guns going off looking at where you say you are Will.
More seriously stop obsessing about HR and just get out and ride. Your heart will look after itself. I never have my HR showing in races, just ride on feel. I check the data later to look for changes and anomalies. Concentrate on 20 min efforts at perceived effort threshold and ignore the HR reading. No more than 3 at a time. A computer that records data is helpful for tracking progress.
You do have a history on here of worrying about things. Chill out a bit and just enjoy riding. Fitness will come. I have got my 10 times down from short 27s to mid 24s with only club rides and racing this year. I do need to work on the top end a bit now but it can wait till next year now.

willhub

Well my personal best for a 10 has gone down from 23:58 to 22:35 this year. The 22:35 was gone on a road bike frame that was too big for me, Shimano R550 rear wheel with Vittoria, and some Mavic Cosmic on the front, TT bars, and skin suite/ aero helmet, so a full on TT bike I'm capable of a long 21 on a cheshire course (J2/1)

But I can't help but think the swollen nodes and crap the doctors can't tell what it is might be taking the edge off my performance. Not to mention every 8 weeks I need to take a rest and then it takes a further 2 weeks to get back to improving.

John.T

Are you over training or just not doing the right training? IE Too much high intensity work and not enough base. This can cause all sorts of health problems.

twotyred

So you're complaining that for the same perceived effort your heart rate is lower than it used to be. That's good news, shows you are getting fitter which it what your TT times are telling you. For 5 min intervals HR is a pretty poor indicator anyway as it lags power output so much. Turbo training always has a higher perceived effort vs the road as its more of a constant effort so don't worry about your HR on the turbo being lower. Doesn't sound to me like there's anything wrong with you in fact quite the opposite. Don't get so hung up on HR especially for intervals of less than 10 mins. HR has its uses but hire a power meter for a couple of months and you'll soon learn about the limitations of HR.

dawebbo

Lower HR for same perceived effort is not a good thing. Lower HR for same power perhaps...

For me it tend to find I struggle to get my HR up when one of the following:
lack of sleep,
fatigued from lots of riding,
early morning,
too cold,
lack of motivation / mind somewhere else.

willhub

Yesterday I went on a club run, it was spur of the moment, I was intending on doing a 50 mile training ride.

If you look at the HR graph you can see towards the end it hardly goes above 130:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/217588595
http://connect.garmin.com/splits/217588595

What I noticed is, up to 70 miles I was doing great, could maintain 185-187 on the hills, but after that, the peak I could maintain was going down, until when I got to a hill called Rosedale Chimney, I was struggling to get it over 170, then was struggling to hit over 130.

Is this just a sign the body is tired? Legs so tired they can't push the cardio system?

dw300

I'd say so. My worst bonking experience was basically a final 30 miles of cycling along at 130-140bpm, freezing my a$$ off as I had no carbs to burn.

If I knew I was going to do a 140 mile ride, i'd try to stay well out of the red in the first half of the ride. Course management ftw.