Max HR

RandG

I've read loads on maximum heart rate on here and various other place, and how to find it, and although I haven't actually done one of the challenges to find it, I have never seen my MHR go about 165 regardless of how tough I've been going, be it on the road, mtb or in a spin class, and believe me, in some of those times I thought my lungs were going to explode out my chest.

So, a simple question I guess, is that figure of 165 my maximum. ??

ellerslierd

Its the maximum you have been able to achieve.... therefore you could say it is your (practical/real world) maximum. To truly find your max you would have to do a graded test to maximum of some description (My job is to run such tests at a lab in Vancouver).

The oft-quoted 220-age should be qualified by saying the standard error is 15 bpm either way. I have people who come in and say "oh my max is around 180" and then they hit 198, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can hit that on the road (On the other hand 165 may be your max - sorry for being unhelpful :-s).

The problem with universal guides/averages to zones/heart rate training is that we are all individual, and respond to exercise in different ways.

limoneboy

Isn't your max HR the point just before you die ?

cougie

I'd say you've not hit your true max.

Do the MHR test and then you'll find it.

I've tested mates and they lost peripheral vision whilst doing it. I've never gone that hard in a spin class.

RandG

Did I forget to say, the highest recorded MHR I have ever seen on my HRM has never been higher than 165.

baldwin471

I've never gone past 202. Normal max is around 198 for me.

danowat

baldwin471 wrote:

I've never gone past 202. Normal max is around 198 for me.

What does that even mean?, normal max?

There should be a qualification exam to enable you to buy a HRM

baldwin471

danowat wrote:

baldwin471 wrote:

I've never gone past 202. Normal max is around 198 for me.

What does that even mean?, normal max?

There should be a qualification exam to enable you to buy a HRM

I mean "Normal" as in when i review my HR from a ride, it very rarely goes past that. There should be a qualification exam to enable you to post on an internet forum

Wrath Rob

@baldwin, 198 just means you're not trying hard enough.

baldwin471

Wrath Rob wrote:

@baldwin, 198 just means you're not trying hard enough.

Maybe :roll:

John.T

baldwin471 wrote:

danowat wrote:

baldwin471 wrote:

I've never gone past 202. Normal max is around 198 for me.

What does that even mean?, normal max?

There should be a qualification exam to enable you to buy a HRM

I mean "Normal" as in when i review my HR from a ride, it very rarely goes past that. There should be a qualification exam to enable you to post on an internet forum

Max is Max. Period. Anything less is not a max. Max can only be found by testing and can be different in different activities. Often running will be a little higher.
220 - your age is total rubbish. Mine at that is 150 but I exceed it every time I race. Highest I have seen lately is 168.

stronginthesun

try it while running . it will go higher

DavidJB

Only time I ever hit my max is in a race. I come very close when hill training though.

Monty Dog

The only way to find out you max is to do a test e.g. ramp test on a turbo or static trainer. You start off easy and progressively increase the load until you feel you can do no more, and then go like stink until you cough your heart and lungs out on the floor ;-). The value can vary greatly, depending on the physiology, fitness and age of the rider, so the 220 -age calculation is nigh on useless.

markos1963

I thought that MHR is irrelevant anyway and that most training using HR is done using lactate threashold now? I know my MHR varies through the year as I get fitter.

Pross

HR plateaus off at around 85% of the maximal effort before going on up. I think a lot of people struggle to push hard enough for that final bit. Doing a ramp test to max HR is bloody hard.

CRAIGO5000

Im 32 and used the 220 - age to gauge mine initially. That set it at 188, but then I saw 190 on a ride I didn't really try too hard on.

Some months later I did some sprint training with my club and I gunned it giving it my all for as long as I could knowing the pack was chasing. I thought I was going to pass out as the Garmin beeped at me telling me my HR was too high (over 190). It turns out I hit 195 and I now know that is for sure my Max HR as I literally couldn't have pushed any harder without being sick, passing out or falling off!

As a bench mark, using the 220 - age is quite good to ascertain your zones if you already know your resting rate, and in my case it proved quite accurate being only 7bpm off.

As someone mentioned above, I too think I need to step off a little. I commute every week day to and from work and also train mid-week and once at the weekend usually and I always try and push as hard as I can which I think is detrimental to my overall improvement. As a rule, I may try commuting at 70% of max HR so my body can recover more quickly and then use my proper training sessions to hit maximum?

As a side note, I have found after a weeks holiday with no riding, I got on the bike and felt much more powerful - Data also backed up what I felt. Wiggins was also quoted stating that a good 3-4 day rest up before a big ride is key to performing at your best. You don't lose any of your training in those rest days and panic training doesn't do any justice.

Peddle Up!

Is there any danger in "going for it" to get an idea of your real MHR? Assuming you're in decent health without any cardio issues, of course.

Does the body "shut off the power" on reaching the red line, like my car?