heart rate while cycling

elderone

Hi, ive tried a search and didnt get what i was looking for,so appologise if this has been done before..
basically im 49 and been cycling on the road about 2months and started as i wanted to get fit after losing my brother aged 50 to heart attack.I had tests etc and they said im ok but 35 years of fags hasnt helped but nows a new start..
My question is what do people ride at with heart monitors,as i,ve read between 130-140 is ok for me and im comfortably at this,but up hills, and i have to go up hill to get home it can get over 160bpm even though im only doing 7mph or so.Now for simplicity i use the same method the heart chap at the hospital used for test which is the 220 minus age so 171 is my max.so do others ever get to or above there max or get off and walk when heart rate climbs.personally i dont feel like i need to stop or walk but just wondering if im doing more damage than good.
cheers.

Bobbinogs

The best guide to max heart rates is to ignore any guide! Turns out that everyone is different so the best way to find out your max is to do a few hill repeats with the last one at max intensity (tongue hanging out, race face that would scare small children, etc). I know mine from doing Sufferfest videos (my HR monitor only has a one hour max) and mine is about 10-15 lower than any guide I have seen.

Have a look online at HR zones as these are very useful for training and getting an idea of sustainability, when you are cycling fit. Zone 5 is your TT zone and should be sustainable for about 30 minutes of suffering and I have found it works fine for me, albeit not very pleasant. Here is a good site: http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/b ... c_bcf.html. It works best when you plug in your actual max rate

Oh, nothing wrong with getting up to your max rate every now and then on a ride but the point is that it is not sustainable. You are in the red zone and won't be there too long before having to drop out. I do quite a bit of hill climbing and know roughly how long I can max out and use that knowledge to climb in the best time possible by saving my max for the tough bits. This is where knowledge of the climb comes in handy as you can ensure that you leave nothing in the tank by the very end...and where not knowing a climb and emptying the tank too early makes for some painful grimacing and slow speeds towards the end.

ShutUpLegs

I'd ask your doctor

MartAstur

Being new to cycling I can't say I know any more than you about HR monitoring but it might help you to know that when I climb hills (about 7%) my HR gets up to a steady 163. I'm 46 and just given up smoking (40 a day) after 30 years of puffing away. I don't think you should be hitting your max but low 160's should be OK.

solsurf

Sorry about your brother.

I think bobbinogs has given good advice, although if I were you I'd just try and listen to your body, I'd be tempted not to focus to heavily on the heart rate monitor, as said before everyone is different.

Take it easy for the first few months and enjoy the cycling, you'll be amazed at how much you improve.

cheers

drlodge

I'd say listen to your body. I'm 45, and the highest HR I've had is 187...I doubt I can get it higher than this since I nearly passed out going up a steep hill in a relatively high gear. 130-140 for me is pretty gentle, 150-160 is working harder and anything in the 170s isn't sustainable for long. Everyone is different.

rumbataz

I'm in my 40s and started cycling actively several months ago. I use Endomondo sports tracker with a heart-rate monitor. Here are some stats (min/max):

132/154

134/155

127/145

131/147

I don't really push myself too hard as I don't want to take any risks since I haven't exercised a lot for over two years. I use cycling more as a leisure activity and the increased fitness is just a nice benefit.

alihisgreat

elderone wrote:

Hi, ive tried a search and didnt get what i was looking for,so appologise if this has been done before..
basically im 49 and been cycling on the road about 2months and started as i wanted to get fit after losing my brother aged 50 to heart attack.I had tests etc and they said im ok but 35 years of fags hasnt helped but nows a new start..
My question is what do people ride at with heart monitors,as i,ve read between 130-140 is ok for me and im comfortably at this,but up hills, and i have to go up hill to get home it can get over 160bpm even though im only doing 7mph or so.Now for simplicity i use the same method the heart chap at the hospital used for test which is the 220 minus age so 171 is my max.so do others ever get to or above there max or get off and walk when heart rate climbs.personally i dont feel like i need to stop or walk but just wondering if im doing more damage than good.
cheers.

Its actually relatively hard to reach your absolute max on the bike because in effect you can see cycling as 'only' using your legs..

I only reach my max when I'm pushing incredibly hard seated, or engaging more of my body when sprinting out of the saddle up hills etc.

But If you're worried about doing yourself some damage then go and see your GP.

rothers_bikeo

Read this http://wattbike.com/uk/guide/getting_started and understand the various effort levels.

Insideinfo

You've left a very important part of the heart rate equation off. Yes you do 220 - (minus) your age to get your max, but you then times it (x) by the effort you want to put in. So if you want to ride at 60% of your max, then you do:

220 - 49 x 0.60 = 102 bpm.

So if you wanted to push it to 85% max heart rate it would be
22- 49 x 0.85 = 145 bpm.

If you check this link here to heart rate ranges you can work out where to aim for. Often you'll find its a bit less than you think. Its a bit of a myth to bang out 85-90% max heart rate to get fit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate

If you scroll down to the 'Formula' section, you can see the range that has been scientifically researched. Just stroll along the top to your age and then down for each section, depending on what you want to achieve.

Also, the ranges youre describing are fine. Usually 130-140 bpm is the norm on a good ride and that can easily go up to 165-180 for hills with the effort required.

elderone

thanks for the replies guys,just what i was looking for and very helpful.
I,ve seen gp and had heart tests etc and they were fine so the gp is good.As i said i just wanted info to guide my training get the max from the sport.
theres one thing i,ve learned also and that is before i got my hrm i used the push until cant talk properly method and have to say i can its pretty accurate.
thanks again.

confused@BR

British Cycling have some advice on their website regarding heart rate and training. Quite detailed and clear, I have found it helpful but the best advice is, 'listen to your body'.

elderone

confused@BR wrote:

British Cycling have some advice on their website regarding heart rate and training. Quite detailed and clear, I have found it helpful but the best advice is, 'listen to your body'.

what am i listening for with my body and what are the best ways to act on what its saying.
thanks

gjcknocker

Do not get hung up on on heart rate as already been said we are all different and you will know when you are at your max, however the important point is when you lessen your effort you heart rate should come down quickly to more reasonable levels.......if it does not then its worth getting a check up

RandG

As one reply said, first get a check up from the doc, not much point in riding in a particular zone to find out you've died while doing so.

Then the next thing you must find out is what your maximum is, as said, everyone is different, mine is 165 and I'm 48 but have never4 seen anything past that figure, so that is my max, then do your calculations from there, although it is very hard to stay in certain zones when working hard.

Check this link below, it's a long read but a great read.

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... sts-28838/

Gizmodo

Sorry about your brother, I'm glad you've given up the fags and are getting some exercise. I gave up the smokes 6 years ago and started cycling just over a year ago. I'm 45, according to my bike computer my average HR is 160bpm and my maximum recorded is 196bpm. Everyone is different, take it easy, build up slowly, don't worry too much about it, go out there and enjoy it.

Insert legal disclaimer here.

ricky1980

Bobbinogs wrote:

(tongue hanging out, race face that would scare small children, etc).
.

LOL, u forgot to mention dribbling saliva which makes you look even more demented and also horrible grunting noises...then the adults will be running away too.

to OP unless you have a heart condition that you know of i wouldn't think riding bikes will cause you any harm. as you exercise more your heart rate will improve as your body get used to the work-out, so a few months down the line you will fine you are pumping at 160+ but going at 15mph up the same hill .

its normal don't worry about it, just push to your limit (obviously not to point of exhaustion) and very quickly you will find your fitness improve. I used to remember a small hill on my way to work which gave me a heart attack on my first ever ride and slowed to crawling speed at the top and gasped for air. but a year on, I revisited it, I almost flew through it and didn't even feel strained.

i also used to smoke (not heavily) but i am quite a bit younger than you are so your fitness improvement will take a bit longer. key health point is not how high your heart rate is, but how quickly it settles down. the faster it settles the fitter you are. and your resting heart rate is also a good indication of your fitness. I was told this by my gym instructor back in the days.

elderone

thanks again for the replies,they have just what i was hoping for.
I dont have a known heart problem and my gp sent me to get my heart checked by a specialist and that came out ok so im good on that score.
my rate does drop quickly once i back off so that sounds good..
to my mind im riding to my monitor and i feel its holding me back as i said once it get to 160 i back off though i feel ok and not gagging for breath or struggling and then i feel frustrated at slowing down,but now i know i can hang on a tad longer and it will improve as i do so ill just plod on and let my fitness improve.

charlie_potatoes

I measure my resting heart rate every morning. This can be an indicator to your general health and an early warning system.
One morning it was up by 12 bpm. Later that day I came down with a virus. It took about 3 weeks for it to gradually come down to normal.
I understand that a raised resting heart rate can also be an indicator that you are over training.

I should add that I have no medical background :shock:

MartinB2444

So long as you don't have ischaemic heart disease, and it sounds like you don't, then you won't harm yourself by exerting yourself on your bike, even if you feel like you are about to die. It is safe to push yourself up to your true maximum heart rate, which is likely to be quite different to the standard 220 - age. 220 - age is 167 for me. I have maxed out at 180, 167 is actually about my maximum sustainable rate up a 10 minute climb.

Trust me, I'm a doctor!

TakeTurns

It's normal for your heart rate to go up when you're going from flat to up hill. You're pushing your body harder, henceforth the heart has to work harder too. Everyone is like that.

You're new to cycling, so this is normal. Your body will need to adapt loads and improve. So that's why it's pushing quite high at the moment. On the other hand, don't worry so much about the "max heart rate" figures. They aren't accurate enough to rely on. Every person will be different and you can't use a simple formula with everybody.

confused@BR

Simply, push as hard as you are comfortable with. It is supposed to be a pleasure not a form of torture. Gentle, steady exercise is the way to build up stamina. The hills which were once difficult will become easier or you will ascend them faster. Either way is good, it is your body and your fitness programme.