Help me analyze my HRM readings

ziglar

Background: 55 yrs old, no fitness training ever before. Got bike in Aug. 2 mths training, felt OK. Went on holiday and got some virus - felt terrible so done virtually nothing since then.

Went for fitness eval at Bike Show mid Jan. Max HR 170, Est VO2 Max 38. Resting HR 50bpm. 75 kg. 5'7".

Since then been on indoor trainer 4-5 nights per week and 3x20 miles outdoor.
Tried to get my HR up to 170 again but couldn't get there - maxed out about 165. On indoor trainer tonight got to 165 but couldn't put any power/cadence in to get any higher. Odd thing is I did 30-35 minutes at average of 158bpm (95%+ of max) without feeling too much exertion (didn't have cadence meter but probably no > 90). Could easily (but didn't) hold a conversation for most of that time.

How do I determine if this is good/bad/effective or whatever. Want to get faster on the road but don't see me doing any more that 50 miles in a single journey (never know tho' - I might get to like it).

imposter2.0

how did they test your HR max at the bike show ?

ziglar

they put me on a turbo trainer and increased the power every minute until I couldn't pedal any more at 10mph - I'm sure my legs gave out way before my heart reached it's max

imposter2.0

ziglar wrote:

they put me on a turbo trainer and increased the power every minute until I couldn't pedal any more at 10mph - I'm sure my legs gave out way before my heart reached it's max

all I can say is that theoretically, 95% HR is well into Vo2 max territory and certainly above threshold. You shouldn't be able to talk (or feel comfortable) at that level. So the assumption has to be that 170 is probably not your max HR.

Lightning

I don't really understand what you're looking for here but.. You're not supposed to be able to reach your max HR easily so your 165 try on the turbo is what it is. Depending on how you were tested the first time it might even be higher than 170 (it most likely is considering your 95% effort). How about testing your LTHR? Maybe that will give you a better idea of what's happening. Keep in mind HR is HR though, so you shouldn't rely on it too much.

ziglar

how do I test my LTHR?

I'm not sure why I can't get my HR higher than 165 at the moment - I am keen to find the max but my legs won't get me there for some reason.

twotyred

I'm sure my legs gave out way before my heart reached it's max

That's my problem with ramp tests too. Last one I did my HR and power zones were all lower than those worked out from my 1 hr FTP.

You have to be really motivated to reach your max HR and like the previous posters have suggested I reckon your real max is over 170.

You need a blood test to find your lactate threshold HR. Better to get nicely warmed up then go as hard as you can for 20 mins and take 95% of the average of the last 5-10 mins as your 1 hr threshold HR and work out your zones from there. This will get you started and you can always fine tune from there with experience. In fact you could use 95% of the 168 you got for the 35 min turbo ride as a start as it probably won't be far off.

Wrath Rob

I agree that your max HR is probably low, based on the level of fitness you carried into the test. When I did a ramp test, everything was screaming at me to stop, not just my legs! A VO2 max of 38 is also shown as untrained for your age group.

You should be able to judge for yourself by comparing how you feel at certain heart rates against a Rating Perceived Effort table. Being able to hold a conversation would be level 6 or below. Very short sentences is at 7, which is generally around your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate and above that is into anaerobic effort. For reference, if your max HR is really 170 then 158bpm, or 95% would be between 7 and 8 on the scale.


As always though, take care when pushing yourself and if you start to feel unwell then stop immediately. If there's any history of heart problems in your family then I'd suggest getting checked by your GP before you start pushing yourself hard, especially as you've come from a background of no fitness training and you're 55.

ut_och_cykla

Your max could be much higher - I'm 52 and have a max of 187 - which means under 160 requires some focus but is doable for quite a while and I can communicate with words not just grunts. I do have a measured high lactate threshold though - round 90% so .... my guess is you could be the. But do eth lactate test 'twotyred' suggests and see how you get on.