Heart Rate Monitor Advice

mgroves
mgroves Posts: 3
edited April 2013 in Road beginners
I have recently started to take my new love of bike riding a little more serious and purchased a heart rate monitor. Can anyone recommend some useful websites that can help me get the most out of it, guiding me on the different zones and how riding in these will help my overall performance?

I think i have managed to work out my resting and max rates!!!

Comments

  • elderone
    elderone Posts: 1,410
    There is lots of info on the site to help.
    /Zone 1 (60-65% of maximum heart rate): For long, easy rides, to improve the combustion and storage of fats.
    Zone 2 (65-75% of MHR): The basic base training zone. Longish rides of medium stress.
    Zone 3 (75-82% of MHR): For development of aerobic capacity and endurance with moderate volume at very controlled intensity.
    Zone 4 (82-89% of MHR): For simulating pace when tapering for a race.
    Zone 5 (89-94% of MHR): For raising anaerobic threshold. Good sessions for 10- and 25-mile time-trials.
    I use this table and seems a good starting point.
    Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    The above is a reasonable starting point, but zones are only useful if you have a good indication of your max HR. How have you worked it out?
  • mgroves
    mgroves Posts: 3
    Thanks for the zone advice. I plan to be doing between 100-150miles a week over 3-4 rides, should i therefore be choosing a set zone for each ride and trying to stick to that or do you mix the zones up in the ride?

    To get to my max heart rate I choose a ride with a steep long hill on it and rode to that, my heart rate reached 200 and about this point my legs said no more!!
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    More info here on different formulae for calculating your max HR;
    http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

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