Please un-confuse me on heart rates.

littledove44

If my maximum heart rate is 180, and I want to ride say between 50% and 60% of my max heart rate does that mean

1. 0.5 times 180 is 90, and 0.6 times 180 is 108 so between 90 and 108, or......
2. Taking into account my resting heart rate of 60, then 50% of (180-60) plus 60 is 120 and 60% of (180-60) plus 60 is 126 so between 120 and 126.

I have seen articles which use both the first numbers, and the second set which takes into account the working heart range. However, whenever I see charts which explain what happens I each zone I am never sure which method they are using.

Thanks.

imposter2.0

If your MHR is 180, then 50% of your MHR is 90. 60% is 108.

All I would add is that 60% is well below any performance zones which might bring about any particular training adaptions. You usually need to be working at well over 70% for that to happen, depending on the type of ride you are doing.

Tom Dean

Unless it says otherwise, I would assume they mean 1. - percentage of max HR.

littledove44

Imposter wrote:

If your MHR is 180, then 50% of your MHR is 90. 60% is 108.

All I would add is that 60% is well below any performance zones which might bring about any particular training adaptions. You usually need to be working at well over 70% for that to happen, depending on the type of ride you are doing.

Thanks. The zone I selected was hypothetical, just for the sake of making the calculations easy. I really hope you are correct! Otherwise I will have to ride much harder!

ric/rstsport

in the absence of any other info, the first option would be the correct option. the 2nd option is the Karvonen HR method:
((maximal HR - Rest HR) * percentage exercise intensity (e.g. 60%)) + Rest HR

However, if you become ill or fatigued it's likely your resting HR would increase and this would increase your training zones when you would probably want to reduce them

There are a multitude of other HR training zones

davidof

littledove44 wrote:

If my maximum heart rate is 180, and I want to ride say between 50% and 60% of my max heart rate does that mean

Thanks.

To confuse you more Coggan et al. use FTHR. That is your average heartrate over a 60 minute TT effort at FTP.

littledove44

Pardon my ignorance but am I supposed to know wtf a Coggan is?

davidof

littledove44 wrote:

Pardon my ignorance but am I supposed to know wtf a Coggan is?

erm, yes, probably.