Edge 800 training to HR Zones

nibby

Hi. Just bought a Garmin Edge 800 and was going to see if I can use the heart rate options to try and stop myself over doing it on my daily commute.

I've set my resting and max HR on the unit but from various bits I've been reading people say the best option is to set 6 zones.

It looks like the 800 only let's you set it's default 5
1 - 50 to 60% mhr
2 - 60 to 70
3 - 70 to 80
4 - 80 to 90
5 - 90 to 100

Does anyone know if the 800 will allow for 6 zones?
If not and if I only have the ones above what does each one mean?

MANY THANKS

imposter2.0

You don't really need that many zones, IMO. I would set your first limit at 70%, the next one at 85% and the third at 90-92%. There's not much point tracking HR either above or below those numbers. Below 70% and you will be in recovery mode, while above 90% numbers don't really matter much.

Presumably you do know your true MHR, not just a formula?

nibby

I wouldn't mind having a recovery option for when I've had a hard session or long ride etc.

I've worked out my resting from measuring first thing of a morning and have worked out the max with the following that I've taken from online research
"formula is 210 minus half your age, then subtract 5% of your body weight in pounds. Add four for a male and 0 for a female"

I'm just really messing around at the moment and seeing if I can stick to the zones needed for what I'm trying to achieve. But as above most say it's 6 but the Garmin will only let me have 5.

imposter2.0

nibby wrote:

I've worked out my resting from measuring first thing of a morning and have worked out the max with the following that I've taken from online research
"formula is 210 minus half your age, then subtract 5% of your body weight in pounds. Add four for a male and 0 for a female"

Ignore online formulas, they are largely worthless - the only way to establish your true MHR is through a maximal effort on the bike.

nibby

true, will do a balls out session on a hill tomorrow.

on the above stats it says
1 = beginner level aerobic training
2 = basic cardio - good recovery pace
3 = improved aerobic training
4 = improved an aerobic improve speed
5 = increased power

So what sort of sessions do I need to improve
1. weight loss
2. improving on my average speed
3. improving sprinting

All the above I'm trying to improve. I have a 20 mile commute to and from work 4 to 5 days a week.

Sometimes after work I feel a bit knackered but before is easier and can put in more effort.