Training Max HR

cgfw201

Over the last few years I've always felt my max hr was around 190. I hit that around twice a year whilst racing or climbing hills fast and never seen it get much above there. Can do 5-10 minute efforts in the 180s just about.

Anyway, having done a few hill climb events in the last couple of weeks. I've noticed a lot of people with HRs well north of 200 in these maximal efforts.

Is this something that can be trained/has any benefit or is it a simple case of everyone being built a bit differently?

A heart beating 10% faster surely must have a benefit for delivering oxygenated blood to the muscles?

fenix

Everyone is built differently. Your max HR is personal. Do you happen to know how big these peoples hearts are ?

You may as well try to train your height.

imposter2.0

cgfw201 wrote:

Over the last few years I've always felt my max hr was around 190. I hit that around twice a year whilst racing or climbing hills fast and never seen it get much above there. Can do 5-10 minute efforts in the 180s just about.

Anyway, having done a few hill climb events in the last couple of weeks. I've noticed a lot of people with HRs well north of 200 in these maximal efforts.

Is this something that can be trained/has any benefit or is it a simple case of everyone being built a bit differently?

A heart beating 10% faster surely must have a benefit for delivering oxygenated blood to the muscles?

Max HR cannot be increased by training. You might exceed what you thought was your MHR, but if you do, it simply means that what you thought was your MHR - wasn't.

Other people's MHRs are about as relevant to you as their choice of socks.

sloppyschleckonds

Fenix wrote:

Everyone is built differently. Your max HR is personal. Do you happen to know how big these peoples hearts are ?

You may as well try to train your height.

I'm the same height as Alberto Contador, what should my HR be?

ForumNewbie

Your Max HR will decrease as you age, but if you keep reasonably fit as you get older, does your Max HR decrease at a lesser rate than someone the same age who is unfit?

imposter2.0

ForumNewbie wrote:

Your Max HR will decrease as you age, but if you keep reasonably fit as you get older, does your Max HR decrease at a lesser rate than someone the same age who is unfit?

I doubt if the decrease is linear in any sense. Lower MHR does not necessarily relate to lower performance, either way.

wongataa

cgfw201 wrote:

A heart beating 10% faster surely must have a benefit for delivering oxygenated blood to the muscles?

Not really. I have a higher MHR than Chris Froome. Froome has much better performance than I do.

Blood flow rates will have a higher effect. A higher heart rate if your heart isn't moving as much blood is worse than a lower heart rate moving much more blood for moving oxygen around the body.

Alex_Simmons/RST

cgfw201 wrote:

Over the last few years I've always felt my max hr was around 190. I hit that around twice a year whilst racing or climbing hills fast and never seen it get much above there. Can do 5-10 minute efforts in the 180s just about.

Anyway, having done a few hill climb events in the last couple of weeks. I've noticed a lot of people with HRs well north of 200 in these maximal efforts.

Is this something that can be trained/has any benefit or is it a simple case of everyone being built a bit differently?

A heart beating 10% faster surely must have a benefit for delivering oxygenated blood to the muscles?

What you're missing are that:
i. cardiac output, being the amount of blood volume pumped per unit time is a function of both HR and heart stroke volume.

ii. cardiac output is only a factor in cardiovascular fitness. Muscle metabolic fitness is far more influential when it comes to actual changes in performance ability.

Maximal HR is not correlated with athletic performance.

For an individual, your maximal HR is likely to decline a little with training and improved fitness, however your heart stroke volume will increase with training, and indeed your HSV also increases with intensity of effort if very fit whereas when unfit it tends to plateau at relatively low effort levels.

svetty

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

ii. cardiac output is only a factor in cardiovascular fitness. Muscle metabolic fitness is far more influential when it comes to actual changes in performance ability.

Genuine question: Does this mean that cross-training is of very much less value than sport-specific training? If so is there much value in having a winter break (from cycling) during which you just run/swim etc when your goals are cycling specific?

Alex_Simmons/RST

Svetty wrote:

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

ii. cardiac output is only a factor in cardiovascular fitness. Muscle metabolic fitness is far more influential when it comes to actual changes in performance ability.

Genuine question: Does this mean that cross-training is of very much less value than sport-specific training? If so is there much value in having a winter break (from cycling) during which you just run/swim etc when your goals are cycling specific?

To the first question: Yes
To the second: It depends. Having a break may be good for various reasons (personal, physical, psychological), but don't make it too long. Staying active via other forms of exercise may or may not be a good idea depending on why (or if) you need the break in the first place.

svetty

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

Svetty wrote:

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

ii. cardiac output is only a factor in cardiovascular fitness. Muscle metabolic fitness is far more influential when it comes to actual changes in performance ability.

Genuine question: Does this mean that cross-training is of very much less value than sport-specific training? If so is there much value in having a winter break (from cycling) during which you just run/swim etc when your goals are cycling specific?

To the first question: Yes
To the second: It depends. Having a break may be good for various reasons (personal, physical, psychological), but don't make it too long. Staying active via other forms of exercise may or may not be a good idea depending on why (or if) you need the break in the first place.

Many thanks Alex. This does chime with my own experience I must say