Measuring Heart Rate?

flyer
flyer Posts: 608
edited May 2009 in Training, fitness and health
Please can some one advise me what my average heart rate should be?

I know that everyone is different, but at 49 years old I ride about 100 miles per week.

I have just started to use a Garmin 305 edge and understand that an approx is 220 - minus your age so mine would be around 170 max.

What would you say is a safe average?, it appears to be around 145 as an average on a 30 mile ride.

When it comes to recovery should I max out to say 170, stop and see what my heart rate is after 1 minute.

Any advise appreciated

Flyer

Comments

  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    Start here to see why 220-age is useless for setting up training zones.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12594618

    See this for zones (particularly Alex's post):

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12592875

    As for finding a safe average - well there is no such thing as exercise isn't inherently unsafe however if you have underlying heart defect then of course hard efforts could be a tipping point for you however how do you know unless you're showing symptons in which case why worry about it. If you are really worried see your Doctor.

    Another way of setting heart rate zones and doesn't involve a maxHR test (Friel) is to do a 30 min time trial and take your final 20 mins average heart rate and call that your lactate threshold (LTHR) and base your zones of that with recovery being 65-81% of LTHR. For someone of your age this may be the better option however the choice is yours.

    As regards how fit you are then measuring how quickly your heart rate returns to normal is a good indicator of fitness with the quicker the recovery being better. I've heard this but no one has ever quantified it for me so I never knew what I was looking for so can't help you on that one.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Errrm....

    Start here to see why 220-age is useless for setting up training zones.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12594618

    See this for zones (particularly Alex's post):

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12592875

    As for finding a safe average - well there is no such thing as exercise isn't inherently unsafe however if you have underlying heart defect then of course hard efforts could be a tipping point for you however how do you know unless you're showing symptons in which case why worry about it. If you are really worried see your Doctor.

    Another way of setting heart rate zones and doesn't involve a maxHR test (Friel) is to do a 30 min time trial and take your final 20 mins average heart rate and call that your lactate threshold (LTHR) and base your zones of that with recovery being 65-81% of LTHR. For someone of your age this may be the better option however the choice is yours.

    As regards how fit you are then measuring how quickly your heart rate returns to normal is a good indicator of fitness with the quicker the recovery being better. I've heard this but no one has ever quantified it for me so I never knew what I was looking for so can't help you on that one.
  • csp
    csp Posts: 777
    How did you two do this? You posted the exact same thing at exactly the same time!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Great minds...
  • Bhima
    Bhima Posts: 2,145
    Start here to see why 220-age is useless for setting up training zones.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12594618

    See this for zones (particularly Alex's post):

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12592875

    As for finding a safe avera.....




    ....you get the drift. :wink:


    :lol:

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