Heart rate Zones & fitness

Michael_Myers

Have noticed that a good proportion of "easy cycles" are up in Zone 4 (50% of cycle)and Zone 5 (40% of cycle). Is this normal ?

I would have hoped and expected to be in Zone 3 for the majority.

Have started Zone 2 training on a trainer in the hope that this will improve fitness, but on the road it is difficult to stay in Zone 2.

Ideas on how to get into Zone 3 for the majority of the time would be appreciated.

68 lost souls

Michael_Myers wrote: »

Have noticed that a good proportion of "easy cycles" are up in Zone 4 (50% of cycle)and Zone 5 (40% of cycle). Is this normal ?

I would have hoped and expected to be in Zone 3 for the majority.

Have started Zone 2 training on a trainer in the hope that this will improve fitness, but on the road it is difficult to stay in Zone 2.

Ideas on how to get into Zone 3 for the majority of the time would be appreciated.

How did you assess your zones? Are you sure that is correct?

Michael_Myers

Zones are based on max heart rate
220-Age

markusz

u need to do a 20min test... if you have speed sensor on the turbo as well, get the avg speed at a set resistance. find your threshold HR from this, not your age.

retest in 4 weeks after training and see has your avg speed (in around about way this is power test) increased whilst also checking your HR threshold.

nilhg

Michael_Myers wrote: »

Zones are based on max heart rate
220-Age

Works for some but not all, my MHR is about 18bpm above the figure suggested by that formula.

The only way to find it is to push hard, then ramp things up.....

iwillhtfu

Michael_Myers wrote: »

Zones are based on max heart rate
220-Age

I think it's widely agreed that that formula is bull ****.

heart rate is very unique. If I were following that formula I have at least 2 heart attacks on every cycle

68 lost souls

markusz wrote: »

u need to do a 20min test... if you have speed sensor on the turbo as well, get the avg speed at a set resistance. find your threshold HR from this, not your age.

retest in 4 weeks after training and see has your avg speed (in around about way this is power test) increased whilst also checking your HR threshold.

This, 220 - age is not accurate. I would be only about 12 if that was the case.

CramCycle

68 lost souls wrote: »

This, 220 - age is not accurate. I would be only about 12 if that was the case.

I would be -3

martyc5674

CramCycle wrote: »

I would be -3

So your MHR is 223... thought mine was high!

CramCycle

martyc5674 wrote: »

So your MHR is 223... thought mine was high!

It was over 210 2 years ago, then I stopped looking at it, recently stuck a HR monitor on me again and spiked to 223. I am pretty sure it was an error and my current max HR is about 210 but this still, according to that formula, makes me almost a third of my age.

martyc5674

CramCycle wrote: »

It was over 210 2 years ago, then I stopped looking at it, recently stuck a HR monitor on me again and spiked to 223. I am pretty sure it was an error and my current max HR is about 210 but this still, according to that formula, makes me almost a third of my age.

Youve a high one so!(relatively speaking of course)...most ive gotten to is 187 in an effort although i have seen over 190 recorded by garmin but reckon it was a spike...lately i seem to be able to push it over the 180 mark with greater ease, as i train more it doesnt "hurt" as much to go there as it used to.(im 40 BTW)
I still reckon though if i went to the point of exhaustion i could go well above 190, but i dont ever feel like doing that!

To the OP...to get a general idea of you MHR find a nice long steady drag that will take 20 minutes...be warmed up hitting the bottom of it and give a good effort going up it and really go for it in the last quarter...and then for the last minute or so really EMPTY THE TANK!!(imagine the finish line in TDF and your being chased by some mad european lads)...that will be a good figure to start with.

Marty.

CramCycle

martyc5674 wrote: »

Youve a high one so!(relatively speaking of course)...most ive gotten to is 187 in an effort although i have seen over 190 recorded by garmin but reckon it was a spike...lately i seem to be able to push it over the 180 mark with greater ease, as i train more it doesnt "hurt" as much to go there as it used to.(im 40 BTW)
I still reckon though if i went to the point of exhaustion i could go well above 190, but i dont ever feel like doing that!

To the OP...to get a general idea of you MHR find a nice long steady drag that will take 20 minutes...be warmed up hitting the bottom of it and give a good effort going up it and really go for it in the last quarter...and then for the last minute or so really EMPTY THE TANK!!(imagine the finish line in TDF and your being chased by some mad european lads)...that will be a good figure to start with.

Marty.

Mine sits comfortably between 130 and 180bpm without any effort, any slight effort will send me north of 180, a sustained difficult effort will be north of 190 but if I push hard, rest for a minute and then hammer again I can push to 210+ but the I pretty much collapse.

68 lost souls

Looking over my strava my average tends to be in the region of 160 with a peak most of the time about 190-200 doing short sprints at 450-500w .

Got a vo2 Max test done before last season so probably due another soon.

Kaisr Sose

220 minus age is regarded as nonsense as it takes no account of the persons own physiology. When I was 21, I recorded 214 in a lab test in Trinity, and my threshold HR was 184. Now aged 47, I have recorded 184 (not all out) and I reckon my threshold is 164/166. Both would be way off the 220 minus age scale and therefore it's always been meaningless for me.

In reality, max heart rate / exercise tolerance is specific to each individual and is best determined by experience/testing. I can still hold a conversation at 160, (being able to converse is one method of gauging perceived effort) while a cycle buddy can't talk easily beyond 150.

To the poster that mentioned VO2 Max. There is no direct link between this and Max HR. Your VO2 Max will/should go up as your aerobic capacity increases but that does not mean your Max HR will , that's something that you can't really do anything about. Your threshold HR should increase as you get fitter.