Zones for HR training.

dahat

Recently purchased a HR strap and been reading up on using zones for recovery etc but getting a little bogged down by it.

I'm looking for a simple guide to use my heart rate for fat loss, recovery etc..

My max is 169 as per a method of 15min warm up then 5mins up a steady climb increasing each minute then on the 5th minute sprint for 15 seconds.

Ceepo

dahat wrote: »

Recently purchased a HR strap and been reading up on using zones for recovery etc but getting a little bogged down by it.

I'm looking for a simple guide to use my heart rate for fat loss, recovery etc..

My max is 169 as per a method of 15min warm up then 5mins up a steady climb increasing each minute then on the 5th minute sprint for 15 seconds.

This should be some help to you.

How_to_calculate_target_heart_rate_zone_

dahat

Thank you, simplified and easier to work with 3 Zones.

The 220 minus age gives me 181 MHR which is a higher than what i got earlier. Guess either one is ok to work off?

Ceepo

dahat wrote: »

Thank you, simplified and easier to work with 3 Zones.

The 220 minus age gives me 181 MHR which is a higher than what i got earlier. Guess either one is ok to work off?

Sorry, I should have said not to go by 220 - age as this is way off for most people.

dahat

Ceepo wrote: »

Sorry, I should have said not to go by 220 - age as this is way off for most people.

I'll stick with my 169 from this morning then until i come across a more reliable calculation.

nilhg

Still I think this would be the bible when it comes to finding and setting HR zones.

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/11/quick-guide-to-setting-zones.html

Beasty

I would guess that 181 is closer to your real max HR than the 169 you recorded. A 15s sprint at the end of a 5 minute ramp up is unlikely to get you near to your true max. Did you feel close to complete exhaustion at the end of that effort? It really has to have the feeling that you are at the limit and then giving a bit more/continuing for a bit longer to get near your max

In my case I hit 185 a few years ago in an all-out effort at the end of a race. I've since matched it in other races and on a hill-climb. This year (when the 220-age formula suggest it should probably be down around 181 just by dropping 1 a year), I hit 186 in one race and 187 in another. I've also seen 192 this year but suspect that may have been a glitch. Even if it was I reckon I could probably go a bit higher than that 187 and would not be surprised if I managed to hit 190 in the right circumstances (which would be an extended effort probably at the end of a track race)

dahat

As i continued on for the resr of the climb, approx 7mins it would be safe to say i wasn't at a true limit.

Pantanifan84

In my experience 220 minus your age never works. I'm 31 so that would leave 220 - 31 = 189 when in fact my max is 200bpm. Discovered this after several hill climbs and a 10 mile tt

Ceepo

nilhg wrote: »

Still I think this would be the bible when it comes to finding and setting HR zones.

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/11/quick-guide-to-setting-zones.html

This for me would be the best way to train using heart rate.
I have seen as others have said, there can be a difference in trying to find your max heart rate.

Find your lactate threshold (LT) using the method in the link and work out your training zones from that.
It's important to remember that HR zones are very individual, and can vary a little even from day to day depending on some factors like sleep, quality levels of fatigue that you are carrying into to the test. As the article linked says it might take a few attempts to do the test properly as most will go to hard in the first 10/15mins.

I would also add in, to take your resting heart rate (RHR) a few times a week. From doing this you will be able to determine a base line RHR.
This will give you an indication of how you're recovering from sessions


Hope this helps

Macy0161

I'm certainly no expert, but I do use HR zones for turbo sessions and we had coached spins this year, but mainly for more accurate calorie counting (when I was trying to lose weight, and now while I'm trying to adjust to maintenance).

I have done coached cycling sessions that were designed as finding the max heart rate - I didn't get to the level I had got on longer and steeper climbs on longer spins. Not by a massive amount, but less all the same. I tend to hit my max on steeper climbs like the Shay Elliott. I've been wearing a HRM for a few years now, so I just went through my Garmin history and found my max - I don't know whether you can wait and do a few spins with it first, incorporating efforts, rather than try and do a specific test?

Regarding resting heart rate. There's apps for phones that use the phones flash. I find this easier (and probably more accurate in terms of the "resting" bit) than messing with my garmin and hrm first thing. I use "Instant Heart Rate" on Android. I probably don't do it as often as I should (you're supposed to check whether you are overtraining - elevated resting HR can be an indicator), but did find it a handy indicator as to when I was fit enough to train after a virus.

btw the formula isn't too far off my cycling max heart rate - it's a good bit lower than my running one though!

Ceepo

Macy0161 wrote: »

I'm certainly no expert, but I do use HR zones for turbo sessions and we had coached spins this year, but mainly for more accurate calorie counting (when I was trying to lose weight, and now while I'm trying to adjust to maintenance).

I have done coached cycling sessions that were designed as finding the max heart rate - I didn't get to the level I had got on longer and steeper climbs on longer spins. Not by a massive amount, but less all the same. I tend to hit my max on steeper climbs like the Shay Elliott. I've been wearing a HRM for a few years now, so I just went through my Garmin history and found my max - I don't know whether you can wait and do a few spins with it first, incorporating efforts, rather than try and do a specific test?

Regarding resting heart rate. There's apps for phones that use the phones flash. I find this easier (and probably more accurate in terms of the "resting" bit) than messing with my garmin and hrm first thing. I use "Instant Heart Rate" on Android. I probably don't do it as often as I should (you're supposed to check whether you are overtraining - elevated resting HR can be an indicator), but did find it a handy indicator as to when I was fit enough to train after a virus.

btw the formula isn't too far off my cycling max heart rate - it's a good bit lower than my running one though!

Theres a app for that.
Sorry had to laugh at that. Not saying it doest work or anything, I'm sure it does.
I go with the old school of holding and counting my pluses for 1 minute.

Maybe I need to come into 2016 😂

Macy0161

Ceepo wrote: »

Theres a app for that.
Sorry had to laugh at that. Not saying it doest work or anything, I'm sure it does.
I go with the old school of holding and counting my pluses for 1 minute.

Maybe I need to come into 2016 😂

What do you use to count the minute, a sundial?

I'm brutal at finding my own pulse to be honest. I can nearly use the app in my sleep (certainly half awake), so figure it's my most accurate method of resting HR. It does also record the reading, so you can track your HR. Ok enough trying to justify it - fact is, I work with figures all day, and now I can't do anything numerical without a spreadsheet!

Ceepo

Macy0161 wrote: »

What do you use to count the minute, a sundial?

I'm brutal at finding my own pulse to be honest. I can nearly use the app in my sleep (certainly half awake), so figure it's my most accurate method of resting HR. It does also record the reading, so you can track your HR. Ok enough trying to justify it - fact is, I work with figures all day, and now I can't do anything numerical without a spreadsheet!

Sundial..... seriously give me some credit.
I actually have a a near 30 year old clock radio beside the bed that I use as my alarm clock.
The phone earlier is left to charge in the kitchen, always has been.
Maybe I need to change to a more modern way of doing things.

Ah well what ever works.

uck51js9zml2yt

Wimps with your apps and sundials, I use the sun itself

I've a fitbit and find the max rate is about right using the 220- age rule.
Horses for courses !

dahat

Thanks for all the replies amd good info. I'll use the article linked above going forward. I'm in no hurry to establish zones just a base article to refer to helps.

Took my rhr with strap and Garmin in the bed this morning, 50 bpm, wife thought i was nuts btw.