How do you calculate maximum heart rate?
Discussion
Having bought a Garmin Edge 800 with HRM, I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of it. Part of this means setting up my maximum heart rate properly in it.
This is where it's getting confusing. According to every formula I've found online - and they are numerous - the max heart rate for a 41yr old cycling is somewhere in the region of 178.
Now this is giving me issues for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I will actually peak at around 190 when climbing, and would probably go a little higher than that if I pushed it purely to max out.
Secondly, looking at heart rate training zones, the suggestion seems to be to run at around 60-70% of MHR for fat burning. In my case, just moving slowly on the flat takes my heart rate up to 120-125 or so,which means it's just not practical to ride at this level.
My average heart rate on my commute is around 145, which is supposedly 76%. This feels perfectly comfortable, and I wouldn't struggle to hold a perfectly normal conversation at that rate. On this, my heart rate seems to be misaligned with what my reading suggests I should be feeling at that percentage of max.
Can anyone point me at any sort of resources that explain this all clearly?
This is where it's getting confusing. According to every formula I've found online - and they are numerous - the max heart rate for a 41yr old cycling is somewhere in the region of 178.
Now this is giving me issues for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I will actually peak at around 190 when climbing, and would probably go a little higher than that if I pushed it purely to max out.
Secondly, looking at heart rate training zones, the suggestion seems to be to run at around 60-70% of MHR for fat burning. In my case, just moving slowly on the flat takes my heart rate up to 120-125 or so,which means it's just not practical to ride at this level.
My average heart rate on my commute is around 145, which is supposedly 76%. This feels perfectly comfortable, and I wouldn't struggle to hold a perfectly normal conversation at that rate. On this, my heart rate seems to be misaligned with what my reading suggests I should be feeling at that percentage of max.
Can anyone point me at any sort of resources that explain this all clearly?
Everyone is different, but a rule of thumb for max heart rate is 220 - your age. That is what I base my running on when using heart rate monitor.
Just found this on wikipedia which looks interesting:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate
My resting pulse in in the mid 40s which I thought was good (for an old git), but some proper athletes can be in the 20s!
Just found this on wikipedia which looks interesting:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate
My resting pulse in in the mid 40s which I thought was good (for an old git), but some proper athletes can be in the 20s!
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 19th September 10:22
there is some good stuff on the polar website and the concept2 indoor rowing forum is full of HR geeks.
220-age is a good starting point as others have said but it has its flaws, namely when you input the national age-group triathletes into the equation... zonal training is very effective once you get the hang of it but it took me months to really understand the how, where and whens....
220-age is a good starting point as others have said but it has its flaws, namely when you input the national age-group triathletes into the equation... zonal training is very effective once you get the hang of it but it took me months to really understand the how, where and whens....
Kermit power said:
Having bought a Garmin Edge 800 with HRM, I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of it. Part of this means setting up my maximum heart rate properly in it.
This is where it's getting confusing. According to every formula I've found online - and they are numerous - the max heart rate for a 41yr old cycling is somewhere in the region of 178.
Now this is giving me issues for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I will actually peak at around 190 when climbing, and would probably go a little higher than that if I pushed it purely to max out.
Secondly, looking at heart rate training zones, the suggestion seems to be to run at around 60-70% of MHR for fat burning. In my case, just moving slowly on the flat takes my heart rate up to 120-125 or so,which means it's just not practical to ride at this level.
My average heart rate on my commute is around 145, which is supposedly 76%. This feels perfectly comfortable, and I wouldn't struggle to hold a perfectly normal conversation at that rate. On this, my heart rate seems to be misaligned with what my reading suggests I should be feeling at that percentage of max.
Can anyone point me at any sort of resources that explain this all clearly?
I have also found HR training zones to be useless.This is where it's getting confusing. According to every formula I've found online - and they are numerous - the max heart rate for a 41yr old cycling is somewhere in the region of 178.
Now this is giving me issues for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I will actually peak at around 190 when climbing, and would probably go a little higher than that if I pushed it purely to max out.
Secondly, looking at heart rate training zones, the suggestion seems to be to run at around 60-70% of MHR for fat burning. In my case, just moving slowly on the flat takes my heart rate up to 120-125 or so,which means it's just not practical to ride at this level.
My average heart rate on my commute is around 145, which is supposedly 76%. This feels perfectly comfortable, and I wouldn't struggle to hold a perfectly normal conversation at that rate. On this, my heart rate seems to be misaligned with what my reading suggests I should be feeling at that percentage of max.
Can anyone point me at any sort of resources that explain this all clearly?
I'd need to walk, slowly, pushing my bike to get in the middle to lower zones.
But I can happiily ride for over 2.5 hours in High zone (90% of max).
Rocksteadyeddie said:
thegavster said:
There was a story floating around many years ago that 'Big Mig's resting pulse was so low that when hooked up to a HRM in a hospital, it alerted the staff that he was going into cardiac arrest.
It's hard work pumping all that strawberry jam round your veins.
thegavster said:
In my rowing days I seem to remember we would test maximum heart rate by doing a series of 1-2 minute sprints interspersed by a few minutes at light pressure on the ergos. I think I would get about 210, that was when I was 17 years old.
I also remember people hyperventilating, vomiting and generally collapsing.
Bingo, that's what we did as well. We also used lactic acid tests to find our proper zones. This was done by monitoring heart rate whilst on an ergo, then taking blood samples.I also remember people hyperventilating, vomiting and generally collapsing.
okgo said:
Sadly I agree that this is the best way!
Me too...find a hill & rinse yourself out on it. Warm up for a good 10 minutes at least. Slightly increasing yr effort as you go. The hill doesnt want to be a total wall as your legs will probably let go before yr aerobic system is maxed out. Start the climb hard but keep pushing harder the futher you go. Brutal but effective. The 220 minus yr age is a very (very) rough guide. I have a resting of 40 & max out at 196....I'm 38.
Ranmore isn't hard enough . Go up whitedown and I bet my next paycheque on the fact you'll have never hurt like it before in your cycling career.
Or if you're feeling really brave and this
Will max you without a doubt, try Winterfold, max 21% gradiant!!
Or if you're feeling really brave and this
Will max you without a doubt, try Winterfold, max 21% gradiant!!
Edited by okgo on Monday 19th September 23:54
swerni said:
Drive over there then play on the hills.
I very much doubt you will get to max heart rate on a rowing machine.
I've never heard anyone suggest you can't max out on a rower before!I very much doubt you will get to max heart rate on a rowing machine.
I usually find if I alternate between 30 seconds of 2 minutes per 500m pace and 30 seconds of giving it absolutely everything I can that I'll be falling off the machine after about 5 minutes.
okgo said:
Ranmore isn't hard enough . Go up whitedown and I bet my next paycheque on the fact you'll have never hurt like it before in your cycling career.
Or if you're feeling really brave and this
Will max you without a doubt, try Winterfold, max 21% gradiant!!
The problem with those is that I'd run out of gears before I ran out of puff! With the benefit of hindsight, buying a road bike with a lowest gear of 39x28 probably wasn't the smartest move for someone of 18 stone and questionable fitness! Or if you're feeling really brave and this
Will max you without a doubt, try Winterfold, max 21% gradiant!!
One of the reasons I want to get fitter and lighter is to increase the gradients I can climb.
Maxing your heart rate is not that scientific. It just means pushing yourself, and pushing yourself, anf then pushing yourself some more. If you don't feel like throwing up, and you can walk at anything more than a stagger then you could have gone harder. It's not pleasant but at least its over pretty quickly!
thegavster said:
There was a story floating around many years ago that 'Big Mig's resting pulse was so low that when hooked up to a HRM in a hospital, it alerted the staff that he was going into cardiac arrest.
I was in hospital 6 weeks ago and they had to mark my chart as 'athlete'. When I came out of surgery, they'd come round 4 times a day to hook me up to check blood pressure, heartrate and O2 sat(?). When they put the thing on my finger and turned on the machine the alarms would go off. After that they'd check the chart and set the machine to silent before connecting it. Heart rate silly low, blood pressure slightly low yet oxygen content above what they thought. Probably my proudest moment since starting cycling when they had to mark up that chart 
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