Heart Rate Concerns

[Steve91]

Evening all,

I ride with a heart rate monitor on and I'm a little concerned that it's a little high. I started riding again about 6 weeks ago after 4 months off the bike, and I struggled round 8 miles, averaging 14mph and an average HR of 169bpm. 7 weeks later and yesterday I completed a 30 mile ride at 15.1mph so I'm for sure fitter on the bike, but my heart rate average was 168bpm.

Is this high enough to be concerned about? My partner is a little worried that it's high but when I'm out riding I feel pretty ok with it. I am overweight (6ft3 and a shade over 17 stone) so I know that won't help, but I wasn't sure if it's a risk to myself or if it should be coming down.

Cheers all!

[Wilmslowboy]

Absolute HR doesn't really mean anything, need to know what is your max heart rate, i.e dying on a steep climb, then compare the 168 to that.

My max is 188, and I often see an average of 166 on a long climb.

As long as you feel ok (not anxious, overly breathless and it drops back in due time) I would suggest you are ok, if any of the above symptoms, seek help.

Odd things that effect my heart rate include, time of day I ride, weather, hay fever.

Edited by Wilmslowboy on Friday 8th May 21:39

[frisbee]

I took a friend new to cycling out for a ride last year. We stopped so they could have a drink and happened to compare heart rates. Mine was 85, their heart rate was 170. They averaged 170 with a max of 200, I averaged 105 with a max of 130.

Age and fitness make a big difference to average and maximum heart rate. They are in their late 20s.

[Marcellus]

As already said the absolute number is not really an issue, it’
s how quickly it recovers back to normal that is.

For example; I just push a pedal and my hr goes to 150+, I start to work and it’ll go to 165/170, I do something stupid and it’ll top out at 190/195, stop at the coffee & cafe stop and by the time I’m ordering it’s down to 65/70. Spoke to a friendly cardiologist and no issue, also ignore the max HR as my theoretical max is 167!

However, if you are concerned have a chat to your doctor.

[TeaNoSugar]

I was always told that the key fitness indicators on HR are the difference between max and resting HR (the wider the gap generally the better), and how quickly your HR drops back towards resting after exercise (should really drop back in a few minutes, definitely shouldn’t still be racing 10 minutes after you’ve stopped.

I used to have a resting HR of about 52-54 and max HR of about 185. I probably ought to work them out again but I reckon my resting HR is more like 60-65 at the moment so not a great start!

Don’t worry about your max HR though In isolation as it’s not all that significant. A low resting rate is generally very good though. Anything sub-60 is decent, sub-50 is what a lot of elite athletes have (Miguel Indurain supposedly had a resting HR of about 30, and he was pretty decent cyclist in his day)

[Zigster]

Similar for me - my heart rate tends to go very high (particularly when running). I have regular company medical and have raised it there and they seemed relaxed about it.

I don’t get an indicated 200 any more! But Saturday’s run was a short but quick one and I averaged 163 with a peak of 184. I’m 50 and I good physical shape.

[defblade]

TeaNoSugar said:

Don’t worry about your max HR though In isolation as it’s not all that significant. A low resting rate is generally very good though. Anything sub-60 is decent, sub-50 is what a lot of elite athletes have (Miguel Indurain supposedly had a resting HR of about 30, and he was pretty decent cyclist in his day)

Too low a resting HR does significantly increase the chances of DVT, so don't worry if you can't get all the way down!

[stuarthat]

Rouge guide 220 minus your age =mhr

[Steve91]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't think it was too much to worry about. Up a steepish hill this morning I hit 179, so maybe that's a sign that my fitness is getting there!

Looking back on Strava the times I've hit a really high number are when I'm sprinting, probably to overtake someone.

[IrateNinja]

defblade said:

Too low a resting HR does significantly increase the chances of DVT, so don't worry if you can't get all the way down!

I didn't know this until recently, but doped up pros in the 90s used to have to wake themselves before sleeping too long as their lowest resting heart rate was sufficiently dangerous to kill with the cocktails they were on!

[Daveyraveygravey]

stuarthat said:

Rouge guide 220 minus your age =mhr

Don't go there! Nobody ever quotes that in seriousness.
One thing to check could be the batteries in your HR monitor, if they are old and near end of life they can give you false readings.
I ride to work 2-3 times a week, and then home again in the evening. Last week, going in, my average HR was around 130 and the max under 150. Going home, within 5 minutes of starting to ride, I hit an indicated max of around 240, and average 170. I generally take it easy going home, which takes about an hour, so the average gradually sinks to 150 or less. I also have an HR monitor in my watch which is much more aligned with morning rides. Maybe a day at work, with probably two teas and two coffees is enough to push my HR up. But I just don't believe the silly high figures.

[stuarthat]

I did express a rough guide and obviously use a correct hrm
Heart rate zones

Given the simplicity of the 220-age formula it seems that keeping it simple is what busy riders want. I therefore use just a three-zone training regime, backed up by research of elite HR training data and used effectively to train athletes to PBs, goal achievements and medals.

Zone 1. 55 to 80% HRmax You should do at least two thirds of your training at a steady state eff ort – less than approx 75%HRmax is better for beginners.

Zone 2. 81 to 85% HRmax This can be useful late winter to early season to start to work the system harder but once racing or doing intervals this is no mans land. Fitness riders can use this for their interval work but it is not to be used for continuous sessions.

Zone 3. 86% and above Around a third of training time is performed way above lactic threshold, ideally as intervals of 3 to 10 minutes in other sports.To hit this zone on a bike try a series of 8-12 30 second sprints with 4.5 mins of rest in between.

Note maximum power eff orts of 8-10 seconds will raise HR around 10-15 beats, in this scenario HR does not refl ect the training eff ort as well as power measurement. For a table to estimate your HRmax based on the new 205 equation go to www.JBST. com, click downloads, then click tools and look under HR Tools.
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[Paul Drawmer]

stuarthat said:

I did express a rough guide and obviously use a correct hrm
Heart rate zones
<<snip>>

Would you care to make this cut n' paste understandable?

[TeaNoSugar]

IrateNinja said:

defblade said:

Too low a resting HR does significantly increase the chances of DVT, so don't worry if you can't get all the way down!

I didn't know this until recently, but doped up pros in the 90s used to have to wake themselves before sleeping too long as their lowest resting heart rate was sufficiently dangerous to kill with the cocktails they were on!

I thought that was for a slightly different reason; that they had very low resting heart rates, but also that the cocktail of PEDs at the time used to cause blood thickening, which was very dangerous especially when combined with having ridiculously low resting HR?

Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s how I understood it.

In any case, anyone interested in Heart rate, heart health and fitness stuff should watch some of the recent documentaries on the pro cycling world. Some of them are jaw dropping when you see/hear what they were doing to themselves and the extremely high personal risks (I think one member of US Postal team re-infused himself with EPO-rich blood that he’d taken before the Tour De France, and realised after a minute or two that it wasn’t his, it was one of his teammates. The rest of the description he gives is pretty grim!)

[BobSaunders]

75 miles on the flat yesterday - average heart rate 154. max 180.

35miles big hills last week - average 147. Max 175.

Unless you are clutching your chest, i wouldn't worry too much.

[stuarthat]

Paul Drawmer said:

Would you care to make this cut n' paste understandable?

I understand it pasted because explains far better than me typing for forty mins .

[IrateNinja]

TeaNoSugar said:

I thought that was for a slightly different reason; that they had very low resting heart rates, but also that the cocktail of PEDs at the time used to cause blood thickening, which was very dangerous especially when combined with having ridiculously low resting HR?

Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s how I understood it.

In any case, anyone interested in Heart rate, heart health and fitness stuff should watch some of the recent documentaries on the pro cycling world. Some of them are jaw dropping when you see/hear what they were doing to themselves and the extremely high personal risks (I think one member of US Postal team re-infused himself with EPO-rich blood that he’d taken before the Tour De France, and realised after a minute or two that it wasn’t his, it was one of his teammates. The rest of the description he gives is pretty grim!)

Yes that's what i remember - the combination of EPO (i think?) increasing red blood cells, making their blood more viscous, and heart rate naturally dropping during sleeps was the hazard from what I understand. Not a doctor, so quite possibly very wrong.

[smn159]

stuarthat said:

Paul Drawmer said:

Would you care to make this cut n' paste understandable?

I understand it pasted because explains far better than me typing for forty mins .

Tell me more about your daily deals

[MC Bodge]

IrateNinja said:

Yes that's what i remember - the combination of EPO (i think?) increasing red blood cells, making their blood more viscous, and heart rate naturally dropping during sleeps was the hazard from what I understand. Not a doctor, so quite possibly very wrong.

That's how it was described in "The Secret Race. Inside the hidden world of the tdf: doping, cover-ups and winning at all costs". An excellent book and the basis for some of the documentaries.

[lufbramatt]

How are you measuring your HR? wrist or chest strap?

Wrist based ones with the optical sensor are a bit random unless you have the strap done up super tight. Chest based ones are better.