Heart Rate Monitor

[fmfkx125372]

Who uses one? I have been using the bike at the gym for a while and it has a heart rate monitor. I am recovering from an ACL injury and am staying away from running for a while since it is such a high impact for my knee. I have been using the monitor and the chart on the wall says that my target heart rate should be 50-75% of my max heart rate (197). When I am on the bike and try to hit the target heart rate, it doesn't do much for me. I don't breathe heavy at all, and have to get my heart rate up to 160-170 before I start to feel anything. Am I missing something?

I would love to hear from anyone who is experienced with heart rate monitors. I have seen that a lot of people say that working out with a heart rate monitor is a very efficient way to work out...

 

[mgorman]

A lot of guys use them for road race training. I have been trying the same but haven't realy gotten into it. I have been on the bike doing roller races where you sprint full on for 5 minutes. When I am done my legs burn like heck but my heart rarely goes over 164 and I am supposed to be under 145-180 range. I tried to max it out on the rower last night but only got to 170. I think if I started running, I could get it to go higher.

The main thing I beleive they use them for is to keep from bonking by regulating output during a race such as a triathalon.

Jonala is a bike guru who will probably know a lot.

I have a friend that wear one during scrambles only because he has a heart condition. He checks it frequently when feeling bad.

The highest I ever went was a few years back during a mountainbike race when it went 204 and felt like I was going to pass out. It never went over 180 since.

 

[Jeepboy]

I bought a heart rate monitor when I decided to lose weight. It worked great since I was able to workout in the correct zone which allowed me to do 2 hr workouts. Without the heart rate monitor I tend to workout to hard and burn out quickly. Since I have been working out for almost a year now, I rarely use the monitor since I can sense what my heart rate is at by my percieved exertion level. I've always wanted to use it while riding so I can adjust my workouts to better prepare me. It may not make me a faster rider though, since I am not limited by my cardiovascular shape, but more by armpump and muscle fatigue in my shoulders.

 

[JTT]

The idea is to train in specific zones, that being either aerobic or anaerobic. Aerobic training is good to build a "base" and for endurance. Anareobic is the higher HR zones.

Training in the aerobic zone is great for building endurance. When I wa cycling a lot, we used to do LSD rides (ok, you can stop laughing now...) which stand for Long, Slow, Distance. These rides commonly lasted 4-6 hrs and were all aerobic. In fact, if you couldn't easily carry on a conversation with other riders, you were working too hard. Later in the training season, we went on to interval training (anaerobic). I found that tose months of LSD rides were the most benifitial training tool I had ever used. Developed great endurance. The intervals come later once you have a solid fitness base, but are also important, particularly in the MX world, where races are generally short, but intensity is very high.

Basically, what the HR monitor does is allow you to learn to listen to your own body. It feeds you hard facts about what is really going on. After some time using it, you will find that you can "feel" almost precisely where your HR is without the monitor, and as Jeepboy pointed out, this allows you to pace yourself accurately.

Hope this helps some :think

 

[MXFastGuy]

My wife uses one for walking/running, and swears by it. It helps keep you in the "zone" without having to stop your exercise and check your heart rate. I tend to go more by "feel."

Side note: Ryan Hughes was at a local race this summer and when interviewed after a moto the announcer asked him about the thing on his wrist. He said it was a heart rate monitor, and he always wears one when training (riding or otherwise). He said his heartrate at the time was something like 115 (just pulling off after smoking the locals). He said his resting heart rate was 37 (I kindof wonder about that one, though!).

 

[skmcbride]

I wouldn't put a lot of faith in the accuracy of a heart rate monitor on a piece of exercise equipment, they are inherently undependable. Personal monitors e.g. Polar are usually pretty good, but the information you get is only as good as what you know about your fitness. Ideally, anyone considering the use of heart rate monitor training should get a graded exercise test on either a treadmill or a stationary bike. Competitive runners and bikers that know their bodies can also run certain distances at optimal performance and determine some critical values. The key determinant is what is termed anaerobic threshold or lactate threshold. Simplified, it is a shift in energy consumption from aerobic pathways: glucose (in various forms), protein and fat, to anaerobic pathways: largely glucose. This metabolic shift corresponds to a given heart rate and an oxygen consumption number that is different depending on your fitness. Training would than focus on sessions below, near, at, and above this heart rate number depending on your goals. This can get complicated as fatigue and efficiency can throw HR numbers off in a given session. I have trained with and without a monitor and I am pretty serious about training. I also offer support to trainers and athletes alike. I believe that unless you are an elite athlete, particularly a triathlete, the use of a HR monitor will not benefit a healthy individual just trying to get fit. People tend to focus on the numbers and lose sight of the big picture, getting fit. Obsession with the HR monitor is a common problem. Unless you intend to incorporate a variety of training methods such as threshold training, VO2 max training, intervals etc.. the monitor will give you little more information than what you feel from your body. I do all these training methods without a monitor. I do, however, take a graded exercise test twice a year to get some feedback on my effectiveness of my training. If you think a HR monitor is for you, go for it. It can work for some; just don't let the monitor dictate your work out as your perception is what really matters. JTT is correct about building a base level of fitness; my term for these sessions is called the "pace of the day." No monitors or stop watches just a long distance workout at a comfortable pace. That pace will differ for any given day factoring in rest, fatigue, previous day's work-out, etc....
Sounds to me, coming off an ACL injury, you have bigger fish to fry. Mix in some elliptical training with the bike, your ACL will thank you for it. If you would like some tips on using power output (much more accurate) and exertion on exercise equipment to guide you I would be glad to offer some help. You can get the variety of loading to your body to maximize the training effect.
Good Luck, Keith

 

[lawman]

i used 1 for years when i was doing triathlons & bicycle races. i think all of the above comments are well-taken; the only things i'd add are that i think it can be a very effective tool, used properly. don't get too hung up on charts, everybody's heart rate will be different. either get a test as recommended by sk, or experiment with it to get a feel for your body. example: when i was really fit, my resting pulse rate (rpr) was 42. my max was 180 or so. i had a buddy who could regularly get his to 222, but we were about dead even in the bike races. 1 of the main determinants of your rpr & max hr is your genetics, & training will change it only so much.

the monitor helped me alot when training & racing; most people train all the time at about 80%, when really you need some days of lsd & some short intervals of very intense, anaerobic training. it was esp. helpful when training alone, which is boring as hell.

 

[Anssi]

Originally posted by MXFastGuy
He said his heartrate at the time was something like 115 (just pulling off after smoking the locals). He said his resting heart rate was 37 (I kindof wonder about that one, though!).

My resting heart rate is 42, and I'm not in great shape (pretty good shape, though). Much of it is genetic, but I'm sure I will get mine under 40 with more training. I think some endurance athletes are actually very near if not under 30. Remember, this is resting heart rate as measured before you get out of bed in the morning.

 

[CRPilot]

I have a Polar HR monitor that I ride with once in a while just to see what my heart is doing. When riding at race pace mx I'm at about 165-170, but by the time I get back to the pits and off my Bike it's back to 115-120. A fit person will generally have very quick recovery time. By the time Ryan pulled off the trask and made it over to an guy for questions a few minuts have passed. Plenty of thime for his heart to drop to 115.

 

[skmcbride]

My resting heart rate is 42, and I'm not in great shape (pretty good shape, though). Much of it is genetic, but I'm sure I will get mine under 40 with more training. I think some endurance athletes are actually very near if not under 30. Remember, this is resting heart rate as measured before you get out of bed in the morning.

People can have inherently low heart rates but it is far from the driving factor for low rates in athletes. A large part of the training effect is to increase the stroke volume of the heart or cardiac output. Basically, the heart muscle has gotten stronger. Since the heart delivers more blood in each stroke a compensatory slowing of the heart occurs. I have seen 34-36 in a number of serious athletes that I have tested. Cyclists like Lance Armstrong are also likely in the low to mid thirties. Twenties I have not seen or heard of, although who knows that would be one large ticker in one small man or women. In peak shape, I have had mine at 38 bpm, but by no means am I in the same class as these athletes. Body weight, muscle composition, and other factors will affect your ability to keep it low when exercising. The numbers of greater importance is VO2 max or maximal oxygen consumption and lactate / anaerobic threshold. VO2 max can only be increased on average about 15-20% in most people, <15% in most. This is where genetics come into play. Elite endurance athletes have a predisposition or a large capacity to carry and utilize more oxygen as an inherent gift. Large stroke volumes, enlarged aortas, lots of mitochondria to remove the oxygen, high red blood cell counts, and an abundance of type I muscle fibers are the "gifts" that can be molded into elite athletic endurance performances. We all have them and can change them with training, although the baseline correlates highly with the maximal outcome. There are a few exceptions, but not many. For the rest of us we should train to push are lactate threshold higher and higher as this will benefit us most when mx'ing, HS, enduros and alike. We have a greater ceiling with this number as well as it can be pushed closer and closer to your V02 max. When threshold training we will influence are max V02 as well. Resting hearts are only half the picture as what happens when you start exercising is the true litmus test. Some folks do use resting heart rates in the morning to determine fatigue, overtraining, and to lay out their training goals for that day.
Good Luck, Keith

 

[JTT]

Keith, check your PMs

 

[fmfkx125372]

WOW, lot's of great info here... Thanks guys!

A fit person will generally have very quick recovery time.

I agree. I noticed last year during the last few enduros before I blew my ACL that at the resets, my recovery time was very quick compared to the beginning of the season...I attribute that to my training and racing...