HEART RATE ZONES ON BIKE

Gmc · July 2006

Just after getting a HR monitor and want to train a little bit more scientifically. Know all about the different zones but can anyone tell me the best bike test to do the establish the zones.

guv001 · July 2006

Do a 25 mile TT to establish your threshold limit - This should be balls out for 25 m then take the average HR and use this as a level to either train below at or over. Not my view but one that was given to me by a mad cyclist that is fast and strong.

JasonB · July 2006

Whenever I use a heart rate monitor, I seem to be going a fraction of what I feel I can do. Why is this. Bloody annoying all that beeping lol.

DOtriHarder · July 2006

Jason - how have you got the zones set up? You can set threm for your physiology and training demands.

Remember though that >70% of your training should be done at aerobic levels ie 70% of your max heart rate (220-age)*70/100, this will seem like you aren't working hard.

Heartrates on the bike always read lower compared to perceived exertion levels because the body is not fighting gravity (except the beergut)[:D].

Can you set your watch/HRM for measured time beeps so that you can set up interval training based on time not distance? 4 min beeps gives 4mins hard interval and 4 min recovery jog.

David

JasonB · July 2006

Sadly not, well at least I don't think so.

I hav never really set my HRM correctly. I have a Polar HRM. Which is OK I suppose. Maybe I should take time out to set it up correctly.

Thanks.

Jason

Gmc · July 2006

Thanks for the advice folks, between this and other advice received I'm heading out to do a 10 mile warm-up to raise the H.R. followed by a 30 min TT all out. take the average of this and use that as my threshold.

I'll let you know how it goes and we'll see from there.

I've already done a similar one for running which gave me a threshold of 150. I know that's very low, but when I'm running I would fing it very hard to sustain running above this H.R. so I think that's about right.

Gerry

Gmc · July 2006

Well the results are in forom the Irish jury.

Started with a nice easy half hour to warm up (11k) all on a main road so surface was good (for Ireland anyway), just before I begun test I went uphill just to get the HR up a bit, then started the watch and all out for 30mins. J**us 30 mins is a long time when you're watching the clock but I got through it.

I now have my vital statistics

I had an average HR for the ride of 145 with it going to 157 max.

I now have my zones, but I've yet to figure out when to do what.

zone 1 recovery 95-114

zone 2 Extensive endurance 115-129

zone 3 Intensive endurance 130-135

zone 4 sub-threshold 136-144

zone 5A Super threshold 145-148

zone 5B Anaerobic endurance 149-152

zone 5C power 153-158

Gerry

daveweim · July 2006

hi all, just for info; if you can get hold of the 'Going Long' book by Joe Friel he tells you how to do the HR test to establish zones for cycling and running (I think swimming too).

robsaund · July 2006

I've just got an HRM myself and had a crack at establishing my HRmax last night on a turbo. (Too <expletive> hot though!). I'm a newbie to all of this training stuff and found that even though I was giving it some legs on the bike (after warming up and a 5min hard session) I couldn't get anywhere near a peak HR I'd reached whilst out running. I've been told that this is always the case, that HR is lower on the bike than running, and lower again whilst swimming - I never knew that... anyhow, the test I did was:

- warmup,

- 5 mins /hard/ at high cadence (not b@lls out, but get your heart rate up)

- 20s intervals at max cadence followed by short rest. Repeat until HRmax reached.

- beer (oops, warmdown, then beer!)

From there you can establish your zones if you know your resting HR etc...

As a newbie, and, at the risk of getting flamed, there are some guides to training with HRM for various disciplines at www.kineli.co.nz (I got one with the HRM when purchased)

Rgds

Rob

HEART RATE ZONES ON BIKE

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