General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate Rss Feed  
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2004-12-16 3:43 PM

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Master
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Subject: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
When testing your Biking Max HeartRate, should you stay seated or is it ok to get out of the saddle?

Is it ok to use what you get up to in a spinning class? (As far as spinning goes, it was definitely at or close to a max rate! But I don't know if that equates to outdoor biking.)

The reason I ask is that I did my first heart rate monitored bike yesterday, indoors on a spinner. I was supposed to stay in Zone 2 and man, I struggled to just get it mid Zone 2. I thought Zone 2 was supposed to be easy. To figure out my Max Bike Rate, I simply took 10 beats lower than my Running Max Rate, which I know is dead on. But, the best I ever saw in a spin class was still about 7 beats lower than that, so I'm thinking I'm overestimating my max Bike rate.


2004-12-16 4:03 PM
in reply to: #93404

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Champion
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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
Zone2 is supposed to be easy. FWIW, my bike max is higher than my run max. How did you get your run max?
2004-12-16 4:05 PM
in reply to: #93404

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Lethbridge, Alberta
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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
I was just about to ask about recently pushing my heart rate way above what is predicted as max while trying out the programs on a cycle machine. (I was seated.) I felt fine afterwards but was worried that I shouldn't be getting my heart rate that high. Is pushing that hard common in a spinning class?


Edited by Micawber 2004-12-16 4:08 PM
2004-12-16 4:27 PM
in reply to: #93404

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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate

Whenever I get my HR above what I had previously thought was my max, I just loook at it as a new max. This has not happened BTW since I saw 200. As far as testing goes, I take max to mean max as in "I'm gonna hurl first, then explode" this is the maximum that I could possibly ever see, not that I can sustain for any longer than it takes to register on the HRM.

Stand, sit, I don't think it matters.

2004-12-16 4:37 PM
in reply to: #93404

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Master
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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
To answer the 2 previous questions...

ride_like_u_stole_it - 2004-12-16 4:03 PM

Zone2 is supposed to be easy. FWIW, my bike max is higher than my run max. How did you get your run max?


I got my Running Max HR during the sprint at the end of a 5k race. A few other times, I've come within a beat or two, so I'm confident in its accuracy. However, it is almost 15 beats greater than the formula 220-age would give me, so perhaps my bike rate should be based off that lower max?


Micawber - 2004-12-16 4:05 PM

I was just about to ask about recently pushing my heart rate way above what is predicted as max while trying out the programs on a cycle machine. (I was seated.) I felt fine afterwards but was worried that I shouldn't be getting my heart rate that high. Is pushing that hard common in a spinning class?


Spinning definitely gets your heart rate pushing the max. But there's alot of "jumps" out of the saddle, so i'm thinking it's not really representative of a true biking experience.


2004-12-16 7:34 PM
in reply to: #93404

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Master
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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate

What are you using your max HR for?  If you are using it for setting training zones, you might want to read through this thread:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=10522&posts=70

I blieve most coaches and athletes are using lactate threshold to set training zones.

TJ



2004-12-16 8:31 PM
in reply to: #93404

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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
For those interested in some slightly technical information regarding testing and setting your training levels without blood testing (which is helpful), I just put a new article up on my site www.physfarm.com.

Phil
2004-12-17 12:13 AM
in reply to: #93412

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Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
I wouldn't worry too much about elevating your HR above your "predicted" max -- those formulas are extremely generalized and frequently are vastly different from an individual's ACTUAL max HR.

As far as getting up that high in spinning class........you'd probably do yourself more good by training at a lower HR -- prolonged, vastly anaerobic efforts are pretty stressful for your body, and unless you stick to sprints you're probably not going to race at that pace anyway.
2004-12-17 9:18 AM
in reply to: #93500

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Master
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New Jersey
Subject: RE: Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate
zia_cyclist - 2004-12-16 7:34 PM

What are you using your max HR for?  If you are using it for setting training zones, you might want to read through this thread:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=10522&posts=70

I blieve most coaches and athletes are using lactate threshold to set training zones.

TJ



Now don't get me wrong, I'm not disputing the theory of setting your zones based off of LT and ignoring Max Rate - I just have never heard of it anywhere but on this forum. If I understand correctly, Friel's book discusses this, so I plan to get it and hopefully it will enlighten me.

But, for the record, I talked to Don Fink (author of Be IronFit), to another professional tri-coach, and also to a past Ironman winner. I also asked some other tri-athletes and some personal trainers. And I searched through the various books I have. And every single one of these sources said to use your Max as a starting point.
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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Getting your Biking Max Heart Rate Rss Feed