Forget Your Bloody MHR!

My max heart rate should be 203. I can get it VERY close to 210.

ToffoIsMe said:

My max heart rate should be 203. I can get it VERY close to 210.

Geeeez! I give up!🙁

My max heart rate is 250. Heck, I don't even come close to stressing my heart when I ride.😄

The thing about HRmax is that many training articles, zones, coaching plans, etc. are written from that reference point. People read stuff and they want to know if they are training "correctly" (ie, per the articles they've read), but maybe they're afraid to really push it to the limit, so they look for another way to estimate their HRmax (like asking other people about theirs 😕 ).

Bottom line is that many people are interested in discussing it, so it's probably best for those who don't to just ignore certain threads.

What's my HRmax? I'm assuming it's probably at least a couple beats higher than I've ever seen it on my HRM, which is 192. For training zones, it's not important that they be refined down to the beat, so swagging HRmax within 5-10 beats is close enough to be useful.

the only reason I worry about HR is out of curiosity, so I know how hard I am going especially uphill (wow- 200 bpm) , and when I am pushing damned hard into a headwind, thinking I am at least 190 but looking at the display and seeing 180...strange... it's just like having a tacho on your car dashboard.

Aussie Steve said:

the only reason I worry about HR is out of curiosity, so I know how hard I am going especially uphill (wow- 200 bpm) , and when I am pushing damned hard into a headwind, thinking I am at least 190 but looking at the display and seeing 180...strange... it's just like having a tacho on your car dashboard.

Aussie you said "worry". Are you worried when you reach 200bpm? You haven't fallen of the bike, you have no chest pains, your breathing is heavy but you're still breathing. You're not going to vomit - well not quite!😄

Out on the road I have no way of knowing my HR and I don't want to know; yes sometimes on a hill I really push it, my heart is throbbing in my ears like a Japanese drum and I'm gasping for breath but I'm still moving. When I reach the top, then comes the real acid test. How soon do I recover? At the moment, very quickly. Come the day I don't recover soon, then and only then will I start to worry about my HR.

Sillyoldtwit said:

By worrying about your HR all the time, you are perhaps not getting the full benefit from your training.

Twit,
this applies both ways! IF you don't worry about your heart rate you may not be going hard enough! HR is very useful and if you don't think so then great, no need to get all uptight about it.. cheeezz.:p

Jono L said:

Twit,
this applies both ways! IF you don't worry about your heart rate you may not be going hard enough! HR is very useful and if you don't think so then great, no need to get all uptight about it.. cheeezz.:p

Point taken, but the worriers worry about it going/being to high. The warriors don't give a damn. And the name is TYSON :p

Sillyoldtwit said:

Aussie you said "worry". Are you worried when you reach 200bpm? You haven't fallen of the bike, you have no chest pains, your breathing is heavy but you're still breathing. You're not going to vomit - well not quite!😄

Out on the road I have no way of knowing my HR and I don't want to know; yes sometimes on a hill I really push it, my heart is throbbing in my ears like a Japanese drum and I'm gasping for breath but I'm still moving. When I reach the top, then comes the real acid test. How soon do I recover? At the moment, very quickly. Come the day I don't recover soon, then and only then will I start to worry about my HR.

I never suffer chest pains, vomit feelins, throbbing in ears or anything else that people talk about with maxing out the heart.

Am I not riding hard enough? Or is my limit simply somewhere else, possibly breathing?

Sillyoldtwit said:

Point taken, but the worriers worry about it going/being to high. The warriors don't give a damn. And the name is TYSON :p

What a bunch of [censored].

Why don't you go and race an enduro 24 hour race and not worry about your HR and see how many hours before you blow up? I've seen plenty of heros zipping by in the early hours (probably sitting right on LT) only to completely blow (to the point of losing control of basic bodily functions) at the 10-12 hour mark.

It's less important in road racing, as you are either with the bunch or you've been dropped (except if you are off the front). In terms of training knowing what it is and calculating your training zones is also important. There are days and times during a complete training program, that you should be doing long hours at E1. Again I know plenty of guys that ride right on the red line on every training session at 90-100% HR max, though don't know any of them that ride A grade (or better). I don't know, maybe you are just special.

--brett

Sillyoldtwit said:

Aussie you said "worry"....

I think something got lost in the translation here...

when Aussie said:
"the only reason I worry about HR is out of curiosity"
I believe he meant:
"the only reason I bother about HR is out of curiosity"

...it's an aussie thing, it's the way we speak.

mikesbytes said:

I never suffer chest pains, vomit feelins, throbbing in ears or anything else that people talk about with maxing out the heart.

Am I not riding hard enough? Or is my limit simply somewhere else, possibly breathing?

Probably not near your max, IMO.

frenchyge said:

The thing about HRmax is that many training articles, zones, coaching plans, etc. are written from that reference point. People read stuff and they want to know if they are training "correctly" (ie, per the articles they've read), but maybe they're afraid to really push it to the limit, so they look for another way to estimate their HRmax (like asking other people about theirs 😕 ).

Bottom line is that many people are interested in discussing it, so it's probably best for those who don't to just ignore certain threads.

What's my HRmax? I'm assuming it's probably at least a couple beats higher than I've ever seen it on my HRM, which is 192. For training zones, it's not important that they be refined down to the beat, so swagging HRmax within 5-10 beats is close enough to be useful.

You're right Frenchy, it is just that there have been so many threads of late relating to HR/MHR.

I shan't say anymore except to answer Rd who posted earlier.

Quoted post said:

My max heart rate is 250. Heck, I don't even come close to stressing my heart when I ride.😄

My MHR is 270bpm but I try to keep it at 269bpm because I don't want to damage my heart.🙄 😄

flipper said:

I think something got lost in the translation here...

when Aussie said:
"the only reason I worry about HR is out of curiosity"
I believe he meant:
"the only reason I bother about HR is out of curiosity"

...it's an aussie thing, it's the way we speak.

No worries mate 😉

Sillyoldtwit said:

"Oh dear, my hearts beating at 177.352 - that's .352 above what my MHR should be - I'd better slow down." 😄 TYSON

I am absolutely with Tyson on this one, see the other MHR thread as well. You cannot design your training based on a formula for "the average person". That cuts both ways, by the way: Your true MHR may both be higher or lower than the average. And neither case says much about your fitness, either.

sideshow_bob said:

Why don't you go and race an enduro 24 hour race...

IME, most enduro riders go by RPE. Few people want to strap on a HRM for a 24 hour event. I don't. Regardless, I don't think the OP was referring to enduro events when he started this thread.

Sillyoldtwit said:

There seems to be an obsession with Maximum Heart Rate among some people in these forums.

Get out there and blast it. When you collapse in a heap (very unlikely) you will know you've exceeded your max.

By worrying about your HR all the time, you are perhaps not getting the full benefit from your training.

"Oh dear, my hearts beating at 177.352 - that's .352 above what my MHR should be - I'd better slow down." 😄 TYSON

Is worrying about MHR the new "worrying about penis size" size? Honestly, how is it any different. Is knowing that your penis is bigger or smaller than average going to change performance. Can we agree on a new saying, like its not the size of the ship or something. I.E., it's not the speed of the rider's heart, but the heart of the speedy rider?

I also think that this issue is so persistent because all of us see flare ups in training that well exceed these medically endorsed formulas and the suggestion is that we will have a heart attack if we don't keep it below the proscribed zone. But what is true for a fat slob undergoing a stess test is probably not true for serious fit cyclists.

I did find the Hr figures published during the TdF pretty interesting, but it certainly wasn't the guy that could keep it pinned at the max that won.

The enduro guy is right, for centuries or long races, a HRM is key to keeping you from blowing up too soon. Over 8 hours, those few beats over or under the zone do matter. But on a two hour training ride? If you have to push it for a few minutes to stay with the pack, you are still better off than hanging back and getting dropped.

sideshow_bob said:

What a bunch of [censored].

Why don't you go and race an enduro 24 hour race and not worry about your HR and see how many hours before you blow up? I've seen plenty of heros zipping by in the early hours (probably sitting right on LT) only to completely blow (to the point of losing control of basic bodily functions) at the 10-12 hour mark.

It's less important in road racing, as you are either with the bunch or you've been dropped (except if you are off the front). In terms of training knowing what it is and calculating your training zones is also important. There are days and times during a complete training program, that you should be doing long hours at E1. Again I know plenty of guys that ride right on the red line on every training session at 90-100% HR max, though don't know any of them that ride A grade (or better). I don't know, maybe you are just special.

--brett

Agreed. Of course power would be optimal, but HR is a [censored] cheaper and still VERY useful.

The highest I've seen on a HRM while riding is 197 which is a correct maxhr if you go by the common standard, however. I went out running the other day and went for a mile pr. I avged 187, but during the last 400 ft I sprinted as hard as i could go and reached 208...