Heart Rates and Effort Levels

"SmilingPolitely" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I am a reasonably fit (wanting to get fitter) 34 old male, 5'11" and weighing in at 84kg at the
moment. I am getting back into sports after a long lay off due to injuries and surgeries. I have
started cycling, power walking and jogging, and am sailing dinghies competitively.

I have calculated by heart rate effort zones thus: Max HR 220 - 34 = 186 80% Effort = 149 70%
Effort = 130 60% Effort = 111 50% Effort = 93

Or, if MHR=maximum and RHR =resting,

[205-Age/2-RHR]x[.5 or .6 or ... or.9]+RHR [205-(34/2)-RHR]x[.5 or .6 or .7 or .8 or .9]+RHR=128x[.5
or .6 .... or .9]+RHR

MHR=[205-17-RHR]x[1.0]+RHR=188

If RHR=60,

90% -- 175 (128x.9+60) 80% -- 162 70% -- 150 60% -- 137 50% -- 124

Quoted message said:

When I am cycling I can maintain my HR comfortably between 130 and 149, I haven't worn my HRM
sailing so don't know what happens there, but as soon as I start power walking or jogging my HR
jumps straight into the high 180's! Even for a slow jog, and I am yet to try running! It seems
that any pedestrian activity massively elevates my HR. Surely this is not normal? What can I do
about it? What can be done about it?

Normal for cycling rate to be lower than running. However, the highest my HR ever reached was while
cycling up long hills trying to keep up with the faster riders.

Quoted message said:

Secondly, is there some safe way for me to measure my own maximum sustainable heart rate? Maybe,
as an individual I should be using different numbers for my zones?

Will measure lower for the bicycle than the treadmill.

Usual method to warm up and do a sustained run (or cycle) accelerating gradually for some minutes
until you reach your limit. As you reach your limit, accelerate some more for good measure and track
HR. If you can, accelerate even more. If you do this and have incipient heart disease, you may end
up horizontal and win a Darwin award. If you run on a treadmill in a gym, you can reduce joint
stress by inclining the mill to 5-10% and running more slowly.

Quoted message said:

Any comments or suggestions would be welcome.

P.S. I do have a doctors appointment soon, but I just can't wait for an answer as tomorrow is
another training day!

SmilingPolitely said:

I am a reasonably fit (wanting to get fitter) 34 old male, 5'11" and weighing in at 84kg at the
moment. I am getting back into sports after a long lay off due to injuries and surgeries. I have
started cycling, power walking and jogging, and am sailing dinghies competitively.

I have calculated by heart rate effort zones thus: Max HR 220 - 34 = 186 80% Effort = 149 70%
Effort = 130 60% Effort = 111 50% Effort = 93

First as you suggest below it is best to test to find your own HR zones. Calcualted methods
are known to not be accurate enough for training purposes, people are just to differnet.
I've always used Joe Friels methods from hsi Triathlete Training Bible. However just got
done reading his and Gordon Byrn's Going Long and they have a much simpler method. The
method is to, warm up fully, then run or cycle at a pace you think you can hold for 30
minutes. The average HR of the final 20 minutes of the test is your Lactic Threshold HR. You
can then create your zones using the chart he has or I'm sure something similar is on the
net somewhere.

Quoted message said:

When I am cycling I can maintain my HR comfortably between 130 and 149, I haven't worn my HRM
sailing so don't know what happens there, but as soon as I start power walking or jogging my HR
jumps straight into the high 180's! Even for a slow jog, and I am yet to try running! It seems that
any pedestrian activity massively elevates my HR. Surely this is not normal? What can I do about
it? What can be done about it?

Nothings "Normal". Could be any number of things ranging your just out of shape to maybe your HR
zones are that high. You won't know until you try and do a test. Paying attention to percieved
effort is also very important. Does 180 "feel" very hard or easy? If it feels hard it could be that
you may need to start of with a run walk type of regime and work up to running. Just out of
curiousity I'm wondering what your definition of running and jogging is. This debate comes up on
occasion over at R.R. so just wondering.

<Snip>

Quoted message said:

P.S. I do have a doctors appointment soon, but I just can't wait for an answer as tomorrow is
another training day!

Unless your doctor is a sports doctor I doubt that he/she will be able to answer your
above questions. However it always a good idea to let them check and make sure you still
have a heart or it doesn't apear to have a huge hole in it or your suffering from some
other malady.

Good luck ~Matt

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

soon as I start power walking or jogging my HR jumps straight into the high 180's! Even for a
slow jog, and I am yet to try running! It seems that any pedestrian activity massively elevates
my HR. Surely this is not normal? What can I do about it? What can be done about it?

You can relax and train.

I find my heart rate often goes quite high (mid 170's) in the first 8 minutes or so of a run. I
think this is just due to excitement at the begining of a run. Thereafter as I relax and settle in
to the effort my pulse lowers to a "normal" rate.

For reference: I'm male 45, 5'11" 200 pounds, at 8 min/mile my pulse is around 152 bpm. When I
started running 2 1/2 years ago, my pulse would be around 166 bpm @ 9 min/miles. I can now run a lot
more 8 minute miles than I could 9 minute miles when I started. I have increased my speed and
reduced my running heartrate by training. I have followed generally the training plan as suggested
in Galloway's book on running.

You should also consider consulting a trainer early on. I think I wasted much of my first year by
not following any sort of training plan, not doing any structured workouts and trying too hard to
run hard all the time.

mike p

SmilingPolitely said:

I am a reasonably fit (wanting to get fitter) 34 old male, 5'11" and weighing in at 84kg at the
moment. I am getting back into sports after a long lay off due to injuries and surgeries. I have
started cycling, power walking and jogging, and am sailing dinghies competitively.

I have calculated by heart rate effort zones thus: Max HR 220 - 34 = 186 80% Effort = 149 70%
Effort = 130 60% Effort = 111 50% Effort = 93

When I am cycling I can maintain my HR comfortably between 130 and 149, I haven't worn my HRM
sailing so don't know what happens there, but as soon as I start power walking or jogging my HR
jumps straight into the high 180's! Even for a slow jog, and I am yet to try running! It seems
that any pedestrian activity massively elevates my HR. Surely this is not normal? What can I do
about it? What can be done about it?

Secondly, is there some safe way for me to measure my own maximum sustainable heart rate? Maybe,
as an individual I should be using different numbers for my zones?

Any comments or suggestions would be welcome.

P.S. I do have a doctors appointment soon, but I just can't wait for an answer as tomorrow is
another training day!

I see something similar at the start of a run if I haven't wet my HRM strap or chest enough. It
often shows a constant rate of around 170-180 until I either start to sweat enough, or get sick of
it and find a tap to splash more water on my chest. So it may be something as simple as that.

Dave B.