[kuma]

Ok I just started using a HR monitor on some of my rides. So to determine my max HR, I used the formula they include in the manual which is 220-age=max HR.

According to this, my max should be 193. The reason I say should, is that on one of my first rides, I got it up to 201. Then the next week, I got it up to 204. The other day, I got it up to 208. Now....how the heck do I find out what me real max HR is? Or do I have to keep adjusting my HR monitor everytime I hit a new high? Kinda fustrating because it's throwing my tracking data off big time....

 

[the_prozac_kid]

the 220-age is a pretty rough and ready formula for determining Max HR. below is a link for determining yr Max HR on a bike. its about half-way down the page. hope this helps

http://www.cptips.com/hrmntr.htm

ps/ the rest of the site is pretty interesting in a scienctific way

http://www.cptips.com/toc.htm#table

 

[douglas]

Originally posted by kuma
Ok I just started using a HR monitor on some of my rides. So to determine my max HR, I used the formula they include in the manual which is 220-age=max HR.

According to this, my max should be 193. The reason I say should, is that on one of my first rides, I got it up to 201. Then the next week, I got it up to 204. The other day, I got it up to 208. Now....how the heck do I find out what me real max HR is? Or do I have to keep adjusting my HR monitor everytime I hit a new high? Kinda fustrating because it's throwing my tracking data off big time....

208??
WTF?
That is pretty high, I would die at 208

 

[kuma]

Originally posted by douglas
208??
WTF?
That is pretty high, I would die at 208

Yeah, that's why I was kinda worried. According to that link posted, there is a +/- 11 bpm deviation range which I am out of but then later on in the article it goes to say that up to 5% of the population can have up to a 20 bpm deviation which I am within so I'm not too concerned about it.

I guess I'll keep my max at 208 until I actually get it above that again. According to the article, it should be physically impossible for me to get it above 213 so as long as I'm under that I'm not gonna worry about it. The biggest relief had to be the assurance that being at 100% of max HR isn't deterimental to your health, otherwise I'd be dead severl times over.

 

[monkeywench]

If you want real accuracy you can have detailed heart rate, VO2Max, lactate threshold, etc, tests at any university with a sports medicine program. The general heart rate guidelines are very general.

As a personal example my resting heart rate is 45-47, but my maximum still goes up to the mid 190's during heavy exertion. According to the charts that puts me in a range that's out of whack, yet I've been like this for years and always test fine at the doc's. It definately differs from person to person.

 

[JMAC]

Originally posted by kuma
Ok I just started using a HR monitor on some of my rides. So to determine my max HR, I used the formula they include in the manual which is 220-age=max HR.

According to this, my max should be 193. The reason I say should, is that on one of my first rides, I got it up to 201. Then the next week, I got it up to 204. The other day, I got it up to 208. Now....how the heck do I find out what me real max HR is? Or do I have to keep adjusting my HR monitor everytime I hit a new high? Kinda fustrating because it's throwing my tracking data off big time....

208 you should be like dead i'm 16 and the max i've ever gotten myne to is 195 i think and i was about to die. Just a note when i'm using my MP3 player and HRM at the same time the HRM starts to show crasy readings like 230BPM

 

[Serial Midget]

Originally posted by JMAC
208 you should be like dead i'm 16 and the max i've ever gotten myne to is 195 i think and i was about to die. Just a note when i'm using my MP3 player and HRM at the same time the HRM starts to show crasy readings like 230BPM

Not true JMAC... Max heart rate depends on your fitness level and age, in theory you should be able max out above 204 if you push it. The younger you are the higher your max heart rate.

Anyhow KUMA, I doubt your max heart rate is 208 unless... your lungs and legs were burning beyong belief and your brain was was feeling "light" due to lack of oxygen. If your were comfortable at 208, your max will probably be a few points higher.

By the standard heart rate charts my max heart rate (37 year ould male) should be 183 but I have sustained 193 for one mile while running. The mile clocked in at 6:16, I am a distance runner and not a sprinter so the effort required was painful.

I think a better indication of your fitness level is your resting heart rate. My resting rate is 45 to 48 and is quite good for a person may age. Of course this does not mean I am super fast but it does mean I have a lot of endurance. I am able to sustain 90% of my max for 6 to 8 hours at a time.

What is your resting rate? How many minutes can you sustain 208?

 

[DHRacer]

what kind of HR monitor do you have?

I have a Polar, and there have been a coulple instances when after a work out, it has said my max was 208, 215.. which there is NO WAY I got that high... I usually max out between 173 and 180... granted while I'm not the "most fit" person, I'm not a slug either... so, when you are hitting these 200+, are you CONSISTANLY hitting those marks or is it periodlically? adn how long are you maintaining?

the 220 - age is the rough formula for finding you max, however there is quite a lengthy formula for finding your true max, and target range... most HR monitors are programmed to do all that for you, when you enter your age.

just something to chew on... i'm not saying you didn't actually get there, because I do know those number are attainable...I'm just saying if you felt like it really wasn't that high, but it said it was... then I'd question the monitor... I think I'd pop a lung or pass out at 208 for any extended period of time... LOL!!!

 

[kuma]

SM: My resting heart rate is about 54-55 bpm. Not real low but I'm working on that. I also think people may be misunderstanding me when I say MAX heartrate. I cannot stay at 208 bpm for even 5 seconds. 208 is what my hrm shows as the peak HR I acheived during my ride. That is the number I am having trouble finalizing. It seems to be relatively accurate since during hard climbs where I am huffing and puffing and literally forcing myself to turn the cranks at a pace my body cannot handle, I am constantly in the 201-202 bpm range.

DHRacer: I have a Vetta HR100. Like I mentioned above, I will hit 200+ everytime I hit a hard climb. If I'm cranking on the flats, I can get it near 190 as well. The 190+ on flat ground I can sustain until I give out mentally.

The reason I'm so concerned with this is that I set my training range via my MAX HR right? When I first set up the montior with a supposed 193 max hr, even the 85% range felt ridiculously easy. I would be over 85% just cruising on the flats. My hr seems to jump high really easily and tends to stay there. There are only two ideas I have about this...

1) I'm really out of shape and the 208 is because my heart is trying to work overtime trying to pump blood through my beer filled arteries....or

2) All the training I have done up until now since high school has been all anarobic. Weight lifting, sprints for DH, hill climb races, etc. So maybe my heart is somehow "trained" to stay in the high hr range for whatever reason? I'll be the first to admit my ignorance of medicine so someone please correct me if I'm ging off on a tangent here.

Next time I do a ride, I'll try and get some more data for you folks.

 

[Silver]

You may just have a freaky high max. 208 is kinda crazy though....I feel like I'm going to explode at 196, which is my max on a bicycle.

 

[East Coast Mojo]

I don't want to bash Vetta, but I have never had great results (read as dependability) with them. I only have experience with their cyclocomputers, but they are unreliable at best. I have used a Polar and it was OK - I got rid of it after hassles with the warranty guys. I now use a Sports Instruments, and although I cannot say it is 100% accurate (because I don't have any medically-accurate machines to compare it to) I can say it is very consistant - which is at least a good measure of exertion levels.
I have used it on the bike, running and while doing areobics (boring!) and it is a very reliable tool. On a side note - it is also easy to replace the battery in the transmitter - unlike the Polar - I think a #2032 watch battery is something like $ 4.00.
The only thing I dislike is that infared rays do disrupt the signal so when I am jogging by one of my neighbors' houses (who has a kick-@ss security system with motion dectors), I get erronious readings which I have to ignore. They don't seen to screw up my averages too much so I still run the same route, but I still wonder - WTF has he got in there that he need such a strong security system?

 

[Serial Midget]

There are no absolutes but there are ranges for HR training. Based on what you write I would feel comfortable using a range of 202 to 205.

BTW 85% should feel easy, it is your endurance pace that you should be able to maintain for hours. I don't have the figures in front of me but only 10% of your training should be at 95% or above. HR training does not mean hammer all the time.

 

[gecko]

My question is have you noticed growing any feathers? An alarming craving for seeds, and/or berries? A desire to go south?