Question about heart rate?

First a little background. I%26#039;m 57 and about 8 years ago I started sitting at a desk a lot more for my job. I gained a lot of weight so this spring I started riding a bicycle to lose weight and become more fit. So far so good. I feel 10 years younger and lost 36 pounds and rode the bike over 1300 miles. I recently purchased a heart rate monitor and have been trying to use it to push myself a little harder while cycling and jogging. I read that my max safe heart rate is 220 minus my age 57 = 163 beats per min. Now when I push myself to a heart rate of 165 range if I just downshift one gear or start walking, if I had been running, within 10 seconds my heart slows down to 155 and 10 more seconds it drops another 10 bps and after less than 1 minuit it goes back to the 120 range. Does this mean I am fit enough to start pushing harder to the 175 to 185 range?

Question about heart rate?

Max heart rate is max heart rate, i.e., that%26#039;s as fast as it will go.

220 - age is an estimate of max. Yours is obviously NOT 163. When operating at max, you%26#039;re well above your cardiovascular system%26#039;s ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles. Lactic acid accumulates quickly and brings your sprint to an end within a few minutes at most.

Max heart rate is what it is for you as an individual, and gradually declines with age. Best way to find it, if you%26#039;re so inclined, is during a medically supervised stress test, although you could also get there in the latter stages of a 5k.

At your age, a stress test is probably a good idea on general principles, before you take your sessions to any sort of extreme. Your fitness level sounds like you won%26#039;t have any problems, but you can%26#039;t always tell.

Fitness isn%26#039;t simply a matter of %26quot;Just going harder%26quot; and chasing a higher heart rate every day.

Heart rate monitors can be a very useful tool, but as you%26#039;ve figured out, they don%26#039;t mean anything in a vacuum. Rather than writing a book here on YA, I suggest you have a look at Sally Edward%26#039;s Heart Rate Monitor book. Sally is a veteran triathlete, and give%26#039;s you all the ins and outs of using a monitor to maximum effect as a cyclist.

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Edit: Fatherjac, I haven%26#039;t read Friel%26#039;s book, but his columns in the various mags over the years have been very good. The book is likely first rate as well. Good call.

Question about heart rate?

Again Silver has a great answer. No one here should tell you to go out and max out. Check with your doc just to get a base line and see is tha all is well. With that said, you do sound like in good enough shape to work as hard as you please. As you must know, recovery is one key to measures to your fitness. Good for you.

Question about heart rate?

I think a stress test is a great idea. I had one a few years ago, and I asked the doctor if I could push on to a higher level for a few minutes, since I sometimes did that in exercise. I felt it was relatively safe, since I was already at the hospital.

Thankfully, I was able to maintain that pace for several more minutes without any irregularity, so I am comfortable giving myself a push now and then.

Remember, you only get one life; better safe than sorry. if nothing else, it will make you feel more confident when you%26#039;re pushing yourself.

Question about heart rate?

I am 59, a similar age to your self, and have been cycling since my late 20%26#039;s and I still race. I recommend that you get a copy of %26#039;Total Heart Rate training%26#039; by Joe Friel published by Ulysses Press. It is the simply the best book I have ever read on the topic of using a heart rate monitor in a structured training programme.

This book will tell you that the heart rate formula is based on a statistical average of a large sample of the human population and really means very little to specific individuals. %26quot; There is no fool proof way to estimate max HR, there are simply too many variables eg. age gender, fitness level, health, mode of excercise etc etc.%26quot;

I know from experience that my own Max HR is around 174. The formula would predict that it would be 161.

Your Heart rate recovery from 165 down to 120 seems excellent. Joe Friel would say that you had a Phase 1 Heart Rate Recovery Differential(RHRD) of 45. Phase 2 is the slower decay in HR from 120 to normal after a workout and is dependant on Workout intensity, duration state of fitness etc.

I can%26#039;t advise you on whether you are ready to start harder training, you should get the opinion of your doctor. I would say that studying books by experts like Joe Friel will help you a great deal. Interestingly he also has published a book %26#039;Cycling Past 50%26#039;, which is again excellent and is full of good advice for cyclists like us :o)

Question about heart rate?

here is the best way to test how fit you are. go out for 10 minutes as hard as you can. then take your reading right away. then wait 1 minute and take another reading. if you drop more than 50 bpm you are in great shape and your push it harder.

remember has hard as you can in 10 minutes

carlos

http://www.bikingthings.com

Question about heart rate?

Let me get this straight...

You%26#039;re a 57 year old male who was obese, but started cycling and lost 36 lbs. Now all of a sudden you%26#039;re pushing over your max heart rate as if you were an elite Tour de France sprinter?

Unless there is a 5-year span stuck between being overweight and now, you%26#039;re headed for a heart attack, mister.

Perhaps your HRM isn%26#039;t very accurate or is picking up interference. You should be in SERIOUS hurt if you%26#039;re really working at 100% of max heart rate, not talking about it like it was a walk in the park.

Question about heart rate?

Congratulations on losing weight and getting fit.

I think the other respondents have done a nice job of discussing maximum pulse rates, etc. I haven%26#039;t read the Heart Rate Training book by Joe Friel, but I highly recommend his %26quot;Cyclist%26#039;s Training Bible.%26quot; I therefore expect the Heart Rate Training book will be excellent.

Here are my questions: Did you get clearance from your doctor prior to starting your fitness program a year ago? Have you discussed this with your doctor? I would recommend you discuss your fitness plan with your doctor and get a stress test if it is recommended.

Meanwhile, your max heart rate really isn%26#039;t that important a number as far as training is concerned. Most fitness programs recommend you set your workouts according to your lactate threshold. As you are probably aware, your lactate threshold is that point at which your body goes from aerobic to anaerobic and your body begins to hurt. (Of course, as you get in better condition over time, your lactate threshold will get closer to your max.) Maximum heart rate should only be approached during some interval type workouts and races.

Attempting to work out at or near your max is most likely going to be counterproductive. Working out at such a high level requires tremendous energy and causes substantial fatigue which forces you to add rest days to your workout schedule. This isn%26#039;t bad on occaision, but obviously isn%26#039;t what you want to do regularly.

Check out some training books like those from Joe Friel or others and I think you%26#039;ll get a much better idea of how to structure your fitness program.

Best of luck to you in the future and I hope this helps you out.

Question about heart rate?

The only way to truely find out your maximum heart rate is to exercise until you almost black out. Seriously. It sounds crude but it is true. You try a stationary bike if you are afraid of crashing. I did this on a rowing machine and Polar heart rate monitor. My max was 203 BPM but, of course, it%26#039;s not something you can really sustain for long periods of time. I verified this with my bike on a long climb. I am 30 years old. Don%26#039;t worry about exceeding your max by 1 or 2 BPM. It%26#039;s not the end of the world.