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London Bus Chaser
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Joined: 15 Jan 2007
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 Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:46 am Post subject: Heart rate question |
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For the past few weeks I'm struggling to get my heart rate to go really high.
I'm 46 years old, did a max HR test 6 months ago and it was 194. During November & December I had no problem getting it into the 180s.
Now I'm struggling to get it into the mid 170s.
My waking rate is 47 and that doesn't seem elevated.
Had a cold in mid January which knocked me out for 10 days.
I have increased the volume of training to 16-18 hours a week recently from 12-14 hours. I know the extra volume will cause fatigue but waking HR tells me I'm recovered.
Mid range HR is fine, I'm a bit surprised to lose 10-15 beats off the top end.
Any ideas??
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KJ
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:51 am Post subject: |
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Is it a steady beat? No missed beats?
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Chrissylaa
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:58 am Post subject: |
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194 is pretty high at 46.
What test did you do and how did you measure it(equipment etc). |
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London Bus Chaser
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:03 am Post subject: |
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| Chrissylaa wrote: |
194 is pretty high at 46.
What test did you do and how did you measure it(equipment etc). |
did a max HR test on a static bike using coded HR monitor. It is in line with tests I've done before.
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London Bus Chaser
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:03 am Post subject: |
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| KJ wrote: |
| Is it a steady beat? No missed beats? |
steady.
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JimmyRay
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:18 am Post subject: |
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Apparently if it continues go see a doctor...can be a pre-cursor to heart disease.
However, if you fitness is improving, don't woory about it.
More regular riding and a higher volume of riding will see your body increase the stroke volume of the heart, which will lower HR levels.
Also a bit of overtraining will lower the maximum HR. Fro my experience of overtraining, I describe it as the body knocking off top gear...everything kind of works normally, but you can't get the real hurt out.
Check it out proper after the next easy wek when you are next fresh. |
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Dave Griffiths
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:59 am Post subject: |
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| Chrissylaa wrote: |
194 is pretty high at 46.
What test did you do and how did you measure it(equipment etc). |
I've never had a proper heartrate test but, from running, some years back, with up to 5 guys all wearing monitors, one can quickly see that there is a great variation in rates, when doing the same exercise. As is obvious, that 'personal level' can be vastly different, depending on one's fitness and, in some cases, age.
I took my max HR, when aged 60, to be 194, which was recorded during a cycle race and had crept up to that, from 185, over a sustained max effort for one mile or so. Now 71, I still get to 183 or so, when trying to keep up with club riders on training rides. When 'trying' to do TT's  I'm VERY pleased when I get to average 167/170 but sometimes can't get even a max of 163. I reckon its just how you're feeling. One last point, if I haven't been doing much cycling, my HR is usually 10/15 above what I would normally expect, so I don't push it, just realise more training is necessary. |
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eastway82
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:57 am Post subject: |
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Agreed, some people are naturally high beaters. I'm 44, my max is low 190s, although I usually only see that in a full-on sprint.
On the original question - maybe you've got a bit fitter and you're not actually working as hard as you think you are! ie if you're doing the same efforts as you were in nov, but you've moved on fitness-wise, it's s sign that something's right rather than something wrong.
On the other hand, you've probably got plague or something and won't see the Spring. |
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Roy Gardiner
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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All this to me shows different levels of natural ability, some good, some better.
And some worse  . My rest is just a bit below 60 and I've never, since I first got a monitor at age 43 or thereabouts, seen a rate of higher than 180.
I think I'll take up darts.
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Chrissylaa
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Makes me wonder where that old 220 minus age mantra came from. |
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mattr
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Chrissylaa wrote: |
| Makes me wonder where that old 220 minus age mantra came from. |
Same place that the "BMI is important" mantra came from.
A committee of well meaning, but ultimately useless individuals.
Probably in the public sector. |
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Tucker
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:51 pm Post subject: |
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| mattr wrote: |
| Chrissylaa wrote: |
| Makes me wonder where that old 220 minus age mantra came from. |
Same place that the "BMI is important" mantra came from.
A committee of well meaning, but ultimately useless individuals.
Probably in the public sector. |
Look, you know better than this.
You tell an average or stupider person that "BMI should generally be in the low to mid 25s, but it depends on all sorts of factors such as yer bones, musculature etc etc" and you will have successfully glazed the eyes of one average to thick person. Tell the same person that your max heart rate requires a gargantuan effort to determine and they'll say "bolleaux to that" and buy a pie.
Instead, by giving such people easy to understand and remember soundbites, which require minimal effort, they might actually take something away - and something is better than nothing.
This is the only reason the Republicans still exist in America. |
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mattr
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Tucker wrote: |
| Instead, by giving such people easy to understand and remember soundbites, which require minimal effort, they might actually take something away - and something is better than nothing. |
Except eventually the soundbite becomes fact. And is quoted ad nauseum by people who really should know better, especially when they are talking to other people who know better. If you see what i mean.
I need a pie. |
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Chrissylaa
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Roy Gardiner
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Tucker wrote: |
| ...the only reason the Republicans still exist in America. |
I am told that for each state of the Union there was a perfect inverse relationship between number of college graduates and votes for geedubya.
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shockedsoshocked
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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Even if your resting HR is OK you still may be fatigued with the increased training load?
Has your HR got an optimizer on it? Doing that when you get up on a morning might help. |
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Billy Boy
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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Are you training for a Grand Tour?
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Billy Boy
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Roy Gardiner wrote: |
All this to me shows different levels of natural ability, some good, some better.
And some worse . My rest is just a bit below 60 and I've never, since I first got a monitor at age 43 or thereabouts, seen a rate of higher than 180.
I think I'll take up darts. |
How high or low your heart beat goes has very little to do with natural ability.
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"Well done, you are 100% absolutely without a shadow of a doubt spot-bollock-on correct." - Tucker
"Eating is not for wimps" - coal miner
"most of us don't have your brilliance." - John McC |
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London Bus Chaser
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Billy Boy wrote: |
| Are you training for a Grand Tour? |
just really enjoy the pain and misery 
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Roy Gardiner
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Billy Boy wrote: |
| How high or low your heart beat goes has very little to do with natural ability. |
Well now I thought that (a) natural low rest rate (meaning large, powerful heart) and (b) ability to send your rate very high were pretty much exactly what indicated the presence of natural ability, for an endurance athlete anyway.
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"Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult." Carl Von Clausewitz |
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