J.Michael Manning
Everybody has a maximum heart rate that is unique to their physiology
and reflects their current training status as well. Managing your energy is the
real purpose behind monitoring your heart rate. However, dont make the mistake
of letting your heart rate dictate your effort. And neither do you want to use
heart rate charts based on age as a guide. Anaerobic threshold testing has
traditionally been used to map the relationship between heart rate, speed (or
power on the bike) and lactate. A zone is simply a limited range of intensity. The
athlete can get a sense of which zones to train in to get the desired
training effect he/she is after. By assigning arbitrary upper limits based on statistical
averages, you may be leaving power on the table.
In my experience as a coach who uses technology for testing
athletes, I have found huge disparities in predicted threshold measurements. For
example, when comparing yourself to others based on the charts that are
commonly used to assign heart rate training zones, you could be off by 30 beats
or more. One of the cyclists I coached and tested frequently is a 54 year old
Cat 3 racer who maxes out at around 153 bpm. Thats about 13 beats lower than
the charts would predict. By comparison, I tested a 65 year old female recreational
cyclist who exhibited a max heart rate of 196 bpm and a threshold of 182 bpm. The
standard charts that base those numbers on age and gender would have placed her
peak heart rate at roughly 161. She had been holding herself back because she believed
she was already working at her threshold, even though she felt like she was
just cruising. After adjusting her heart rate training zones, her progress
zoomed.
Knowing your anaerobic threshold is critical to optimum
training. Repeated intervals above the
AT create an adaptation response and will improve cardiovascular fitness.
Exercising at the right target heart rate will allow you to go farther and
longer than you ever have before, improving fitness and optimizing performance.
Another way to express this is simply cycling economy. You will cycle faster
and farther without elevating your heart rate. As fitness improves, repeated
testing monitors progress, enabling the cyclist to effectively advance the rate
and intensity of the training program. You can test and retest as you strive to
beat your best and give yourself that "edge." With fewer injuries,
less fatigue, less pain, and a way to truly gauge your progress, your training
will have purpose.
The key piece of information to be gained from this is that
the only way to accurately determine the correct heart rate intensity zones is
through testing. Testing is critical to selection of a target heart rate. But understanding
ones upper limit takes practice and experience. Once you have a feel for
your threshold, you should try to ride that line without the use of a monitor. Use
it instead to analyze your performance after the fact. Its an exercise in self
awareness.
There are ways that you can self test without fancy
laboratory equipment. If anyone is interested in that protocol, send me a
personal message and I will gladly forward that info to you. On the other hand,
if you would rather have the advantage of the latest technology and my
technical expertise, go to the following link:
http://shop.cycleone.net/category.sc?categoryId=6
J. Michael Manning
CycleOne Coaching
"Athletic Excellence is our Business"
> Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:17:37 -0700
> From: mathowie@gmail.com
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: [OBRA Chat] How do you control heart rate in a race?
>
> Hello all,
>
> I've been using a heart rate monitor for the last year or so and have
> gotten pretty well in tuned with how my body performs at certain
> levels. Long endurance rides (centuries, Cycle Oregon) I typically
> ride around 16mph and my heart rate runs around 130bpm. Spirited
> training rides (20-35 miles) are usually in the 18mph range and my HR
> runs around 150-155. When I'm pushing for a personal best or doing
> intervals or short time trial loops, I typically ride around 20mph avg
> and my HR is in the 160-165 range. I've found on climbs or sprints, I
> sometimes get over 170, but I don't last very long and have to mellow
> out a few minutes later or I'll bonk.
>
> My problem is in the CX and short track races I've done over the last
> year, my heart rate is typically over 170 soon after the start and it
> just climbs from there. I was kind of freaking out when I noticed it
> was at 178bpm for half a lap of the Rickreall race and I tried to ease
> up a bit on the straights and noticed a minute later my HR was still
> at 176.
>
> Ideally, I feel like I should stay in the 160-165 range to have my
> energy and speed last for the full race, but the mass start, stress,
> and excitement of the events seems to push me over the edge.
>
> Any tips on keeping my heart rate from going so high in a race?
>
> Matt
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