Quote Originally Posted by lovelylibrarian View Post
Other than going to a sports lab, do you think it's reasonable to go to the gym and sprint for a long time until I can't go any longer to try to figure out my max heart rate?

Sprinting for a long time on a spin bike is maybe not the most effective way to "max" out.

A sprint, by its definition on a bike, is short and intense. So that is what you should aim for.
By all means warm up, but when you "sprint" you need to burn everything you have in your body.
If you train using sprint intervals, you build up to a sprint of maybe 20-30seconds, and in between you rest for about 2minutes to allow your heart rate to drop.

So try that. Warm up, then ride for 5 minutes increasing the intensity til you are going about as hard as you can... and then it is time to sprint. Give it everything you possibly can. When you feel like you are going to throw up (which should be within half a minute) you are nearing max heart rate. If you actually do throw up, you have found your max heart rate.

So ideally all you need to find you max heart rate is your bike, a wind-trainer, someone to yell at you to make you push yourself harder... and a bucket

Oh... and if you use this method, when you get off - don't step in the bucket