Heart rate monitors, and Ride Yourself Lean

[Miranda]

I think I have the book you are talking about, will hafta look. With all my books, I try reading in bed, get a few pages, and then pass out lol. So, it's probably in the pile.

One thing I am thinking about doing is a resting metabolic breathing test. I have a link about it here... http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=43757

I know this won't answer your amount of calories question, but maybe helps with the HRM....

Most HRMs come with "stock" numbers that are based upon the 220-your age = max HR formula. From there, what percentage of max heart rate effort you want to work, you are suppose to be able to determine a number. There are formulas from that add in your calories etc.

Biking is a wonderful exercise... glad you have found it in your life... keep up the great work!

One way to check your max HR number in your monitor is to work your calculation backwards from your rate of PE (perceived exercsion, i.e. how hard your body is working). Example...

If you said that you felt like 140 bpm was an average HR pace you could maintain, with exception of climbs, for a while at a comfortable, but working, pace... that is probably about 75% of your max HR.

Your wind to speak is one of the best indicators as to how hard you're working also. 75% max HR feels like a jogging with a friend intensity, enough wind to chat/speak a short few words sentance, pause to breath, continue working etc. So...

If you take 140 bpm divide by 0.75 (75%) that gives you rough est max HR 186/187 bpm. What is set in your HRM now as max HR? If it's not this number, try manually over-riding it in the settings and see what the same ride produces for calories. Also adjust your weight changes as they occur.

You will also notice as you become fitter and fitter, those hills will start to change in terms of challenge and your residual wind to speak. A highway over-pass used to be my nemisis hill (could not speak, all wind needed to climb), about 3% grade up in my Garmin I think... then a 10%+ grade hill became my challenge (visualize 3 over-passes stacked up) to yield me near breathless. That's raising your aerobic ceiling or thershold, i.e. cardiac fitness level.

Last, just example of how off "stock numbers" in my HRM are for my current level of fitness...

At 42yo... 220-42 = 178 max HR. One of my last rides, pushing myself just above that 75% intensity, guessing 80% my HR was average 161... divide 0.80 = 201 max bpm. Last "real world" vo2 max test, i.e. sprinting uphill to escape a dog, my HR hit 189... in the 90+%, was seeing spots, verge passing out... so the backwards calculation is close I'd say.

Biking is a great exercise... glad you have found it in your life... keep up the good work!