What is your Max HR?

[cyclechick76]

it really is all relative. my resting heart rate first thing in the morning is 42-43 bpm, if i'm starting to feel overtrained and not recovering between workouts it will be as high as 46-48. I do my long climbing repeats right around my LT 153-157 bpm and time trial 165-170. the absolute highest i've ever seen my heart rate is 174.
the charts might be a decent place to start at for most people - but they are not the gold standard. a fitness test, your perceived level of excersion and paying attention to your breathing patterns will help you determine at what heart rates you are using your different systems to power you down the road (or trail).

[ausgirl]

I'm not sure what to think about my max heart rate now, because I'm only 23 and about 6 months ago I had a VO2 max test and my max heart rate came out at 173bpm, although in racing since then I've seen it go to 176bpm which has been maintained around there for up to 10min. I've never seen it any higher. I've got a VO2 max test complete with skinfolds an blood lactate levels scheduled for tomorrow, so I'll see how it goes. One sports scientist has told me that your max heart rate only matters so far as determining your training zones, and if you use it for this correctly it doesn't matter whether your max is 170 or 200, because using these correct zones you will get results from your training.

[roadiechick]

The whole HR debate does get a bit complicated sometimes. I guess my main frustration is that when I go on organised training rides I keep (eventually) getting dropped when I get to the 180 mark, the same time that the pace steps up a notch higher. When I asked a couple of the riders in the bunch what their heart rate was the responses were varied. For example one guy was only at 155 when I was beating at 180, however another girl was at 187 when I was at 180. The problem is that they are not getting dropped, they can keep up, where as I am left to complete the ride on my own.

So I wonder is it my heart and lungs or my legs that are the problem, or both??? Am I ever going to be able to keep up??? Maybe I need to work on my leg strength?? Any ideas would be welcome.

[annie]

roadie,

ausgirl is correct in that heart rate numbers only matter inso far as determining your training zones and working with your numbers to get where you want to be. When you hit 180, you could be close to your max. It is difficult to stay close to your max for very long and that's probably why you are getting dropped. It sounds like a matter of more training. You won't up your MHR but be able to ride closer to it for a longer time. Also, as you get stronger you may find that you can pick up the pace without your heart rate going so high. I am NOT any sort of an expert on this. Maybe someone else could you give you some ideas on how to train to achieve what you want. Otherwise, there's lots of books out there. Check out www.roadbikerider.com. It is a wonderful site. Lots of info and also books that are available for purchase. Good luck. Keep working at it and you'll only improve.

annie

[ausgirl]

I agree. It does sound as though 180 is pretty close to roadie chick's max HR. But roadiechick, the thing for you to understand is that if you put in a block of base training - lots of kms in your E1 (65-75% of MHR), this will often make you able afterwards (say, in a few months time) to go on the same rides and do the same pace while working at a lower heart rate. This means that because your body is doing less work for the same results you should be able to maintain that pace for a longer period of time.

IMPORTANT - this is only what worked for me. The training that you need right now MAY be different. I did this over summer and it worked wonders for me, I am a stronger rider than ever before.

I advise talking to lots of other riders about it, but the problem with this is everyone has different ways of doing things, so you'll probably get 5 or 6 different answers and it can be confusing.

[roadiechick]

annie and ausgirl

thanks very much for your reply and the words or encouragement. I guess I just have to put in the extra kms on the bike and eventually my day will come.

roadiechick