All - I was fcuking around with my HRM last night and managed to clear the entire memory. Lost all my saved work out etc, but lost my limits as well.
Wasn’t too happy with them anyway, so no big deal. But now I am looking to get more specific advice on what I should re-set them at. I race Olympic distance (long course stuff just seems that little bit too much like hard work!!), and 28 yo, am quite fit.
Any thoughts on the % of max HR I should set them at?
Oz-
I am 27 and training for an IM so my limits may differ a bit from yours, not to mention your question is not a simple answer.
Obviously you need to train in different limits at different times of your training cycle. Plus, without a true lactate blood test you are really only playing a guessing game with your limits. But I offer this advice (note I am only a middle of the pack long distance triathlete)
Aerobic Zone (152-162) 180-age+5 = 157 (+/- 5 bpm)
Anaerobic Threshold (163-175)
EZ/ Endurance Aerobic Zone (140-151)
Also, these zones are only for the run. I generally set my zones 10 - 15 bpm lower for the bike. Again, I am not expert but if you are training in your Aerobic Zone listed above for the bulk of your base/ build training you should be good. The AT zone will be more more intensity/ speed work once your base is built. The EZ (EA) zone is for those active recovery days.
Hope this helps a bit
Jeremey
The numbers will be all vague unless you have a firm point somewhere – like a tested HR max or threshold. Beware of formulas like 220 minus your age, because they are accurate to within about 40 or 50 beats, which is meaningless. I’d suggest doing a serious max test, if you haven’t already, and also checking when you ride and run for the sound of your breathing changing as you go anaerobic. My Max is 182, and my AT is 141-142. Once you know these (and unless you know these, your limits are just guesswork), I’d program zones from your starting base (in my case, I pick 100) to your AT (141 for me), then from 141 to 85% of max (153 for me), then from 153 to 162 (90% max). These will vary between bike and run, of course, depending on your sports background, though I find the AT remains constant. This way I can do the bulk of my training aerobically, but be able to stick in the hard zone 2 for tempo workouts or briefly in zone 3 when I am out for a hard interval session, or doing jumps and chasing on the bike.