Heart rate Question (3)

Triathlon Forum
1

I have a question about my heart rate, since I have been using a HRM for about 2 months now, but am somewhat clueless on what it means.

First, some background:

I’m a US Marine, and in pretty decent shape, so I didn’t start this IM training from ground zero. I’ve run two oly tri’s in the second half of 2008, and will run IM Oceanside 70.3 in April, and IM AZ in November, as well as some others. My current training plan is located (http://www.gofastbyanymeans.com/?page_id=133) and while it is a decent plan with two to three workouts per day, I haven’t fallen into overtraining. I’ve been lifting weights off and on for about 18 years, and also running, so I know what overtraining feels like. However, I just started using a HRM, so I don’t know for sure what it all means.

I’m 38, so using the generic formula of 220-age, my max is 182. 80% is 145 and 85% is 154. 90% is 164. All those are rounded off, obviously.

Now here’s the data:

When running at a pace that I can comfortably keep up for at least two hours (longest run I have done since I got the HRM, although I have gone on longer runs), my HR hovers around 153-154. Goes up to 161-162 when going up hills and down to 145-148 when going downhill.

When biking at a pace that I can keep up for 4+ hours (again, longest I have gone since I got the HRM), it hovers around 148-150 Again, up hills it goes up to 163-165 (depending on the hill) and downhill it goes down a bit, although I try to keep up the same perceived effort going downhill.

No f’ing clue what it is when I swim, since it won’t work in the water, and I have never stopped to check my HR when swimming. Maybe I should…

When I weightlift (which I still do, and I don’t want to get into a discussion about the pros/cons of weightlifting for triathletes, I will keep on doing it no matter what), it shoots up to 155 or so on heavy sets, and quickly drops back down to about 80-85 after the set.

My resting HR is about 70 or so.

So, my question is, what the heck does all this mean? I mean, by the forumla, I am well above the 80% threshold for aerobic/anaerobic activity when biking, and even more so when running, but I am obviously not fully anaerobic because I can keep it up for long periods. Does that mean my max HR is higher than the forumla gives? (and yes, I’m aware that the 220-age formula is just a ballpark) What are the means of testing what my actual max HR is (without making my heart explode, that is…) Any other information I should look into or be concerned about?

2

Well, as you know we have no idea what your max heartrate really is. Another variable we don’t know is whether or not your LT is at 80% of max either. What you list as your heart rate during your efforts doesn’t seem out of line, but take heart in knowing that you can slow down your training pace and still receive a great aerobic benefit…consider slowing down your easy training efforts so that you are in the 140s.

To find your actual max you’ll have to do something like an all-out 400m sprint on the track. Make sure that you go so hard you go cross-eyed at the end. Your HR at the finish and for 5 seconds afterwards will likely be your max.

Finding your threshold can be tested more accurately than calculated with a simple % of max, since it’s likely to differ from person to person. There are a number of testing protocols out there and you should be able to do this both on the bike and on a treadmill. (your threshold HR will be different in the 2 sports).

3

I just started with a HRM this year so my comments come from the learning process not a lifetime of experience. First, the 220-age is a ballpark and a pretty damn big one for people who are in shape and accustomed to physical activity. Joe Friel outlines a way to determine heart rates zones in Triathletes Bible and Going Long (both books I found helpful).
Though your max HR may be low, you are also likely exercising at too high a HR. You can think of your heart rate (hence the HRM) as an indicator of what your body is doing. If HR is low, you are adequately supplying your muscles the oxygen they need to meet your body’s demands. As you go faster, the ability of your body to meet its needs aerobically begins to fail. Your muscles signal they need more oxygen, thus increasing your HR. This also means that the body has begun supplying its unmet needs with anaerobic metabolism. This causes lactic acid to build up and glycogen to be rapidly depleted (oxygen+ glycogen= 40units of energy, glycogen without oxygen= 2). This is a very bad thing for long course racing. The goal is to maintain a low heart rate in training and allow your body to develop the aerobic capacity necessary to met its needs. This will delay the build-up of lactic acid (at all hear rates) and make better use of your body’s fuel sources. Over time, you will notice these improvements by faster paces at the same low heart rate.
I should mention that I believe fully in the Hadd approach to training and I am sure there are others who disagree. Still, I think taking some time (6 weeks) to devote to low HR training may show you that there is some real value in this sort of work.

4

Im with yaeger.

You need to figure out your max HR and your FTP hr.

for max hr. Do at least a 400 running, if not longer. Go so hard you collapse. That is your max HR
for LT heartrate- go as fast as you can hold for about 20 minutes- take your avg for the last 15 minutes. Dont go out too fast, just hold the fastest pace you can for hte 20 minutes. Easy to do this one in a short race like a 5k running race. But you have to do this seperately for running and biking.

5

read this:

Total Heart Rate Training by Joe Friel

should tell you everything about HR training, after that got the Triathletes’ Training Bible to tweek it all together
.

6

for LT heartrate- go as fast as you can hold for about 20 minutes- take your avg for the last 15 minutes. Dont go out too fast, just hold the fastest pace you can for hte 20 minutes. Easy to do this one in a short race like a 5k running race. But you have to do this seperately for running and biking.
I would caution that sometimes my HR does not jump up very quickly. My 2x20min average is around 172-174 but the first 5-10 minutes would skew that number quite a bit. If you are logging your HR and can download later you’ll see where your HR rises to and then levels off. For reference, my max is around 183-185 with LT being about 93% of that. When riding IM distance I typically ride around 150-155 and my runs are inevitably higher than biking. For some reason my minimum HR for any reasonable (sub-10min pace) easy run is at least 150…typical runs are in the 160+ range. I can bike all day at 140…weird.

7

I agree on every front- for LT hr i would use the 2nd 10 mins of a 20 min race (something like a real 5k running, equivalent for a bike).

8

Here is something I wrote here a few years back, and I haven’t changed my mind much about any of it…Hope it helps explain a few things, and the max test is a much better one than the 400 all out people have been suggesting. Virtually impossible to get to your max rate so quickly, don’t know why folks are suggesting it…

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/coachcorn/max.html

9

Thanks, everyone, for all the help. Now I just need to digest it all.