SethAZ 

I must be an outlier, in that what I consider to be my max heart rate was actually fairly close to what the formulas predict.

To establish what I consider, for my own purposes, my max heart rate I took a defined Strava segment that was around maybe 1/4 mile long and would come well into my ride, with plenty of road in front and behind it to come in hot and go out of the segment at full speed, then when I get to that segment just all-out sprint it, as in as hard as I possibly can, and hard enough that I can feel myself starting to fade a little before that 1/4 mile is up. I didn't do this cold, and ramped up my effort so I was at a substantial heart rate and hit this max effort just before entering this segment. Then I just looked up on Strava what my avg heart rate was through that segment. I've done this a few times, and it's fairly consistently been very close (within, say, 5bpm or so) of what the formulas predict based on my age. This technique has been useful to me, since it's based on what I was actually able to do.

tigat

I've posted this before, but it's worth repeating.


At age 58, five years ago, my max heart rate was 162. I'd pass out over that number. My lactate threshold was 153 or thereabouts, measured in a lab.


Four or five times a year, I ride with a high school friend (same age) in the bluffs in western Wisconsin where we grew up. He is a very competitive rider and nordic ski racer. We have 16 pound bikes and both weigh 160. The watts expended to reach the top of a climb together are by definition identical.


When we climb the steep roads up to the ridge (550 ft. gain over 1.5 to 2 miles), side by side, he'll be at 165 bpm and I'll be at 145. On the sprint to the top, he'll hit 180, I don't go over 157.


The difference is in the genes - nothing more or less.

thehammerdog

genetic beast.....
lungmonster.

Carbonfiberboy 

If you're going really hard on a climb and feel like you're about to black out and the world starts going dark, you're going too hard. Otherwise you're not, that is as long as you can keep going at that effort for as long as the terrain or your soul demands. The only successful way to figure out your zones and possible max HR is to do a lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) test. (google). Usually MHR is somewhere around LTHR/.9. But set your zones from your LTHR. I use this test for either LTHR or FTP: https://trainright.com/cts-field-tes...-calculations/
because it's short and because it's two efforts one has a better opportunity to get one of them right. I think the result is good enough for practical purposes, that is to be able to pace oneself by HR or power.

wphamilton

Similar profile to you at almost 61 and faster than normal heart. My resting heart rate is nothing special, 60 according to Fitbit and low 50's when I get up in the morning. I haven't checked on a bike recently but it consistently tops out at 180 on my regular 5K jogs.

Frankly I have no idea what my maximum HR is and I think it's basically meaningless. It's just the end of a scale, when using a different scale makes more sense. I do know from a little research that a higher max doesn't make us any more nor less at risk from heart conditions.

Daspydyr 

Those numbers are huge. I would talk with your cardiologist. Your doc might know you lots better than we do and can advise from a professional view point. You MAX rate is way high for our age group.

BIKEREX

Good advice...thanks! I do want to ask what you are basing your comments on. There is so much conflicting information on this topic, I like to understand the math/variables behind anything I read or hear. Seeking a medical opinion is the right thing to do, however having real life input from other cyclists is also helpful.

I did a 25 mile ride this past Sunday and was able to conquer a hill that I have not been able to handle until now. My max HR got up to 183 on that hill and the average HR for the ride was 149. This course included three climbs and the max HR for each one was 162 (at 11:42 into ride), 183 (at 54:17), and 173 (at 1:48:02) in that order. My average HR for all rides over the past 4 weeks has been 153.

Thanks again for your thoughts on this...much appreciated.

Iride01 

Some meds will give you a higher max HR too. A year and a half or so back I started taking adderall to try and help some of my ADD issues (ADHD if anyone needs the currently accepted acronym, I'm not disposed to the "H" though). The adderall pushed my max HR up about 8 plus BPM. I routinely hit 185 or more with it. Probably any amphetamine will do that, legal or illegal. I didn't like it though so I got off it after about 9 months and my HR returned to what it had been before.

aclass

Bikerex, not that it matters but how is your breathing whenever your ticker reaches the 180 mark?
I'm 54 and can reach 180 on a tough climb but my cardio is not pretty when it happens. I'm breathing so hard that it could scare on-lookers.

BIKEREX

So far, I have been fortunate enough not to have to take any meds and I have no underlying conditions. When I have annual health screenings for work, all of my blood results and BP are nearly perfect. That said, I am overdue for a comprehensive physical, so will discuss all of this with my Doc.

BIKEREX

Great question. My breathing @180 bpm is very labored. On that climb this weekend, it definitely fell into the “not pretty” category and I was consciously trying to control breathing and focus on maintaining cadence.

caloso

According to my HRM and some formula I found on the internet, I am 30 years old.


That’s how this works, right?

Carbonfiberboy 

Wow, I didn't realize you were just a kid!

I bludgeoned my brain a bit and recalled the name of this thing. I haven't thought about it in maybe 20 years. it's the Conconi Test, looking for that inflection point. Google, folks. Now that I have power, I should do it on my resistance rollers. I'd forgotten all about it. Quicker and easier and maybe more accurate test to find LTHR than doing the all-out 20 minutes or whatever. Can also use speed instead of power for the ramp up. Thanks!

fastcarbon

I used to get my max heart rate on a treadmill with a cardiologist present. I TT'd at 96 -97% of my max. Running up to max during a ride is no problem if your heart is structurally sound. But running your heart too close to max for long periods can give you the problems addressed in "The Haywire Heart" eg A Fib. Having undergone three cardiac ablation procedures with a competent Electrophysiologist to keep me on the bike and riding well, I now just train with power. A heart rate monitor is still useful for me to determine cardiac drift on long rides and can inform of arrhythmias. I measure resting heart rate in bed when I wake up to see how hard I can train. I believe training with a HRM is still useful if zones are measured off Lactate Threshold Heart rate.

john m flores 

Genes play a big role but so does fitness level. When I am well-trained, my HR can be 30 BPM lower than when I am not at the same pace/speed.