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178bpm Average Over 18 miles?!?

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178bpm Average Over 18 miles?!?

Old 03-02-16, 02:57 PM
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OnyxTiger
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178bpm Average Over 18 miles?!?

Just got a HRM to use with Strava. Got a ride in today, and was fairly surprised at the results.



On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the hardest, I would rate the intensity of this ride about a 7. An Insanity workout would be like a 10. I never really found myself out of breath or heaving at the lights, and felt like I was taking a good number of stretch breaks on the bike.

What is this supposed to mean? Out of 1:20 spent in the saddle, I have 59 minutes in Zone 4, and 6 minutes in Zone 5.

I weigh 280 lbs. 34 years old.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:05 PM
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It means you have your zones set wrong. Did you do a threshold test to set your zones?
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Old 03-02-16, 03:06 PM
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well it means your heart rate was 178 lol

you may not have the level of cardiovascular fitness that you thought, but it should improve. honestly I find my HR to be higher than a lot of people say at a lower perceived level of effort, but everyone is different. go on a few rides and watch it over time, it'll give you a better idea of what you body is doing.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:07 PM
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Which HRM did you get? Is it a chest strap or an optical one on your wrist/arm?
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Old 03-02-16, 03:10 PM
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Originally Posted by PepeM
It means you have your zones set wrong. Did you do a threshold test to set your zones?
This. You probably have the heart rate zones set up wrong in Strava to get that high a suffer score.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:12 PM
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I don't think that suffer score is strange at all given his avg HR.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:19 PM
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Yeah, you could have your heart rate zones set up any wrong way you like, and it won't affect your average HR.

Last year I did a long hard ride, got home, and then walked to the store for a Gatoraid. I had a Mio Fuse optical HRM on my wrist, I just pulled it off and stuffed it in my pocket, didn't even bother to turn it off. At one point, I looked at my Garmin (watch) and it thought my heart rate was 220 bpm. My HRM was in my pocket, smoking crack, reporting gibberish. Really crazy high gibberish. I'm having a hard time believing OnyxTiger spent an hour in Z4 and only rated the ride 7/10 for difficultly, was never really out of breath. Sounds like really high gibberish from the HRM.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:19 PM
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You do not show a lot of elevation gain over the course of your route for highish hr. Also, what is your age, body weight, etc?
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Old 03-02-16, 03:19 PM
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Originally Posted by OnyxTiger
Just got a HRM to use with Strava. Got a ride in today, and was fairly surprised at the results.



On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the hardest, I would rate the intensity of this ride about a 7. An Insanity workout would be like a 10. I never really found myself out of breath or heaving at the lights, and felt like I was taking a good number of stretch breaks on the bike.

What is this supposed to mean? Out of 1:20 spent in the saddle, I have 59 minutes in Zone 4, and 6 minutes in Zone 5.

I weigh 280 lbs. 34 years old.
It means that your heart is working hard to propel you on a bike As you improve your fitness and lose some weight, it should get lower.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:27 PM
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Just by itself it does not mean much. It needs to be compared to you over time.

The difference between your max and min means a bit.
What % of max means a bit, but can be reflective of you overall system balance.
The rate (time) it takes to go from a near max to a near normal is useful.
The resting rate - when in bed, form day to day tells how you are rested.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:38 PM
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Originally Posted by PepeM
It means you have your zones set wrong. Did you do a threshold test to set your zones?
Not sure what a threshold test is. How do I take one? The default setting put me at 187bpm max, but I just changed that setting to 191 based on today's ride.

Originally Posted by ypsetihw
well it means your heart rate was 178 loll

you may not have the level of cardiovascular fitness that you thought, but it should improve. honestly I find my HR to be higher than a lot of people say at a lower perceived level of effort, but everyone is different. go on a few rides and watch it over time, it'll give you a better idea of what you body is doing.
That sounds about right. I definitely don't think I'm anywhere near as fit as I should be.

Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Which HRM did you get? Is it a chest strap or an optical one on your wrist/arm?
Got a Wahoo TICKR. Got it mainly because Strava is marketing that product, and it had good reviews. Chest strap.

Originally Posted by mvnsnd
This. You probably have the heart rate zones set up wrong in Strava to get that high a suffer score.
Heart rate zone was based on 187bpm... I changed it to 191 and the SS actually changes it's calculations. So that number's accurate, assuming I don't have a HR that's much higher I suppose.
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Old 03-02-16, 03:41 PM
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Unless you were about to pass out, 191 is not your max heart rate.

As for the test, here is one way of doing it:

Joe Friel's Quick Guide to Setting Zones | TrainingPeaks
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Old 03-02-16, 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by jtaylor996
I don't think that suffer score is strange at all given his avg HR.
Even that part is pretty surprising. About 4 blocks from where I started I noticed my HR was already nearing 160, and that was warm-up pace.

Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Yeah, you could have your heart rate zones set up any wrong way you like, and it won't affect your average HR.

Last year I did a long hard ride, got home, and then walked to the store for a Gatoraid. I had a Mio Fuse optical HRM on my wrist, I just pulled it off and stuffed it in my pocket, didn't even bother to turn it off. At one point, I looked at my Garmin (watch) and it thought my heart rate was 220 bpm. My HRM was in my pocket, smoking crack, reporting gibberish. Really crazy high gibberish. I'm having a hard time believing OnyxTiger spent an hour in Z4 and only rated the ride 7/10 for difficultly, was never really out of breath. Sounds like really high gibberish from the HRM.
This is exactly what I'm interested in. Could it actually be off by that much, that consistently? Or is it in fact accurate, and mean something else entirely? I'll do another ride soon enough and try and be honest with my rating of perceived effort in comparison with the readings, hopefully the trends are consistent - or different for that matter.

Now, I've heard that it's a good idea to get the device damp before putting on, so that it gets a better signal, but I decided not to. Will try that and see what happens.

Originally Posted by Fox Farm
You do not show a lot of elevation gain over the course of your route for highish hr. Also, what is your age, body weight, etc?
34, 280lbs. 5'11"... 6'4" on a good day . Capricorn. Favorite color red. I can speak from personal experience though... being a Clydesdale, a 2% grade is nothing to sneeze at.

Originally Posted by fa63
It means that your heart is working hard to propel you on a bike As you improve your fitness and lose some weight, it should get lower.
That's good to know. I certainly hope so.

Originally Posted by Doge
Just by itself it does not mean much. It needs to be compared to you over time.

The difference between your max and min means a bit.
What % of max means a bit, but can be reflective of you overall system balance.
The rate (time) it takes to go from a near max to a near normal is useful.
The resting rate - when in bed, form day to day tells how you are rested.
That's interesting information to play with. Getting a device to help me with monitoring how those numbers perform when I'm not on the bike.

Thanks for all your responses guys, much appreciated
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Old 03-02-16, 03:52 PM
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Originally Posted by PepeM
Unless you were about to pass out, 191 is not your max heart rate.

As for the test, here is one way of doing it:

Joe Friel's Quick Guide to Setting Zones | TrainingPeaks
That's just a few beats higher than I would expect at his age for a max HR. What would you be expecting it to be?
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Old 03-02-16, 04:01 PM
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Originally Posted by jtaylor996
That's just a few beats higher than I would expect at his age for a max HR. What would you be expecting it to be?
I think he was suggesting that if he hit 191 on a bike ride and didn't feel like he needed to collapse, he was probably not at his actual MHR. He's linking to the Joe Friel stuff because it deals with LTHR. Friel doesn't like MHR systems because actually measuring it can be difficult to do and formulas are just best guesses.

In terms of LTHR, it's possible his is as high as maybe 180. Mine is about 175. The problem with the ride posted is that he's pushing at or near that threshold (which is usually pretty consistent for an individual regardless of fitness or age) for a lot of it and having so-so results in the avg speed department on a really flat ride. Working at training in specific zones will help to build fitness and produce even better results at lower heart rates.
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Old 03-02-16, 04:11 PM
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Originally Posted by jtaylor996
That's just a few beats higher than I would expect at his age for a max HR. What would you be expecting it to be?
The calculations for HRmax are estimates. I suspect he has a HRmax of 200-205. But only he can figure that out.
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Old 03-02-16, 04:24 PM
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Originally Posted by OnyxTiger
Now, I've heard that it's a good idea to get the device damp before putting on, so that it gets a better signal, but I decided not to. Will try that and see what happens.
I run mine under the sink for a moment before I put it on. But in my experience, what can go wrong if you don't do that is you'll get a really low reading for the first couple minutes, or none at all. Then you begin to sweat and then the thing is wet anyway so it doesn't matter if you wet it or not.

You said you just got yours, right? When a chest strap goes bonkers the first thing you usually try is changing the battery, but that's probably not it either. Is this happening pretty consistently for you?
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Old 03-02-16, 04:32 PM
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It might be worthwhile checking to make sure the HRM is indeed providing realistic numbers. Just count your heart rate manually either through your wrist or neck for one minute and compare that with the HRM readings. It's not unknown for HRM numbers to be off. As you say, try dampening the HRM before putting it on to get a better signal.
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Old 03-02-16, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by WalksOn2Wheels
I think he was suggesting that if he hit 191 on a bike ride and didn't feel like he needed to collapse, he was probably not at his actual MHR. He's linking to the Joe Friel stuff because it deals with LTHR. Friel doesn't like MHR systems because actually measuring it can be difficult to do and formulas are just best guesses.
Yes, that's what I was getting at.
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Old 03-02-16, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by smarkinson
It might be worthwhile checking to make sure the HRM is indeed providing realistic numbers. Just count your heart rate manually either through your wrist or neck for one minute and compare that with the HRM readings. It's not unknown for HRM numbers to be off. As you say, try dampening the HRM before putting it on to get a better signal.
Bad HR strap signals typically are way too low, gaps in the data, or really sudden instantaneous peaks. A consistently high HR is not unrealistic, but in this case it's probably an indicator of lack of fitness, which is fine. The important thing is to take the data and put yourself on some sort of HR zone training regimen to help improve said fitness.
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Old 03-02-16, 05:10 PM
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IMO that's a little high for most exercise but you are considerably above-average gravitationally and were pushing hrad.

I'd say that was a really good workout.

If you get regular doctor's check-ups and have reasonable insurance, you might want to consider some kind of cardio testing ... but for that height/weight, I am not surprised at the heart rate.

Keep working like that and you will lose some of your excess and also will strengthen everything else ... As a fellow Clyde who fears 2% grades, I wish I was that disciplined motivated.

I used to use a monitor ... I calibrated it (roughly) against different machines in my local gym and I am satisfied that it is close enough for my purposes. if you doubt the HRM, try that?
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Old 03-02-16, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Sounds like really high gibberish from the HRM.
Lots of things causes that. I've gotten crazy reading from not enough body moisture, too dry/not enough humidity, static electricity, material in some jerseys, electrical interference, etc. I bet the OP just has some bad readings.
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Old 03-02-16, 05:45 PM
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Unless you have an abnormally high heart rate, I don't think someone your age and level of fitness could have sustained 178 BPM average for a bit over an hour. (No offense meant.) Especially since you weren't "out of breath."

Now if that WAS your average heart rate and your monitor is accurate, you should probably get that checked out.

While the formula 220-age isn't that accurate, it gives a good estimate for what your max heart rate should be. Max heart rate will be achieved when you're running as hard as you can up a steep hill multiple times until you are about to fall over from lack of oxygen.

Can you post the heart rate graph? (Heart rate vs. time?)

I've heard tech fabrics can cause bad readings with HR monitors. (Static electricity)

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Old 03-02-16, 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by WalksOn2Wheels
In terms of LTHR, it's possible his is as high as maybe 180. Mine is about 175. The problem with the ride posted is that he's pushing at or near that threshold (which is usually pretty consistent for an individual regardless of fitness or age) for a lot of it and having so-so results in the avg speed department on a really flat ride. Working at training in specific zones will help to build fitness and produce even better results at lower heart rates.
Better results is always better. Here's to hoping this thing works.

Originally Posted by datlas
The calculations for HRmax are estimates. I suspect he has a HRmax of 200-205. But only he can figure that out.
Thinking about doing a strong push over next couple days to see if that number could go up. I'm almost positive I was well above the 200 mark a couple years back.

Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
You said you just got yours, right? When a chest strap goes bonkers the first thing you usually try is changing the battery, but that's probably not it either. Is this happening pretty consistently for you?
Just got it yesterday so first shot. We'll see how the numbers come up next couple rides... If the numbers somehow "normalize" to a different, lesser range, then I can perhaps consider this session an outlier of sorts. If it does however come up in the same range, then one of the main things I'm interested in finding out is whether or not that's indicative of something else going on, good or bad, at this point I'm really not sure.
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Old 03-02-16, 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by WalksOn2Wheels
Bad HR strap signals typically are way too low, gaps in the data, or really sudden instantaneous peaks. A consistently high HR is not unrealistic, but in this case it's probably an indicator of lack of fitness, which is fine. The important thing is to take the data and put yourself on some sort of HR zone training regimen to help improve said fitness.
Lack of fitness is really what I think it is. The fact that it averaged so high over the course of an hour is what piqued my interest. Almost pains me to think that because of that sort of output, that it would be very hard to sustain such efforts (and consequently, speed) for anymore than maybe 3 hours. Slow enough as it is.

Originally Posted by Maelochs
IMO that's a little high for most exercise but you are considerably above-average gravitationally and were pushing hrad.

I'd say that was a really good workout.

If you get regular doctor's check-ups and have reasonable insurance, you might want to consider some kind of cardio testing ... but for that height/weight, I am not surprised at the heart rate.

Keep working like that and you will lose some of your excess and also will strengthen everything else ... As a fellow Clyde who fears 2% grades, I wish I was that disciplined motivated.

I used to use a monitor ... I calibrated it (roughly) against different machines in my local gym and I am satisfied that it is close enough for my purposes. if you doubt the HRM, try that?
Good pointer, I'll check into that, thanks.

Originally Posted by StanSeven
Lots of things causes that. I've gotten crazy reading from not enough body moisture, too dry/not enough humidity, static electricity, material in some jerseys, electrical interference, etc. I bet the OP just has some bad readings.
Possibly. The numbers were pretty steady along the way though.

Originally Posted by corrado33
Unless you have an abnormally high heart rate, I don't think someone your age and level of fitness could have sustained 178 BPM average for a bit over an hour. (No offense meant.) Especially since you weren't "out of breath."

Now if that WAS your average heart rate and your monitor is accurate, you should probably get that checked out.

While the formula 220-age isn't that accurate, it gives a good estimate for what your max heart rate should be. Max heart rate will be achieved when you're running as hard as you can up a steep hill multiple times until you are about to fall over from lack of oxygen.

Can you post the heart rate graph? (Heart rate vs. time?)
No offense taken at all. I definitely hope this doesn't mean that I've crossed over to a failing cardiac system somehow, kinda scary to think about.

Graphs:




One side note for thought. To me, I've found that the hardest workouts I've ever had were my football days, CrossFit, and Insanity. These obviously years ago, and I was in different shape. But, as you can imagine, with those sports you were conditioned to perform very high intensity moves in small intervals, rest, repeat. They were very often in the anaerobic stages. The sport of cycling is very much an endurance sport, and as such, pushing at lower intensities over longer periods is more often the norm. Not being accustomed to that, it's probable that what I don't perceive as too tough a workout is in fact in comparison to the more anaerobic-based sports mentioned.

Could also mean that I'm comfortable at these uncomfortable levels. Perceived effort is - by definition - a matter of the mind, after all.

Or that I'm out of shape... or a combination of those?

I know I do want to enter some crits maybe this year or next, moreso because I don't find longer-distance competitions as appealing to me.

Thanks again for all your responses, definitely some substantial things to chew on.
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