Originally Posted by
spelger
age adjusted heart rates are not useless as some might suggest. they are most often not accurate for those who exercise frequently like us.
it turns out that for me MaxHR = 220 - age = 166. my most frequently observed max heart rate is 164 and i push it nearly all the time (it is so hard to ride easy). once i saw 171. HR varies with other factors aside from age so the estimation (which is what it is) is just that, an estimation based only on age. it does not take temperature, emotions, food intake, effort, or any other related factor into account.
i never feel like i am about to croak while riding. never. i am always amazed that many posters here on BF have such high max heart rates. i sometimes wonder if the low rate keeps me down any.
Perhaps it means you could push harder if you wanted to?
Also, as I understand it, HRmax is not a function of most of the factors you suggest. It is not something one can change with training, either. I do know that the HR I reach while putting out a particular power or speed is subject to all of those.
The first time I hit my HRmax, about 20 years ago,I was riding in a fast group ride going about 30, and felt so good that I pulled out of the group and sprinted ahead of them, uphill, into the wind. I just blew past them, pushing as hard as I could and suddenly it was like I hit a wall and my legs turned to jelly, and I couldn't do it anymore. 193 bpm at about 43 years old. I hit 191 5 years later - felt exactly the same. So, not only far off of 220 - age, but also the linear 1bpm/year doesn't work, either.