NYMXer

I have been using a HRM for several months now and have learned what I am capable as far as BPM goes during a ride. I am 58, reasonably fit, ride at an A level and my max HR is 182 but I watch the HRM to stay below 174 because at that point, I burn out fast.

During last nights fast paced ride, but fairly flat (no hard climbs) I average 132 BPM with a max at 164. The others in my group were ALL about 20 BPM higher in both average and max, so is this a problem for me, them or no one? Maybe my Garmin and HRM are not accurate or maybe it's nothing, but I thought I would ask here and get some input.

I am using a Garmin 520 and a Wahoo HRM. IT seems like the more I read on this subject, the more confused I get. I always thought the lower BPM at higher output meant a good and efficient heart but now, I am really confused. I have been on rides where my highest HR was 170 and others were near 200. At my age, I don't think that I would want to get near 200 BPM like a 40 year old.

So, I am seeking some basic info to help understand this tool better and confirm or dispute my thoughts on lower BPM.

Seattle Forrest

I would interpret this as a problem for no one. Heart rate is an extremely individual thing, and it's even different for the same person on different days.

I wouldn't take what you said to mean that your heart sensor is wrong, but, if you suspect that it might be, it wouldn't hurt to check it. Take your pulse by hand, or use an app in your phone that uses the camera.

NYMXer

In February, I saw a Cardiologist and he had me get an EKG and ultrasound of the heart, along with blood panels. All came back very good, esp lipids, BP and heart muscle. So, I don't think I have to worry about myself, just wanted more along the lines of a crash course on HRM's and what they can do for us.

It does worry me that the guys (all of them) were about 20 BPM's higher than me anywhere during the ride, inc average and highest BPM. Not sure if they should worry, it's normal or my Garmin is defective....maybe all of the about.

What I am saying is that I thought the lower your BPM are during exerted effort, the better and monitoring your HR will help you avoid the burning out zone, for me that 174. My peak is 182 but I pant and suck wind up that high but my chest doesn't hurt at all.

I can ride in the 160's for hours, the 170's for a few minutes but at the 180's, maybe a minute or two then I am spent and out of breath, so I soft pedal until I recover.

So, am I thinking right here?

jsk

HR is individual. Some people just have a higher maximum HR than others, and maximum HR will also tend to decline as you get older. So comparing your HR to others on a ride doesn't really make sense. It's more important how your HR on a given ride compares to what's typical for you.

And yes, as you get more fit your HR at a given work level will be somewhat lower. But it's lower relative to your max HR, it still doesn't make sense to compare to others.

Seattle Forrest

Most of the time this distinction isn't very important, but I'll throw it out as a reminder. Heart rate ~= your body's reaction to an effort. Power ~= effort. Those are incredibly close and most of the time you can think of them as being the same, but sometimes that falls apart.

Going by heart rate, 174 bpm is your breaking point. Everybody has one. Mine is 165 bpm, at least when I'm running. The guys you're riding with, theirs are different, from the sound of things theirs must be pretty high.

Like you said, being able to perform a task with a lower HR is an indicator of improved fitness. But that's the type of thing you can only compare against yourself, not other people, because their HR will be different from yours.

DrIsotope

At the same level of effort, my wife's HR is typically 30 beats higher than mine. A buddy of mine will have his HR in the 160s just toodling around, and can hit 205bpm during hard efforts. At that HR, the EMTs would have to use the paddles on me. As has been said, everybody is different.

Another possibility is depressed heart rate due to overtraining/overworking. I did 58 miles with 5,300ft yesterday, and should likely have taken today off to rest... but went out and did 30 miles this morning anyway. Giving as much effort as my legs would give, I maxed out at 154bpm-- and my LTHR is 172bpm. Just couldn't go any higher.

NYMXer

So again, during this weekend's ride, my HR was consistently 20-30 BPM lower than everyone else's. I think that is a good sign of my fitness according to what I have been reading, but may be due to the fact that I never perceived I was putting out "high output", due to an injured left knee.

The more I read, the more confusing this subject gets. Kudo's to those of you that fully understand it. I also learned the value of training in specific HR zones, esp the lower an mid sections. Training in those zones allows your HR to recover faster and apparently burns fat over glucose too.... win/win!

ColnagoC40

At 58 years old, 164 is a pretty good number if you are aerobically fit.

The more endurance you have, the lower your HR will read. Low HR coupled with fatigue is a reasonable indicator that you need recovery.

182 for a 58 year old is far above average, however each athlete is different and it really does not tell us much. Personally for me to get back into the 170's, I would have to become a couch potato for at least a couple of months.

IMHO HR is not a very good indicator on it's own, however coupled with a power meter it helps to distinguish between, form, fitness and fatigue.

Personally, (we are all different and there are many opinions) I don't pay much attention to HR, and use power together with RPE as a more accurate measurement.

jeffreythree

If you really want to use your HR for zones and training, I highly recommend doing a LTHR test. It did not sound like you had done one and guessing could be bad. I had to borrow a trainer to do my first one since I could not find a road good for 30 minutes of all out effort close enough to home. I have one of those hearts that jumps to 140 just getting on my bike, and using the age based estimates threw my real zones way off when I first started. I should go do another LTHR test since it has been a while and they should be done every 6-8 weeks. I can't justify the expense of a power meter yet.

Seattle Forrest

Very true.

Has nothing to do with weight management and everything to do with pacing, eg you bonk when you run out of glucose, so on a long ride you avoid bonking by staying in the fat zone and out of the glucose zones.

NYMXer

This was yesterdays ride, an average mild output mtb ride. The others in my group have much higher HR's.
https://www.strava.com/activities/964863696
I use the HRM to observe my HR and not let it get too high, under 174 but can ride in the 160's for a very long time.
My average HR is also low, so I take that to mean fast recovery and good overall heart health. Lately I have become confused on this subject and with heart disease running in the family, I watch my heart closely and the Cardiologist gave me a clean bill of heart health last month.
Lipids, BP and rest rate were all below normal for my age. Once in a great while I get into the 180's, but on a very fast/hard ride, but really suffer at that rate.
I have learned that I can tolerate high 160's and not feel depleted or need to soft pedal and rest, like I do once I hit the low 170's.
I am going to start zone training and see how that might help.
Thanks for the input on this very confusing subject with many many opinions out there.

TimothyH

You cannot compare your heart rate to others and draw any conclusion about your own fitness.

I'll repeat what at least two others have said. Heart rate is an individual metric. Other rider's heart rate during the same ride means nothing.

NYMXer

okay, then with that said, when I first started using the HRM, 160 BPM used to really tire me fast. Today, I have to hit 182 for the same exhaustion and can hold 160's sustained while talking to coriders.
That tells me my fitness has improved dramatically, right?

ColnagoC40

Depends what tired? Did your legs go, did you bonk, or what was hurting?

For most athletes, your LT threshold HR will actually decrease as your endurance improves with training.

Perhaps you are talking about Anaerobic efforts of short duration and previously you did not have the strength to do what you do now?

In short, your maximum HR is not something which will increase with with fitness. It is the maximum rate you can attain and the fitter and stronger you get, the harder you will find it to reach your maximum HR.

DrIsotope

+1000

In the past year, my LTHR has dropped about 5%. Even doing intervals, it's extremely rare to see my HR go above 90% of max.

Carbonfiberboy 

Simple. Don't compare your HR with anyone else's, of whatever age. We're all different. Instead, compare your HR with your own.

Seattle Forrest

If Garmin's wizardry is correct, mine has dropped by 4 bpm in the last year.