chas58

If it is important to you, get your heart rate zones (and V02 max) professionally measure. My zones are nothing like what the generic charts say they are. You may be average, or you may not be.

Miele Man

For a while I was having problems when riding. I didn't know if it was my heart or not so I took things easy until I could get a good doctor. I've been without a doctor for a number of years. As it turned out my blood pressure is a bit high but not that bad. My problems on the bicycle stemmed from my gut pressing into my diaphragm when riding the drops or riding a low drop bar. As I'm losing weight those problems are getting less and less.

Cheers

pdlamb

This. And if there are no obvious dangers to worry about, I can start thinking about where to refill water bottles and maybe get a snack.

Carbonfiberboy 

The usual way is by going all out up a long hill to find your max HR. Some say they see Jesus right as they hit max. Me, I see Moses.

Richard Cranium

At some point in time - maybe around October of 2034 - some one will come to discover that "heartbeat rate" - commonly known as heart rate - is not synonymous or analogous to heartbeat stress.

Heart stress is more likely related to the volume of blood being pumped to the aorta and pulmonary vein. (body and lungs) in conjunction with the resistance of all the associated blood vessels.

This means that "stressful heartbeats" have quite a bit to do with blood vessel resistance and the possibility of subsequent poorly oxygenated heart muscle tissue.

I would suggest trying to sprint up a long steep hill directly after pigging-out at a six hour Superbowl party - your mileage may vary....... or you could shovel snow on a cold morning while worrying about being late for work.

rutan74

Originally Posted by terrymorse I just finished a book entitled The Haywire Heart - How Too much exercise can kill you, and what you can do to protect your heart.

It's written by athlete cardiologists and Lennard Zinn, who many may know from his books and technical articles on cycling.Don't want to start a new thread but does anyone have recommendations to finding one of these "athlete cardiologists"? Mine sure is not tuned into athletes. His lobby is filled with people who have major heart issues. For me, as I age, I am losing more and more each year. I sometimes wonder if I have some sort of blockage. My cardio does not think so since the way I ride a bike is not causing any pain or discomfort etc. I have a heart cath about 10 years ago that showed nothing. All my other vitals and blood work are normal to him although I do have HBP.I'd just like to find a cardio that is more in tune with athletes but I can't seem to locate any or am not searching correctly. FWIW, I live relatively close to a heart center in the Charlotte area but no one is really listed as being an "athlete cardiologist".So, anyone have any ideas?john

edscott.

I'm in the high cholesterol genetics group. And yes, you can do something about genetics. In my case it's just a matter of eating raw beetroot. That has got me down from 254 to 200 (anthocyanin effect). Apart from the healthy side effects, it's great to carry on a long ride instead of industrialized goey energy bars. It has a sh*tload of energy and fiber to keep the release into the bloodstream at a measured pace. Combine it with jicama, lime and salt and it also kicks in against dehydration. Carry it in a ziplock bag and eat it with a plastic fork or chopsticks when the group ride stops for this or that reason. And that red color that drips down onto my white beard really raises some eyebrows.

Carbonfiberboy 

You raise an interesting point. I know quite a few doctors and have seen others as a patient. IMO the first reaction of a doc like a cardiologist is, "Get out of my office if you aren't in danger of dying of whatever in the near future, because I have plenty of folks in that position sitting in my waiting room while I talk to you." Triage, just like you saw. That said, I'm sure there are cardiologists attached to the big sporting labs. Think money.

There are several things that can cause problems other than blockages, but those will probably show up on an EKG or simple physical with a stethoscope. Your cardio is mostly likely correct. Not profitable to second-guess your doc.

It's normal to lose cardiovascular ability with age. It just happens. All you can do is to do what you can. I noticed it starting to really fall off at 64. At 74, the year-by-year difference is noticeable, and I'm aging slower than most.

You can try taking 1g of sodium nitrate every morning for your BP. Not a big cure, but it helps, same as drinking beet juice. Ask your doc.

Carbonfiberboy 

I'm not sure that this is true. There's a possibility that the same hormones/chemicals which increase HR also relax the arterial walls, the endothelium releasing NO. That's an interesting conjecture. I looked into it a little, but no solid info.

NomarsGirl

Because he plans to live to be 128. 64 is halfway there.

Biker395 

Nah ... aging isn't linear. We all know it accelerates every year. I'm nearing the cliff myself. lol

Koyote

I believe this was more of an issue in the early days of EPO doping. EPO produces more red blood cells, which essentially thickens the blood; if that happens to a cyclist who already has a lower-than-normal resting HR, then yes, sleeping can pose risks.

As for the OP's question: an annual physical should reveal heart problems; if there are none, I don't see any reason why vigorous exercise would pose a problem. In fact, my physician seems rather pleased at the amount of cycling I'm doing.

fly135

Took my new HR sensor out for a 2nd longer ride today that had some hills. Got my max HR (161) slightly above the 220-age rule (220-64=156) that I should ignore.

Koyote

You should definitely ignore that "rule." I'm 56 years old, and my max recorded HR this year was 187. And no, I didn't die.

fly135

Still trying to sort this out. I was googling "max hr" to see what your HR means overall. One article (link below) says that you shouldn't be able to maintain "zone 5" (i.e. HR >= 90% Max) for more than a short period. If you take out the first mile my avg HR would be over 150 for 35 minutes. So 150/89% (zone 4) would be a max hr of 168. So I still haven't achieved my max hr apparently.

This ride was a lot of work. I typically ride an eMTB even though it's not off road. Got my HR sensor and decided to take out the regular road bike I bought as a fixer upper in June to learn out to work on bicycles. Finally got around to putting the new tires on it last Wed, and figured I'd put my self to the test.

https://www.polar.com/blog/running-h...-zones-basics/

noglider 

I'm 58, and no, I don't worry about my heart. Should I? I have very low cholesterol as a result of genetics. I've spent my entire life at or very close to my ideal weight.

big john

Your max hr is just that, the highest rate you can achieve when at full effort. Sprint up a steep hill as hard as you can should give you your max. It doesn't matter what some chart says. We can all have different rates even if we have the same age. or someone older can have a higher rate than someone younger.

pdlamb

I found one by chance; he put my stent in, and turned out to be a cyclist himself. (I've passed him a couple times as we commute to work since then!)

My best idea is to find some cardiac nurses, and ask them if any of the cardiologists in town are athletes. Probably doesn't have to be a cyclist. Most doctors are like most people -- they'll spend an awful lot of time doing things that involve sitting down. The ones who bike to work, or run races, are so unusual that word gets around. The best of these will be the ones who follow the literature and think critically about journal papers, newspapers, and web articles. If you can find one of these, arrange to get an appointment ASAP (it may be a few months if you're not dying).

dagray

I wear a heart rate monitor when I ride so that I can see what my heart rate is if I start feeling funky while riding. If my heart rate is too high and I can keep riding I try to switch gears to an easier gear and lower my cadence until my heart rate has gone back down, or I coast for a bit. I try not to stop riding, but at times I have to (like when I go over my max heart rate of 174 for a couple minutes and my brain is telling my body it needs more Oxygen... you know that can't get a good breath sensation).

rutan74

Well, you pretty much hit the nail on the head describing my cardio. He sees me and pretty much says what are you complaining about? I'm 63, have done 3 centuries, climbed Mt Mitchell 4 times and countless other rides but I do worry a bit just as this thread says. Maybe I am being overly picky but since my riding friend has gone thru so much and he is younger and since I was cathed 10 years ago, I do get a bit worried at times.


Look, I am not dying out there but I know when things are not right or at least don't feel right. Just a huge power loss. No pain or shortness of breath, just no power mid ride sometimes. Maybe it is just the aging process and maybe it is not. I simply would like to know. My cardio will not do the tests since it is not warranted by any of my current factors which means insurance won't pay for it either.


So, in my case I guess I just carry on. Yes, I do realize that a 60 year old heart will not pump as much blood as a 30 year old heart. I know as you age, arteries become less elastic and hardening of the arteries begins. I know all this so I am torn between the aging thing and is there anything I should be worried about. The problem I see is finding a doctor, especially one that deals with runners etc., is really hard. I could try and find the cardio group or MD that deals with the Charlotte Panthers but I have not looked into that yet. There are big groups around the university area in Raleigh, but that is a 2 hour ride for me.


It is just a problem for many of us. Foot doctor? No problem. Orthopedic? I have one that is a cyclist. Cardiologist? Nope, only for the really bad heart problems.


john

rutan74

Thanks. I will start to ask around. I seriously doubt I would need a stent but again I don't know. My data from 10 years ago said I was clean, under 10 percent plaque. So, that was 10 years ago. I am sure things have changed since then or at least they could have changed.

I'd just like a cardiologist who understands the athlete, that is all.

john

Carbonfiberboy 

Do you use a HRM? What's happening there when you lose power? HR goes way down, skyrockets, stays the same as when you had good power? I know that when I lose power, I need to eat, preferably about 100 cal. of very fast carbs, like a gel or Shot Blok - even if I don't feel hungry. Have you tried that? My power drop is accompanied by a HR drop.

Edit: I meant to write 100 calories, corrected that.

fastcarbon

At 77 my resting HR is in the low 40's and I continue to wake up in the morning; my max HR has unfortunately dropped by 10 beats due to an anti Arrhythmic drug I take due to a doctor giving me a med that caused Ventricle tachycardia . Because of that I also have an implantable cardiac defibrillator that has never gone off. I guess it is a safety valve in a way. "The Haywire Heart" is good reading but I am not sure what good it is to a competitive cyclist. My heart is structurally 100% but I have had electrical problems over the last 10 years including A-Fib and Atrial Flutter which started with years of time trialing at 96-98% of max heart rate. My electrophysiologist keeps me on the bike with cardiac ablations when necessary. As long as I can stay with the competitive 50 year olds I am happy. I still train with power and use software that keeps me from over-training.

bpcyclist

Thanks very much for that, @fastcarbon. Glad you are still able to do it after all that electrical trouble. And I would venture to offer that you may be one of the safest riders on this board, given that you now have an AICD on-board. That thing is literally a life-saver.

Keep after it. And thanks for the inspiration. I have some health issues of my own at a mere 55 and it seems unlikely I will know what it's like to ride at 77. But you never know...

Biker395 

My doc's eyebrows raised when I told him about my older brother's mini-strokes he got when he was 58 or so.

I told him my brother was morbidly obese, diabetic, ate terribly and got zero exercise, but he seemed to think it made sense to get a corotid ultrasound anyway.

Almost $200 and not payable through insurance, and I thought it was probably a waste of time/money.

The results showed my IMT to be in the 25th percentile for people my age.

That's it ... no more cardiac tests for me for a while. I'm going to find something else to worry about. There are plenty of other things on that list.