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Heart rate zones – Struggling to stay in a low zone!

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  • August 10, 2014 at 9:49 pm #22120
    madindehead

    Hello there,

    I recently bought a heart rate monitor to complement by Edge 800. I have found that whilst our on my rides, I struggle to stay in a low heart rate zone. Now, I’m a bit overweight still (79 kg aiming for around 65-70 kg) and a bit unfit too, cycling regularly is my first proper exercise for a long time!

    I find that my heart rate is always around the 149-186 mark for the majority of the ride, around 80% or so.

    Is this something I should be overly concerned with? This link http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/heart-rate-monitor-training-for-cyclists-28838/ suggests for endurance and weight loss to usually be in zone 1-2, perhaps 3 (so for me between 115-157 bpm).

    I find I get bored if I go slower, but will going slower really drop me into those zones? I don’t go extremely fast (again, because I’m unfit). Should I just keep doing what I’m doing? Or look to go easier?

    Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to ask. Hope someone has some advice 🙂 Thanks

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  • August 11, 2014 at 8:10 am #808869
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    glynr36

    madindehead wrote:Ok thanks.

    madindehead wrote:
    Ok thanks. I usually try and keep my cadence around 80 rpm, but I will try and push it more to 90 and keep in the lower gears for a better heart rate zone.

    I hope it works!

    Cadence is a very individual thing, some people get better power output with a higher cadence, others a lower.
    Me and my usual riding mate have a difference of about 20rpm or so, he spins an average of around 105, I spin at around 85. Still put out the same average speeds on rides (even individual efforts on the same routes).

    August 11, 2014 at 8:07 am #808867
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    glynr36

    madindehead wrote:Sorry,

    madindehead wrote:
    Sorry, should have stated, that I used the formula on the original article (the weight based one) and looked at my max HR here (http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bike/heart_rate/heart_rate_zone_calculator_abcc_bcf.html) the formula says 192, and the website guesses 194 for my age. So I used 192.

    I just feel that if I sit in zone 2 all day, I’ll never actually get anywhere because I’m not doing anything.

    That equation really isn’t worth using, if you read about the history if it you’ll find it has very little scientific grounding.
    You need to do the proper test to get your Max HR, it’s not fun but if you’re serious about using HR as a tool then you need to do this.
    Zone 2 is what you’d sit in on those endurance building rides in the winter, stick at it and you’ll find the benefit of it.

    If like you say cycling is the first proper bit of exercise you do, and have done for a long while then you’ll be needing to build up endurance first before you can do anything else. What the_jm is saying is what you need to do, endurance isn’t built over a few rides, it’s over hours and hours in the saddle at a lower tempo, stick at it and you’ll feel the benefit come next year.

    August 11, 2014 at 8:06 am #808865
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    madindehead

    Ok thanks. I usually try and
    Ok thanks. I usually try and keep my cadence around 80 rpm, but I will try and push it more to 90 and keep in the lower gears for a better heart rate zone.

    I hope it works!

    August 11, 2014 at 7:54 am #808863
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    the_jm

    Both, I struggled with
    Both, I struggled with cadence at first too! The BC training plans pretty much recommend cadence in the 90-100 rpm range. I simply couldn’t do this at first, my legs simply wouldn’t go that quick, I was always 10-15rpm down on this. So the focus was very much low gears, high cadence. It is definitely worth persisting with, my natural cadence is now always in the that 90-100 range and I no longer dawdle in zone 2.

    August 11, 2014 at 7:50 am #808861
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    madindehead

    I don’t normally look at my
    I don’t normally look at my speedo a lot, I tend to focus more on my cadence overall. But I might give this a go the_jm.

    So basically, low gear and go. And ease at zone 3. Which will be about 1 minute in 🙁 Still, people say it works, so worth it I guess.

    Did you focus on cadence at all? Or was it purely on your heart rate zone?

    August 11, 2014 at 7:38 am #808859
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    the_jm

    Being a complete novice and
    Being a complete novice and trying to follow the British Cycling training plans last year, I really struggled with this. My HR was always at the top end of zone 3 or low zone 4. Eventually I just bit the bullet, turned off my speedo, stuck it in a really low gear and spun. If my hr got into Z3 I just eased off. Going so slowly was really frsutrating at first but it seems to have paid off. I am probably 10% lighter and 20% faster for the same perceived effort than I was this time last year and am able to cycle much further.

    August 11, 2014 at 7:33 am #808857
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    madindehead

    Sorry, should have stated,
    Sorry, should have stated, that I used the formula on the original article (the weight based one) and looked at my max HR here (http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bike/heart_rate/heart_rate_zone_calculator_abcc_bcf.html) the formula says 192, and the website guesses 194 for my age. So I used 192.

    I just feel that if I sit in zone 2 all day, I’ll never actually get anywhere because I’m not doing anything.

    August 11, 2014 at 6:37 am #808855
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    therevokid

    what glynr said …. set your
    what glynr said …. set your garmin up with your actual resting/max rates and
    go from there. zone 2 can be dull, dull, dull but it’s also a great way to
    a) shed the weight as this is the fat burn zone not calorie burn and b) see the
    countryside 🙂

    August 11, 2014 at 5:35 am #808853
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    glynr36

    Unless you’ve properly tested
    Unless you’ve properly tested to get your mac hr the zones are irrelevant things.

    August 11, 2014 at 5:04 am #808851
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    CXR94Di2

    Don’t worry about heart rate,
    Don’t worry about heart rate, just vary your rides , some short and fast others hilly if you can find them and the odd long one. If you cycle faster you burn more calories. Eventually it’s get easier but not not alot, that’s because you just get faster.

    Once you have been cycling for a few months then you can adapt your cycling to what you like.

    My personal likes are 30-40 milers quickly, but can ride 100 miles, just 🙂

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