Heart Rate Monitor Training

Over the last 15 years the use of heart rate monitors has been perhaps one of the most successful and important advances in the cyclists training arsenal.

The heart of the matter

When the heart beats it pumps a certain amount of blood around our arteries and carried throughout our bodies. As we exercise our muscles require more oxygen and in response outr body increases the heart rate (number of heart pumps per minute) in order to feed the muscles the oxygen they need. As we train and become fitter, the heart increases the volume of blood that it pumps with each stroke. As a result as we become fitter (through training) our heart rate for a particular workout should reduce. By measuring their heart rates then cyclists can monitor and gauge their fitness.

Heart Rate Monitors

Heart rate monitors are simple devices consisting or a chest strap and a display unit. You simply place the chest strap round your chest and it's sensors pick up the small electrical currents in your heart and send the data to the display unit. Display units are generally either watch type units or integrated into cycle computers. Depending on the unit you buy they will allow you to input you maximum heart rate (MHR) and will display your current heart rate (either as a number or a percentage of your MHR and record your average heart rate over a period of time.

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)

Your maximum heart rate (MHR) is a sport specific number that is the maximum heart rate you can achieve while performing a particular form of exercise. Once you have calculated this number it will form the basis of most of your training as based on your MHR you can devise training zones with which you can structure your training. The number is specific for you and varies greatly amongst different people so don't be tempted to compare to friends as any comparison is worthless.

The best way to assess you MHR is to perform a field test. After a 20 minute warm up try to find a long steady hill and as you ride up it try to increase your effort in small increments every minute. Keep doing this until you feel like you can go on no longer then sprint all out for 30 seconds. Be sure to get medical advice before performing such a test and remember it should only be performed by people with a base level of fitness. If performed correctly the test will hurt a lot! A slightly worse (but much easier) way to find your MHR is to take 220 minus you age however this number is not always accurate in all individuals so the field test is the most accurate.

Heart Rate Training Zones

Once you have calculated your maximum heart rate your next step is to calculate your training zones. There are many different definitions and numbers of different zones proposed by different coaches however they all try to achieve the same thing. Training zones are a way of measuring/controlling the intensity of your training workouts so that you can optimize your training rides to focus on achieveing various different physiological improvements;

Zone 1 (up to 65% of MHR) Recovery Rides

These rides are used to help rest and recovery. They should be used in place of a rest day for instance the day after a race or hard training day. Their aim is to simply allow you to get out on the bike and get some blood moving through your muscles which will help to flush out any waste products and allow your muscles to recover without placing any strain on them whatsoever. Try to limit these rides to a maximum of an hour in duration.

Zone 2 (65% > 75% of MHR) Endurance Rides

This zone provides your 'base miles' and you should use the early part of the season training in this zone. While riding in this zone converstaion should be easy without getting out of breath, infact riding at this pace may seem too easy and you'll be tempted to ride faster but resist. Endurance rides will help the slow twitch muscle fibers build up in your legs and improve your body's efficiency of using fat as its primary fuel source at lower intensity. In addition a base of miles at endurance pace will help you get used to spending time in the saddle and reduce your risk of injury when you start to train at higher intensities. Try to have at least one long endurance ride per week where you spend over 2 hours at this intensity.

Zone 3 (75% to 83% of MHR) Tempo Rides

These rides are of a slightly higher tempo than Zone 2 training wiuth the intention of building up your aerobic endurance. Riding at this speed you'll find yourself unable to hold a continuous conversation without getting short of breath. The aim is to work as hard as you can without reaching your lactate threshold which is where the body starts using it's carbohydrate or glycogen stores as fuel instead of fat. This is crucial to the distance rider as the body can only store so much glycogen.

Zone 4 (84% > 93% of MHR) Lactate Threshold

The aim of riding at this intensity is to try and raise your lactate threshold. As discusesed elsehwer your lactate threshold is the pooint at which lactate acid removal in your muscles is outstipped by lactate removal resulting in muscle fatigue. By incorporating lactate threshold intervals into your training rides you will over time manage to raise your threshold, which has the effect of allowing you to ride harder and faster for longer.

Zone 5 (94% > 100% of MHR) Anaerobic Training

Training at this intensity can only be maintained for very short periods, perhaps up to a minute and will help develop a cyclists sprinting ability. Training in this zone usually consists of maybe 5-10 very short intervals (30 seconds) with each being separated by 2-3 minutes at zone 3 intensity. Be aware however that your heart rate will not rise straight away to the very high intensity so timing such short intervals by relying on the heart rate monitor can be tricky. Instead use the perceived effort method where you simply pedal all out for each interval period.

Avoiding Overtraining via your waking heart rate

Your heart rate can also help you decide when you are training too hard and need to take an extra recovery day or day off the bike all together. Taking your average heart rate over say a 3 minute period right after you wake up is a great way to guage your fitness. If you have a particularly heavy training day you may notice your waking heart rate perhaps 10-15 bpm higher than usual. THis can be a sign that you need more recovery time before emarking on another hard training ride. In addition a higher resting heart rate may indicate you have a bug or other illness.

Tracking your fitness

As you train and get fitter you should find that your waking heart rate slowly falls over time. This is because your heart increases the volume of blood it pumps with each stroke, meaning it has to pump less frequently. Another great way to track you fitness is to perform a time trial either on a stationary bike in the gym or an outside course. Try to keep all factors the same, make sure you are well rested beforehand and simply track your average heart rate and time. You should find over time that you are able to ride the same course in the same time at a average lower heart rate or at the same heart rate with a quicker time. Either way you know you are getting fitter.