Anyone know - if you are in shape, then let yourself get out of shape, how long does it take for your RHR to rise?

Nearly identical figures for me. It's a great way to pace yourself since, as you mentioned, the wind and hills can make mph a lousy way to pace.

48 years old.
6'
185 lbs
Max HR 190
Resting (in morning laying in bed) usually around 40.
Can sustain 175 BPM for 2 hours.

According to my Doc HR will vary widely w/ individuals

The discussion arose because for I ride w/ a guy same age same rough condition(I'm much bigger though), same pace and route, his max will be in the high 160s while mine is in the mid to high 140s, same w/ other parts of the ride his will be 150 mine 105.

One thing that a heart rate monitor will also tell you is if you are over training. If you are training heavily, feel fatigued, and your resting heart rate has picked up noticeably, it's a sign to lighten up a little because you are not recovering.

angela

Wow, nice numbers! Would love to achieve that.

Exercising at an elevated rate for too long is not a good thing. There was an interesting article a few months ago pertaining to this with marathons:

Running a marathon can impact heart for months - USATODAY.com

Those in professional running usually see their rate go to 70-80% of their max.

wow!

or he is a hummingbird :D

thanks for the great info. i tend to over-think things sometimes.

I'll let you know tomorrow :( It's been probably two years since 'Ive really been in good condition. I always took the resting rate right when I woke up, your true resting rate.

I used to mountain bike with a guy who said his MHR was around 215 and I called BS, but he showed on his HR monitor during a ride, I was very suprised.

I used to race on the San Diego Velodrome against a guy named Bob Zumwalt JR who also ran Zumwalt's bike shop in San Diego CA. He was also a smoker and after a race or heat session, would sit in the in field and smoke an unfiltered Camel and then go out again.

Oh yeah, he was the multiple time US National Sprint champion for the track sprint event in the 35 to 40 year old group!

Stan Makita, hockey player extraordinaire:
: )

http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/a...an-mikita3.jpg

Still at 47-49 from like 43-45. Not to bad.

Heart Rate
 

Vash,

I've done heart rate training since 2004 (running) and have learned a lot along the way.

Here's a few major points I've observed along the way:

- Max heart rate is not a measure of the kind of shape you are in, it's simply a matter of your physiology. How long you can maintain a heart rate within a certain % of your max is a real testament to what kind of shape you are in.

- As previous posts show, calculated heart rate should get you in the ballpark. If you hit something higher, adjust according to that max.

- Your max heart rate determines your training zones (% of max). I normally adjust my max based on how I feel in zones (very easy jog/fast walk zone 3, run in zone 4, hard run in zone 5)

- Min HR is similar to max, a matter of physiology, however if you measure it when you start exercising and measure as you get in shape, you should see it get lower.

- Once you figure out your max HR, its a great tool to train with. Easy run by heart rate helps you train at a certain level without unknowingly over or under exerting yourself.

Dig in & research, its a great way to train. Don't worry about your #'s compared to others - it means nothing.

Good luck.
Gordo