"Ride flat out for 30 minutes." Yeah right. I use one of these things just to check that I'm still alive.

I have just come back into cycling (seven weeks) at 60 years of age, not having ridden since my mid 20’s. Having had a massive heart attack in 2008 that has left me with just a 75% of my heart functioning, I am extremely careful with my heart, but I also have frequent access to a cardiologist who suggested I train with a HRM. it’s an important part of my daily training process and it allows me to feel safe when putting in effort. I found this video very interesting as today my heart rate stayed quite low and I just couldn’t push into the next zone. I watched this and realised that it was because (1) I was cold and (2) I was still tired after a hard session yesterday. Thanks. Whilst I’ll never race again, these videos from GCN are very valuable.

@gregstevenson7401

5 жыл бұрын

It doesn't matter for how long or how hard you ride. Just ride. Chapeau Sir.

@TheWizardOfTheFens

5 жыл бұрын

Greg Stevenson - as Eddy Merckx was fond of saying!

@gregstevenson7401

5 жыл бұрын

@@TheWizardOfTheFens Exacto! and he wasn't wrong.

@artistglyn

5 жыл бұрын

I had a cardiac arrest in 2015 at the age of 64. after a triple bypass I got back into training after a few months. I also used an HRM. If you take medication to control your heart it is likely that the beat blockers will keep your heart rate down. I am back to full fitness and ride around 100 miles a week, but my heart rate is restricted by the medication. My resting rate is around 52. When I start a ride it takes much longer for the heart to accelerate, so I warm up slower. My heart almost never goes above 150 due to the medication, no matter how hard I ride. This is something that I have to accept , so when I get to a steep climb I have to grind up it, not attack it. It makes riding in a group frustrating, as I always get dropped. My heart rate threshold is around 140, so don't worry too much about these zones. Just enjoy that you are here and can still ride !!

@gatopirao

5 жыл бұрын

@@artistglyn That's when an electric pedal assist bike comes in. If you can afford it, then you'll stay in touch with your mates in the climbs.

I learned to train with a HR but eventually I removed it from the displayed data of the cycling computer, for 2 reasons: 1. I was constantly looking at that number and not enjoying the road; 2. I love tackling long climbs at altitudes, but the difference of HR from bottom to top is just to great, and chances are you are going to explode while trying to keep the same HR. Therefore, I learned from HR training what it feels like to be in a certain zone and I try to mantain that feeling during the climb.

@ross-morozov

19 күн бұрын

You can still have it on but not reflect on it too much 😅

I find my HR rises when I ride hungover. Maybe ask Dan about that one.

I just started using the HRM with my Wahoo and find it is a great measure of my workout whether it's out on the road or in a spinning class. On my Wahoo Bolt I have the LCD read out set to the HR and find it easy to monitor how hard I am working with a quick glance. That is especially helpful for those of us needing reading assistance.

I recently got a HRM.. it has changed my riding totally. The best piece of kit I’ve bought. Look after your heart!

Chris unzipped his jersey and I was, like, WAHOO!!!!!!

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

hahahahaha

I just purchased a Wahoo heart rate monitor! Very excited to test it out.

I would like to say that Chris is very understandable. He enunciates and does not reduce his expressions to an almost whisper at the end of his words or sentences, as some presenters do. Also, Chris explains subjects in a clear and understandable manner which demonstrates that he has a very good understanding of the subject. (Chris, tell mom I'll be late for dinner! ;-) )

@jasonmcgrody9472

5 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. My only suggestion for Chris is to add a bit of Matt's goofiness. It's GCN, acting like an idiot is mandatory!

@rononyourleftretired5144

5 жыл бұрын

@@jasonmcgrody9472 Yes, I agree.

Helpful! I think HRM’s are a bit underrated and they can do a lot. I second what Chris says about the short intervals. If it’s under five minutes forget about the screen and just give gas. Heart rate does not respond instantly to a hard effort.

Thanks GCN! I train with HRM and it's being solid. Just like PM I know with HRM for how long I can sustain each zone, like you guys said HR matter of what you drink, rest, weather etc. But the zones don't lie at least for me. I will paste something that I read and I agree in a forum in regard HRM vs PM. "HR will tell you something about how fast you are burning your matches on that given day, taking into account you immediate physical state. A PM does not. Power assumes You are the same every ride, but you are not. A PM tells you what you do, not what you Can do. Imo, There is room for both."

Finally, been waiting ages for this video! The video is well done! Thanks GCN!

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Awesome Michael, thanks!

Nice weather and view there might have to go there this summer round July

Just getting started, this video was great to know what I need to set some goals.

Great video, you really got to the heart of the matter and didn't miss a beat whilst pumping us with all that info, really rated it 😉😄

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

haha cheers Bex, see what you did there...

@JitinMisra

Жыл бұрын

@@gcn i know this is an old video, what should be the cadence, for each of the different HR zones?

Great video, super helpful thanks. Would be great to see a video with some training programmes using these zones.

Great stuff Mr O! Really useful info very eloquently described..👍

Thank you! I’m about to return to riding after open heart surgery interrupted about two years of riding. I don’t have a power meter and I’m suppose to keep a tight eye on heart rate. This helps a ton! Super grateful.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Perfect Andy!

The heart rate zones seem high compared to to the zones described in another GCN video. Zone 1 under 81% (142BPM for Chris) compared to Zone 1 under 68% (120BPM for Chris based on his LTHR) in the other video seem wildly different. Apologies if I have missed something entirely?

Thanks, just in time this video, i was looking how to set my zones

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Ideal timing Janis!

Great video Chris 👍 thank you.

Thanks for this video! I only have PM on my indoor trainer, but outside HR is my only indicator. Now I know how to properly use it! :D

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Perfect Wojtek!

Cheers Chris great video and cleared up some grey areas for me as I’m relatively new to road cycling so wasn’t sure if I was doing to much or too little in certain zones 👍

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Cheers Scotty!

If you have a heart rate watch, eBay has a bunch of handlebar mounts for them. Then you can use the watch for running etc as well. And good tip on the intervals. HR is a good way to teach you what the intervals should feel like, then you can do them by feel later.

Timely video as I just bought my first HRM synced with my android phone

another great episode, and motivation to finally get that heart rate monitor that's been on my "to buy" list for a while

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Cheers Rich! Thankfully they're relatively inexpensive.

Thanks for the details!

Very helpful video. As Chris said a HR monitor is a lot cheaper than a power meter and more versatile - you can use it in the gym too. I liked the guidance on devising sessions that elevate HR into different zones for useful amounts of time. The Wahoo Tickr/Elemnt Bolt combo is great.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Cheers Malcolm, hope it really helps!

Great video. Any advice that helps add to the quality of your training is great

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks John, hope it helps!

I wish this video existed a year ago when I started training seriously!! This is awesome!

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Nice one, sorry it's a bit late!!

Interesting video, thanks guys but could we see one of how to best implement a training programme using heart rate please?

Good one Chris!

I'm glad you guys made this video. I like riding with heart rate

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Nice one, glad it's helpful!

I use HR when training in endurance zones. On other rides, I find I can push harder when I don't look at the data. My LT has climbed about 12bpm in the last year, and the only way I can hold 180+bmp is if I don't look. 😂 The positive side of that is that I can now feel a pop coming before it happens, and have learned how to skirt that line.

I actually got my vo2 max measured, along with lactate, they also took heart rate information. With all this information I got a report, from this I realised I naturally rode in the aerobic zone, generally just under where I would go into the anerobic zone...

@lechprotean

5 жыл бұрын

isn't that the case for everyone tho? Almost by definition one should be able to ride for a long time in the aerobic zone. It's more about finding out where your threshold is, isn't it?

1) sun glasses are on point! 2) shoes are sweet! 3) that Canyon Aeroad is amazing!

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Cheers Collin!

I am 71 years old and have used the heart rate monitor for 20 years on my bike. Using the heart rate monitor has virtually eliminated problems caused from over doing it on the bike. I don't race but use my bike for enjoyment and fitness. One thing you didn't cover is that certain medications will change your heart rate and must be taken in account for training. I started taking a "Beta Blocker" a few years ago and it reduced my resting heart rate by 10bpm from 64 to 54bpm. I could not find any advice on this so I just reduced my maximum heart rate by 10bpm which in turn bumped down all my zones. If anyone has any additional comments on how to handle the fitness training while on medication that affects heart rate - I would appreciate hearing from them. Great job GCN although this topic could use a more advanced exploration. Cheers!

I use LTH as the start of Zone 4 (in case of 5 Zones), being the end of Z5 the maximum heart rate

Brilliant, l bought my heart rate monitor in 1996 (vetta) to train on my road bike during the week, because I would race XC MTB on the weekend's and I'm still using it to this day.👍

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Crikey that's good value for money!

As an older rider(60’s) I watch for cardiac drift, which sadly seems to come sooner now with every new trip around the sun. When I start seeing a rapid, sharp increase in HR with the same effort and level of hydration, I know it’s time to back down slowly into a recovery zone.

Handy video thanks

Good video, I want to know how evaluate my training programs effectiveness with a heart monitor. saludos desde Argentina.

I've been using a HRM ever since I started riding in fondos back in university. And I find it quite comprehensive, still it's a little harder to gauge your efforts as precisely with an HRM as it would be with a powermetre. But since I am not planning on racing any time soon, it is perfect, as Chris said: it's affordable and quantifiable enough to make training more effective

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Ideal then Christian! Keep it up :)

2:32 Finally, the plain wisdom acknowledged: train yourself, not a gadget! HR, breathing pattern and self-perception are your best friends.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Yep, knowing your body really is invaluable.

Beautiful bike route! Where is this? Good info thanks

Nice video GCN! I like the clear info into it. One question: How often would you recommend to re-test your thresshold heartrate?

@khaki.shorts

4 жыл бұрын

stevieM82 it doesn’t change as much as power threshold, so I would recommend every 4-8 months

Thank you

I wasn’t paying attention. Too busy looking at his eyes 😍

After decades of riding and training I can quite accurately estimate my heart rate just by bio-feedback to within about 5 beats per minute. I tried the monitor and after I saw how close I could estimate by how I felt, I got ride of it and besides it is dangerous to keep glancing down at gadgets with your eyes not on the road.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Wow! That's really cool to be that in tune!

More graphics alongs the video, would make It more comprehensive

@chawanatn

5 жыл бұрын

It'd also be helpful if they make a simple "homework" PDF where a summary of points to do is given, like for this one: "go hard for 30 minutes, and this is how to calculate your LTHR. Got your zones now?" Since there are SO MANY workout plans and training strategies, a visual cue sheet or something would be useful.

Personally I find HR to be the best to train by. Its working directly with the "engine". And it automatically directly takes any kind of fatique and illnes in to acount as well. It shows in your heartrate. 24 hour monitoring will tell if your sleep is ok, if you are overtraning or anything else. Instead of training to a specifik HR number, its important to train in zones. As you get better and learn more aboit HR training, you can actually benefit from training at specifik ends of the zones. Yes its not as "precise" as training Watts, but Watt training is only effective if all other factors are perfect. Do you have a slight cold ? Then training the desired Watts will most likely have you working at a HR that is to high, putting more strain on your body and prolonging restitution. Just as an example.

@rossfripp4503

5 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately it really isn't that simple. Training purely on HR is OK for longer, sustained efforts, but absolutely useless for anything anaerobic. It also can differ significantly according to the time of day, hydration, blood sugar, caffeine etc....

Have you done any looking into Heart Rate Variability and how it measures fatigue and fitness?

Hi guys, thanks for intersting video. Is aerobic threshold HR not relevant for training?

Love the cow parsley.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

It's everywhere Grandad!

How well does Strava do with it's preset heart rate zones that seem to be determined by your age alone? Full disclosure, I don't have a power meter, but use a Garmin with HR strap. I am 56 and comparing my Strava ride stats with other riders in my age group I am in the top 25% overall. Should I consider recalibrating my own HR zones? Strava does allow you to set them, but as I am not an expert on HR zones I have left them alone for the time being. I would love to hear your input. I really love the health and training segments that GCN are producing!

I clicked for the thumbnail. Hook line & sinker 😍

Another important pro of an HRM is that it is applicable to every sport. If you also run, swim, or actually just about any sport where heart rate is relevant, or just want to record your Dance Dance Revolution session for the kick of it, HRM will be a vastly useful instrument for many purposes.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Yep true, that's a really good point.

An girlfriend says I don't have a heart, so I am forced to train to power...

@DBRising

5 жыл бұрын

Nicely played.

@huzmohd

3 жыл бұрын

Get a heart scan!!!

@zombiegoatwheels

Жыл бұрын

😯

@norberthoessl2969

Жыл бұрын

A girlfriend

Could you use a smartband or a fitness tracker instead of a chest strap? Are they reliable?

What would be useful is a comparison of what Zones match which Perceived Effort, e.g. Z1 matches 1 and Z6 matches 10, but in between...? Thanks!

Can we have all the zones detailed in the text pls? so that i can to the maths quickly. Very nice video as per normal.

Chris, are you wearing the fizik R1 Infinito? They look like the colour ice been searching for.

#ASKGCNTraining I have a simple set up with the wahoo HRM connected to Garmin Edge 130. Are the default heart rate zones on the Garmin app suitable for training? I am not competitively riding and only train for heart and aerobic health. Can you suggest a normal resting rate and decent average rate during a ride? Thank so very much for all your work. It often inspires me to get out on days I normally wouldn’t ride.

Bit confused on how to work out lactate threshold, after the warm should you ride 30 minutes full gas?

more on-screen graphics of the facts and numbers mentioned would've been a great help, especially for non-English, or non-native English, speaker

What heart rate monitors would you suggest for 2021 amateur bike commuters?

How do you calculate your Heart Rate zone on a garmin edge? Is there an option to do a FTP test?

A HRM is great, mostly its in sync with how you feel but not always. Higher HR after drinking the night before. I'm in Thailand, if hotter and more humid than normal HR increases. Good to monitor how the heart is doing

What about training relatively to max heart rate, any different?

That's why i had max. 195 bpm on a "normal training session", when normaly i have around 125 bpm max. A few days later i felt bad, or at least worse than normal... (I know it's not a training session, but i didn't get my bikefit done, so my back hurts after 20km :( )

how do LTHR-zones relate to D-zones (i.e. I understood based on maxHR, HRzone1=D0, HRzone2=D1, HRzone3=D2, HRzone4=D3, and HRzone5=D4)?

So does age related recommended heart rates come into this or is it all down to the lactate threshold measure ?

Buy a book on it. Just over 25 years ago I got my first heart rate monitor and my brother had a book about training techniques with a heart rate monitor. I think it's absolute madness to not read a book on it. I use to do a little triathlon (as well as the proper RTTC stuff) and all the triathletes talk about their VO2 max, I had a simple question "how does using a heart rate monitor get you from the start line to the finish line faster". These triathletes would answer this question by saying that they now know what their VO2 max is, which doesn't actually answer the question. You can get so much benefit from heart rate training if you know what you're doing, so buy a book on heart rate training methodologies. You will get from the start line to the finish line faster.

If anyone could answer this, what are some techniques to bring down HR quickly between the intervals. For example, a typical training plan on Garming connect may ask you to rid a 5 min zone 4 followed by a 2 minutes zone 2, there is no way HR gonna come down from 4 to 2 that fast.

Heart rate is a great way to tell if something is off. If I'm feeling slightly off doing a workout I know I can complete it's probably because my heart rate is higher than normal. For me, I'll be at 185 BPM for a hard 45 minute ride but if I'm having an off day it'll rise to 190 and I'll start feeling dizzy.

@DSRT888

4 жыл бұрын

I just got a heart rate monitor and I've never even reached 185. I find my legs start to fatigue at 175 so I stay between 160-170. I usually start breathing through my mouth noticeable 165. I'm wondering if I just start training strength rather than endurance.

@jasonmcgrody9472

4 жыл бұрын

@@DSRT888 and this is why I find heart rate so useful. Know where your limits are and you can push yourself appropriately.

@DSRT888

4 жыл бұрын

@@jasonmcgrody9472 Yes, I'm also seeing HR coming into play. I slapped on my aero bars and tried to hold 37-40kph. My heart rate was in the high 170s which I didnt have a problem with, but my legs gave out before my cardio. So it was my legs that needed work. Do you have a power meter?

Hi. Great video.. Totally obsessed with GCN! I did this test and was pleased with my result but then I read on sufferfest thing saying it gives you rather a high reading of you don’t do it for an hour and that you have to do a full frontal test to get an accurate reading-is this right? Am I right in assuming you need a power meter to do that? I don’t have one. Could I take a percentage of the 30 minute test I did- or don’t I need to? How did you get yours? Thanks a million.

For me I've never had this kind of tech when I rode me I waited till myself told me that's enough or I knew that's as far as I can go & taking rest day then back on the bike FE NF QSTON NOTL STKITS & Back to FE maybe if I had something like this but that's my story good riding to all those who can I wish I could ride like I used to

I remember my first crit in 2008 and did the newbie geeky thing and asked my team mate why he wasn't wearing an HR monitor. I'll never forget him flatly saying "Why, it doesn't matter..." and he rode off to warm up." Life lesson learned.

What is zone 5 called and where did it come from ? Strava only has 5 , the same 5 you give names to. BUt you slipped one in before anaerobic and after threshold.....

Would my 10mTT average HR be a good Lactate Threshold indicator?

I have over three months of training at least three to four days during the week, albeit, my heart rate doesn’t improve (going lower or staying low) and I find training always at zone 5. However, I return home with a smile in my face, and there is little or no muscular pain. Given that I am 55 years of age, 1.85 mts in height and 90 kilograms of weight I have found empirically that my maximum heart rear is 185 ppm and my at ease heart rate is 75 ppm. How far should I be in my training to notice both levels to drop significantly if ever? How hard should I train to make my heart more efficient? Am I more and Alfa-Romeo kind of high revving 1600 cc engine and less a Mercedes-Benz 300 D low revving engine?

i think we need to also consider the temperature (climate), condition and nutrition of the person

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Yes, true!

Is GCN interchanging "FTHR"" and "LTHR"? In previous videos, i believe they defined FTHR as the average HR during a maximal 30 minute effort. Here, they're calling that heart rate "LTHR". Im confused.

Great video as always, however, the ‘heart rate you see on your screen is a direct reflection of how hard we’re working’ is incorrect in my opinion. For example if you were doing 2-3 min efforts in zone 5 it takes your heart rate some time to resettle / reflect the effort on the computer screen when you restart each effort. Maybe 30secs to a full minute. A compelling reason to train with a power meter if you’re wanting to train your zones effectively and can afford the investment.

@michaltoman2805

5 жыл бұрын

Well, zone 5 is effectively full gas, so usually you can just feel it. More difficult in my view is to gauge the lower intensities, especially due to so-called cardiac drift during a ride.

What is a good computer to get for training to heart rate?

Thanks for this video GCN! I'm having a query that from past 20 rides on my Mtb bike, my average Heart rate is above than 180 & Max HR is 215bpm. I mostly spend more than an hour in Vo2 max zone. I can't keep my HR for long time in Aerobic zone. What do you think am I going on a right track or I need good guidance?

@anissems1206

3 жыл бұрын

Same here

@depfeffel6455

3 жыл бұрын

80/20 training. Ride slow and easy.

Quite unusual scheme for zone determination: apart from zone 4-5-6 which depends if you want to map zone 6 or just leave it as "anaerobic", the first three zones should be quite the same, which for my experience they should be: - Zone 1 up to 68% of lthr - Zone 2 68-83% of lthr - Zone 3 83-94% of lthr Source (but there are really a ton that indicate the above scheme): www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/20120925-Power-Calculator-0

If you can't answer my question probably nobody can 😃 Chris is possible to sync a smart band as xiaomi or huawei for example with a cycling computer? The idea is to share the heartbeat information. Thanks in advance

@depfeffel6455

3 жыл бұрын

If it has Bluetooth / ANT+, probably yes. Can you connect it to your phone on wahoo etc? If not, no :)

I'm a beginner, and for all my rides, I stay all the time at Max HR

Dead useful that. I’ve been using heart rate to train instead of perceived effort for about 15 months and I’m hitting PB after PB this spring and summer. I also take my resting heart rate first thing every morning while in bed. When it’s 50 or below I’m ready to cycle hard and live life. If it’s much over 50 I’m either over doing it or going down with a virus or similar. Or hungover. That’s happened too 😊

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Haha nice one Alan, it's really great to be in tune with your body!

HR Straps are really cheap & easily connect with Strava if they support either ANT+ or Bluetooth. My ANT HR Stap cost just USD $12 from Decathlon India. 900Rs. Damn Cheap! And one of the best tools to gauge your effort!

I don't like how many times you said "Quantify" haha

Detecting illness is the number 1 reason I use a HR monitor. I saw some crazy numbers one time and I thought the monitor was wrong (200bpm at a moderate pace). It was Epstein Barr. Also after a cold and or a lay-off when numbers go back to normal after a few rides you know you are good to go.

@gcn

5 жыл бұрын

Crikey! Yeah it's also really useful for that eh?

Can use ant+ band whit smartphone? Is ani aplication to replace the ciclocomputer.?

Hi. Newbie question, should I consider the HR zones set by my watch when I run as the same zones when biking?

@coreyallert1482

6 ай бұрын

Likely based on the 220 - age model so the zones are safe to use for a moderately healthy person

Among friends I'm known for my high heart rate (I'm 30 years old), so I did this test because it might be fun to sometimes train with heart rate zones. My average heart rate in the 30 minute test was impressive with 194. With this average, zone 6 starts for me from 207 bpm. I never managed (luckily) to get that many bpm, sometimes I reach 204-205. So what should I think of these impossible number?

@sandeepbjm

4 жыл бұрын

Vincent Noppe go for tests, calcium score, echo. If everything’s normal, you’re built for it and with it.

@depfeffel6455

3 жыл бұрын

Do you have a mega high resting HR?

@antoniot.4303

2 жыл бұрын

Still alive Mate ?

Why does the wahoo training app only have 5 zones for heart rate but 6 for power? how do i adjust for this? i do not have a power meter.

Does it matter which gear ratio you use to determine the LTHR?

@laserpez

5 жыл бұрын

In my experience, lower RPMs lead to lower heart rates, so I guess that you should determine LTHR using a proper gear ratio. IOW, if you usually ride at 90 rpm, you should do the test at ~90 rpm.

And how about heart rate variability, HRV?