Heart rate monitors?

[Mathew Fy]

I use a Garmin Edge 520. The screen is small, and 5 seems to be the maximum number of data fields you can display, so I would have to get rid of one of them in order to show heart rate.

I’ve done that with mine. From Garmin:

You can customize data screens for each activity profile.

1. Select Menu > Settings > Activity Profiles.
2. Select a profile.
3. Select Data Screens.
4. Select a data screen.
5. If necessary, enable the data screen.
6. Select the number of data fields to appear on the screen.
7. Select a data field to change it.

 

[ed72]

My old eyes dumped the 810 in favor of the 1030 for the screen resolution and size. Plus, the 810 gave lousy warning when off course. The 1030 has a red off course warning that stays on the screen unlike a couple simple beeps of the 810. The 520 would be too small for me on a bent, probably good for an upright for me

 

[Osiris]

My old eyes dumped the 810 in favor of the 1030 for the screen resolution and size. Plus, the 810 gave lousy warning when off course. The 1030 has a red off course warning that stays on the screen unlike a couple simple beeps of the 810. The 520 would be too small for me on a bent, probably good for an upright for me

Precisely the reason I bought an Edge 1030. But, as has been the case with a few other of my Garmin products, my 1030 turned out to be defective and has to be sent back, so I'm stuck with my old 520 for the time being.

By the way, on Sunday I rode with a former Cat 2 racer from Europe. Though he's 61 now and hasn't raced in decades, his max heart rate on our ride was recorded at around 185 bpm.

 

[ed72]

By the way, on Sunday I rode with a former Cat 2 racer from Europe. Though he's 61 now and hasn't raced in decades, his max heart rate on our ride was recorded at around 185 bpm.

Yikes.

When I watch youtube videos of older riders with the HR and power overlays, I am dumbfounded. They start the race at 130 bpm and then might be making 200 watts at 165-170 bpm. I make 200 watts at around 115 bpm and hitting 165-170 bpm on a bent is extremely hard for me.....I know I have done it but a review of the past 4 months shows a max HR on the bent at 161 bpm. I know I can hit higher heart rates on a treadmill or on an upwrong. Maybe it is like the difference between a Porsche GT3 and a big ole Ford Powerstroke truck (deleted of course). Probably something wrong with my heart.

 

[Osiris]

Yikes.

When I watch youtube videos of older riders with the HR and power overlays, I am dumbfounded. They start the race at 130 bpm and then might be making 200 watts at 165-170 bpm. I make 200 watts at around 115 bpm and hitting 165-170 bpm on a bent is extremely hard for me.....I know I have done it but a review of the past 4 months shows a max HR on the bent at 161 bpm. I know I can hit higher heart rates on a treadmill or on an upwrong. Maybe it is like the difference between a Porsche GT3 and a big ole Ford Powerstroke truck (deleted of course). Probably something wrong with my heart.

This guy is definitely not the norm. On every ride, he can hammer the sprints again, and again, and again. I have maybe two or three hard sprints in me, and then I'm done. If I remember right, his average heart rate on our last ride read something like 145 bpm, whereas in my case that was close to my maximum.

 

[ed72]

This guy is definitely not the norm. On every ride, he can hammer the sprints again, and again, and again. I have maybe two or three hard sprints in me, and then I'm done. If I remember right, his average heart rate on our last ride read something like 145 bpm, whereas in my case that was close to my maximum.

I have tried to read up on max HR variations by age, from individual to individual and then the effect as fitness increases. Friel says as you get fitter, the max attainable HR comes down. Some place I had read say that max HR goes up with fitness but I don't buy it. If and when plasma volume increases and stroke volume increases, I suppose HR would come down, maybe that adaptation is there to keep the wear and tear down on the body. Maybe my Garmin 1030 is screwed up and my HR is actually higher. It tells me my VO2 max is 58 and I know 100% this can't be. No waybut unfortunately, Garmin does not disclose how they calculate VO2 max. I am going to try a different older HR strap. My "HrPW" regression analysis chart in GoldenCheetah has shifted a lot as I got fitter over the past 8-9 months but I am really surprised how much lower my HR is at a given power compared to the past. Maybe time to abuse the legs with Tabitha intervals.

First, there is no research I’m aware of on exactly this topic as it relates to aging. So this is my opinion only. Something related we do have research on has to do with short-term changes in HRmax due to performance changes (Zavorsky 2000). This is, in a way, a reverse of your question. We know, for example, that as VO2max (aerobic capacity) increases HRmax decreases—as much as 7% according to some research. The more aerobically fit you become the lower your HRmax becomes. And the other side of the same coin is that as aerobic fitness declines HRmax increases. In other words, it is not a foregone conclusion that a decrease in HRmax means a decline in performance. That’s a very common but unsupported view of athletes who are ill informed about the science behind heart rate. They assume a high HR means a high level of performance. Not true. For example, I once coached a cyclist in his 60s with a HRmax in the upper 140s. He broke the US record for the 40km time trial despite his relatively low HR.

https://joefrielsblog.com/max-heart-rate-and-performance/
https://joefrielsblog.com/max-heart-rate-and-fitness/

 

[Osiris]

Friel says as you get fitter, the max attainable HR comes down. Some place I had read say that max HR goes up with fitness but I don't buy it.

My understanding is that max attainable HR decreases with age. But because older people tend to exercise less than younger ones, the correlation between advancing age and lower attainable HR may not suggest causation.

The last time I tested max HR was about 30 years ago when I was running flat out at the gym. IIRC, it peaked somewhere close to 200 bpm before my pace slowed due to fatigue. Now that I have a heart strap monitor, I'm going to have to check it again. 30 years ago, I was much more muscular and far stronger than I am today, but my aerobic ability was dismal compared to today. My resting HR back then was much higher as well.

 

[Bill K]

Maybe my Garmin 1030 is screwed up and my HR is actually higher. It tells me my VO2 max is 58 and I know 100% this can't be. No waybut unfortunately, Garmin does not disclose how they calculate VO2 max.

This article might give you some insight into how Garmin estimates VO2Max.
http://www.muscleoxygentraining.com/2019/05/firstbeat-vo2-estimation-valid-or-voodoo.html
Garmin uses Firstbeat technology and the formula is very dependent on having an accurate max HR entered in your Garmin.

In my case I had max hr of 165 (which was probably close to accurate 10 years ago, but not now). Garmin estimated my VO2Max to be a bit more than 50.
When I changed Garmin max hr to 155 its VO2Max estimation following my next ride immediately dropped to the mid 40's.

 

[ed72]

Garmin uses Firstbeat technology and the formula is very dependent on having an accurate max HR entered in your Garmin.

Thanks for that link. It says that First Beat uses Speed data; thus, it assumes an upright rider's CdA and not a bentrider. So, not valid for a bent rider.

I thought maybe that Garmin (First Beat) monitored power over a range of heart rates over multiple rides to ascertain VT2 inflection and then to assess fitness vs. that regression curve.

I did use a different strap today and no difference.

 

[Osiris]

Today was more of a recovery ride than a workout, but I did manage to get two useful bits of data regarding heart rate. According to today's readings, my max HR was 162 bpm, which I maintained for about half a mile on a hill climb. The highest I could sustain without fatigue buildup was between 154-156 bpm. This reading was obtained during the last three miles of a 34 mile ride. I'm not sure how much longer I could have maintained it, but it felt like I could have kept going for quite some time. I've never considered heart rate in any of my training, so I don't know what to make of these readings.

 

[ed72]

Today was more of a recovery ride than a workout, but I did manage to get two useful bits of data regarding heart rate. According to today's readings, my max HR was 162 bpm, which I maintained for about half a mile on a hill climb. The highest I could sustain without fatigue buildup was between 154-156 bpm. This reading was obtained during the last three miles of a 34 mile ride. I'm not sure how much longer I could have maintained it, but it felt like I could have kept going for quite some time. I've never considered heart rate in any of my training, so I don't know what to make of these readings.

It is hard to say one way or another since nobody knows your baseline numbers.

Basically, if you make more sustainable power with a lower heart rate, this indicates better aerobic fitness. It sounds like you have been building a bigger engine and will crush those KoMs on the Van Fleet once your weather cools.