Wannabee Newbie
That was cool to see how much time everyone invests into their training.
I would be curious about everyone's heart rate Here is mine which is from a heart rate monitor that I often train with.
MALE AGE 40
Max Heart Rate = 186 (was 179 prior to my Triathlon training 8 months ago)
Resting Heart Rate = 42 (was 49 prior to my Triathlon training 8 months ago)
Nice to see a rising Max and dropping Resting as a result of training.
You really can't compare heart rates from one individual to another.
Your heart rate is yours and you can not determin a persons fitness level from comparing ones max and resting heart rates to others.
I'm 44....not that far from 45. I was doing intervals on the stationary trainer this weekend and my heart rate reached and sustained 194 at one point......Right now my fitness level sucks ! My resting HR at my peak will be around 55 -60.
I'm a believer in Heart Rate Zone training.......Keep in mind your heart rates zones will vary from discipline to discipline.
A better gage of fitness level is how fast you recover from an intense interval. And this is something you can compare from one person to another.
Take an intenese workout where you sustain an 85% to 90% max HR for 3 mins and then time how long it takes you to drop 30 bpm off your heart rate.
Yes it is good see the change in the Max and resting HR's but it's really about what is happening in between those numbers....It's better to see your HR zone 1 training pace go from 8:15 /mile to 7:48 /mile. Now thats the indicator your really looking for.
Good luck with your training !!!!
Puttin' on the foil
I agree that it is varied, and not that good of a predictor of performance. It is important to know this information for training purposes, however.
That being said, I was tested last fall. Max. HR on the bike 188. Max. HR running was 193. They basically put you on bike trainer and you go increasingly hard until you say "uncle." Two days later we did the same thing on a treadmill. I was surprised about the Max. HR on the run. My VO2 Max. came in around 81. VO2 Max. is likewise not a great predictor of performance. Here's a list. Check out Frank Shorter's rather pedestrian score. That number sure did not predict his performance!
MTA - I'm 41.
Don't be obsessed with your desires Danny. The Zen philosopher Basha once wrote, 'A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.'
Thanks Guys...I will keep trying to improve. I especially agree with what you said about recovery from intense levels.
For sure I am a long long way off. Intitially I started Triathlon's this year to avoid getting put on Lipitor by my Doctor....haha. I dropped my Cholesterol from 210 to 162 with just diet and excercise. WAHOOO No Drugs.
Going to be mostly OFF the next 4 weeks as I need to travel into China and have crazy work schedule so will just sneak in some workouts here and there.
Year 2 of Triathlon training should be fun. Looking to do a Half Ironman......and also a Marathon in 2010.
Age - 27
Max - Not sure, think I got it up over 200 once, felt like I was going to puke
Resting - I think 48 over the Summer
When I started running with a heart rate monitor I was running 10-11 minute miles and my heart rate was 150-160. Now I can run sub 8 and low 8 consistently with the same heart rate.
My best race that I ran last year (or ever), was a half marathon in which I ran by my heart rate and not pace. I kept my Heart rate in the low 180's, knowing that if I went to high I would struggle in the end. Once I hit mile 10, I let loose. The result was a 13 minute PR in the half, down from 139 to 126 in a year. Now this past Fall I ditched my Heart Rate plan during a marathon and I died. I wanted to keep my HR at high 170's and instead ran with a 3:10 pace group. It was a hotter day, 75ish so every time I glanced down at my HR it read mid 180's. I died at mile 18 and it wasn't fun.
WIth HR training though there are a lot of factors to take into account. Medication, temperature, stress, diet, sleep, hydration, etc...., all affect heart rate. Just something to keep in mind.
Quick question, what do you guys do with your HRM during a tri? For the 2 that I ran I just didn't use it. Can you put it under your wetsuit? Or do you just take extra time at the transition? Thanks.
Can a person improve or raise their max heart rate? Max HR lessens with age, bur I'm not sure you can raise it back up.
A hig Max HR doesn't equate to better performance anyway. Fitness isn't dependent on Max HR. As your fitness improves, your cardiovascular system becomes more effient at using the oxygen transported in your blood as the heart beats to use as fuel.
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
2014 Goals:
Stay healthy
Enjoy life
Can a person improve or raise their max heart rate? Max HR lessens with age, bur I'm not sure you can raise it back up. A hig Max HR doesn't equate to better performance anyway. Fitness isn't dependent on Max HR. As your fitness improves, your cardiovascular system becomes more effient at using the oxygen transported in your blood as the heart beats to use as fuel.
Pretty sure you can't improve your max HR
And true, a big Max HR doesn't always equate to a better performance. There has been races that I have been faster with lower heart rate then some races with higher heart rate, my guess is that I went out to hard.
I've never read anywhere that you can increase your max heartrate and I've done a lot of searching for HR training info since I started running.
Max Heart Rate = 186 (was 179 prior to my Triathlon training 8 months ago) Resting Heart Rate = 42 (was 49 prior to my Triathlon training 8 months ago) Nice to see a rising Max and dropping Resting as a result of training.
OP comments that his MAX HR went up after his triathlon training. I'm sure he just never actaully maxed out before he started to train for his triathlons.
41 Male
Max HR 202
Resting heart rate 48-51 depending on stressors
Best 5k time 25:02 with an average HR of 179