Sid Valley Cycling Club - Calculating your maximum heart rate

Calculating your maximum heart rate

Just as we all vary in height and body habitus, everyone has their own personal maximum heart rate genetically "hardwired". Our maximum heart rate also decreases approximately one bpm (beat per minute) per year. The average MHR of a teenager is 220 beats per minute, but this may vary +/- 11 beats from the average (209-231 bpm). For example, a 40 year old who would be expected to have a MHR of 180 (220-40) could vary from 169 to 191 for his or her own personal MHR.

Another key point is maximum heart rates are "sport specific" i.e. they vary from one sport to another. For a given rate of oxygen consumption, weight bearing activities such as running raise the heart rate more than cycling (part of your weight is supported by the bike). So you cannot use your maximum heart rate from running to plan a cycling training program without risking overtraining.

One of the following two approaches can be used to determine your MHR for cycling. The first is more accurate and the one I prefer. There can be marked discrepancies between the estimated MHR and real life results (up to 5% of the population can have heart rates 20 beats above or below the ESTIMATED figure). And if you are in shape, the typical decline of one beat per minute per year doesn't always hold.

Warm up thoroughly. On a long, steady hill increase effort every minute for at least 5 minutes until you can't go any faster. Then sprint for 15 seconds. Check your heart rate at its maximum for a full 30 seconds and double the number. Similar results can be obtained on a stationary trainer.
220 minus your age in years. A rough figure and much less accurate than the on bike approach.

The only limit to the length of time one can ride at 100% of their MHR is personal discomfort. This level of activity does not "strain" the heart muscle or have other harmful effects on the heart itself. Although this level of activity might be considered in a competitive race or event for a short sprint, maximizing the benefits of a training program is the result of a mixture of recovery and hard days. As the time you can hold 100% MHR is considerably shorter than the time you can ride at 84-90% MHR, the art of racing is finding the right mix to get you to the finish line first. Most competitive athletes train at their lactate threshold (84-90% of their MHR).

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This site was last updated on Sunday, 12 October 2008 16:22

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