Topic Title

A question on heart rates,as a runner i know the basics of heart rate monitering having used one on and off for 10 years ,when i run outside or on treadmill i know roughly what the rates will be.however since i started cycling semi seriously 6 months ago i have noticed a problem.When i go out on my bike everything is ok 130-150 steady pace up to 183 to THE MAST however on a turbo trainer for an hours ride at various resistances i struggle to get over 125 and usually ave 105ish for the whole ride. The effort is there as i can come off it totally knackered and soaked in sweat even with a fan in my face. Any ideas? Danny.

Much bigger fan + an open window. Seriously. Also lots of water.

Agree with Arthur, a huge fan is essential! Barnetts seem to have sold out at the moment so I guess everyone has been getting sorted for secret extra winter training already. You sly foxes!

With heart rates it just goes to show that perceived effort is not the same as real effort as your monitor is showing how hard you are really working. If you put in a warm up then a few intervals to raise your heart rate to where you want it (70-80% max for a steady session with some out of saddle efforts, higher cadence and more resistance to push it above 85% max for anaerobic intervals?).

It really helps to have a structured plan for a session in my (very modest) experience, or I potter at lower heart rate levels too. Just about every book on cycle training has some recommended turbo sessions in, or try getting the Cycling Weekly fitness guide sold through WHSmiths for £8 - it's a decent read anyway and has a good few turbo sessions in, plus you get a DVD to watch with routes on (20, 40 and 60 mins - or add them together if you are a real turbo nutter!)

You watch on a TV/computer screen and see a cyclists eye route around some leafy lanes!) and more importantly it guides you through perceived effort, heart rate and cadence at all times in the top right corner of the screen. Sounds a bit strange but you will get a workout from it that is more like a real ride so you can get the technique sorted. The DVD distracts you from the heat and your sore bum too - worth a go!!

You dont need a bigger fan, heat is likely to cause increased HR, particulary as you are sweating so much. Are you sure there is nothing interfering with your HRM - where do you turbo, is there likely to be anything causing electrical interference, i.e. in the kitchen?

Thanks for replies however the fan thing is covered good fan to keep me cool+ trainer is in a very cold garage. Did a session last night 5min wu then in top gear on bike lowest resistance on trainer 5 mins at each level upping resistance every 5 mins starting at 110rpm reducing it by 10 for the 5 levels then upping rpms coming back down and finishing on 120 max hr 127 ave 117 again tons of effort. Have tried the dvd again tons of effort but still 20 to 30 beats off target. The thing i dont get is other sports ive done ie running,indoor rowing ect +cycling outside i can get my rate just were i want it i understand the percived effort thing as i can judge it by the lactate build up in my legs its just on the trainer it gets me so very very very very angry . oh by the way im not obsessed by this or anything. Cheers anyway. hope to be there on sunday. Danny.

I think this hooks in well with Robs comments re the importance of coaching support on the future discussion thread

I have followed the discussions on the veloriders.co.uk training forum with some amusement - see 42*20 etc

Bit hard to tell what is serious and what is tongue in cheek

But I think it is fair to say that even the supporters of the "detraining" theory would not advocate too many of the sessions described above during the winter

Having said that i was thinking of joining the turbo brigade in the New Year so all tips welcome

MA

I once heard of an eastern European guy who did 7 hours on the turbo without any form of entertainment! His mate managed 8 hours but with a radio. Now that's training!

One of the last comics i bought had an article by Michael Hutchinson who said he once did over 25 hours in a week

That was with the proviso "before he knew better"

The other amusing thing was his account of attending a spinning class at a gym - apparently all the others were happily spinning away but the instructor kept coming over to his machine and screwing the knob down to make it harder

He said at the end all the others had worked out whereas he felt like he had been worked over

OK maybe it wasnt that amusing then

I used to turbo (before I knew better, like the Hutch, or was it just before I lost the will to hurt myself so badly?).

I was always perplexed at getting a heart rate lower than I thought I should have for the same effort on the road. But it was only off by 10 bpm.

I was no expert of course, but I tended to do short sessions with short, hard intervals. Rob gave me some plans based on a steady 120 with intervals at 150, 160 and 170. The first couple of intervals it just seemed as though I would never get there, and there was a long delay in my heart rate responding to the effort. The biggest session I ever did was 40 mins of effort, excluding warm up and down.

For a while I only had a fixed gear bike to turbo on, but I found that messing around with the resistance wasn't necessary, you just had to pedal faster.

Nothing makes time stand still better than a 1 min interval on 170!

Nick

I agree with all the comments above. The only thing to add to all this is that if the experience is not truely horrid then you're doing it wrongly! Like Nick, I kept the turbo sessions for pure quality work(no more than twice a week) with everything else out on the road. Therefore, put it away until at least December, preferably even longer!

So after a hard effort climbing to the mast your Max hr is 183, steady state aerobic is between 130 - 150 which seems pretty normal. If you can't raise your HR to the 183 you acheived on the road there are loads of factors which could influence your performance so ideas.

1. How fresh are you when you go for it ? (hard sessions are best after a rest day)
2. Temperature - the higher the temperature body/room then the harder your body works to maintain a stable temp. which increases your HR
3. Cadence - (rpm) most sessions should be done at 90-100 rpm unless the session is a power session these can be done at 50-70 rpm.
4. Gearing - depending on fitness & objective of the session
5. Resistance - to start with I'd leave this at a minimum setting and increase your gearing as required

If your still not acheiving your required heart rate I'd try the following;

1. Have a week off turbo
2. After rest week 10min w.u (42x14)
3. Try 90 second interval in big ring (100 rpm minimum resistance)
4. 2 min recovery
5. Contine efforts 90 sec - recovery 120 sec to a maximum of 4 efforts (In first few weeks)
6. 10 min cool down
7. Max. 2 sessions a week
8. Gradual progression is the key so increase the duration of the efforts and then the number of efforts (as a guide if you can acheive 8 efforts for a duration of 5 minutes with 2 min recovery between then your bloody fit)
9. Finally when you start the effort your heart rate will not respond immediately there will be a lag but continue with the interval trying to maintain speed and gearing.

Good Luck