# heart rate monitors



## crazydougo (Aug 12, 2012)

I am wanting to get serious about training this year and plan on doing lots of racing. I know that there a power meters out there but i don't have the money for one. Right now I am about to start base training and some told me to use a heart rate monitor to monitor my effort. Do you think it is a good idea for training purposes and will my biking benefit in the long run if I use one?


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## zone5 (Aug 21, 2012)

The best thing next to a power meter! Go get one and do a Lactic Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR). You basically need find a stretch of road where you can go all out for 30 min. Time trial pace and effort will be the most ideal. You can also do this on the trainer if you have one.

When you start your 30 min drill, click the lap button on your HR monitor after the first 10 min. and the last 20 min. average HR is your LTHR baseline.

This baseline will guide your through your training and should be done again as a routine check of your fitness.

Good luck to you!


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## Elpimpo (Jan 16, 2012)

Training with heart rate will dramatically improve what you get out of a work out assuming that you will use and analyze the data you collected.

for example: Once i started using a heart rate monitor, i can see improvements in my cycling and general health. 

zone training is where its at as you MUST get used to racing intensities if you want to race or stay at a certain zone if you want to burn fat ETC>>>\\\

I highly recommend the garmin edge 500 with heart rate strap and speed/cadence sensor. 
The edge 500 will not only give you heart rate but will add tons of data from your rides and will open up so many possibilities for your training.


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## crazydougo (Aug 12, 2012)

Okay thanks, I will go get one this weekend! Anything else important i should know about them?


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## Schneiderguy (Jan 9, 2005)

also recommend Garmin Edge 500 with bundled HR, speed and cadence. Cadence feature is very useful especially winter time trainer use. Suggest you also look into buying a good trainer if you don't have one. I like the Kurk Kinetic and the TrainerRoad program for $10 a month.


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## 67caddy (Nov 4, 2009)

If you are just getting into racing and don't have a lot of money to spend, you can get by with a low cost HRM. No need to spend the big bucks right away. I have used HRMs on and off for 20 years or so. Just last year I decided to use one to do my winter riding in a more structured manner (base building). I got a Sigma Onyx Pro that you will create three zones using your LTHR. You can either determine your LTHR (by the 20 min average listed in the post above). Or you can let it base your LTHR based on age,weight,sex. Determining it yourself is better. 

I found it to be very accurate and very easy to use. I got mine for $50 almost exactly a year ago and have had any issues. As a matter of fact, I just replaced both batteries a week ago. The watch unit DID NOT reset during the battery switch. Which was great, I didn't have to reprogram and it held workout numbers in memory.

I'm not poo-pooing the more expensive Garmin and Polar units. They can give you lots of really good analysis data. But you don't need that level of detail now. Just get a basic unit. As you progress and determine exactly what your training analysis needs are, then you can step up to a unit that gives you specifically what you need. As a starting racer, there are LOTS of other things to spend your money on.


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

Schneiderguy said:


> also recommend Garmin Edge 500 with bundled HR, speed and cadence. Cadence feature is very useful especially winter time trainer use. Suggest you also look into buying a good trainer if you don't have one. I like the Kurk Kinetic and the TrainerRoad program for $10 a month.


If OP doesn't have money for a power meter, s/he won't have the money for that lot.

Much cheaper while being effective are a simple HRM, a diary for notes and following a good training plan.


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

zone5 said:


> This baseline will guide your through your training and should be done again as a routine check of your fitness.


Just to point out that a test to establish a HR response is only ever just that, an indicator of typical HR response. It is _not_ a test of fitness.


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## Nob (Nov 24, 2006)

HR monitor and cadence. The make a real effort to educate yourself on the use of both.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I just started messing around with a heart rate meter. I haven't had it long enough to say if it's helping me to be faster - ask me in about seven months - but I've found I certainly fit the cliche about amateur riders riding too hard on easy days and not hard enough on hard days. Or at least the first part.

If you do complicated interval workouts, the advanced workout feature on some Garmins is pretty cool. I'm borrowing a 405CX from a friend right now and I'm leaning toward buying the current model of that one. I have too many bikes and also run a little bit, and like the watch form.


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

crazydougo said:


> Okay thanks, I will go get one this weekend! Anything else important i should know about them?


That the one and only sensible use of a HRM is as a guide to the intensity of sub-maximal and relatively steady state effort.

Once your efforts reach "threshold" level (think time trial effort level) and beyond, and/or becomes highly variable, HR response is too slow to be of much use as a guide to intensity.

Attempting to use a HRM for much else is akin to reading tea leaves.

Also, if setting training levels based on percentages of some anchor mark, such as "threshold" HR test as described earlier, or your maximal HR, ensure that you use an actual HR response for you, and not a formula derived number.


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## zone5 (Aug 21, 2012)

Alex_Simmons/RST said:


> Just to point out that a test to establish a HR response is only ever just that, an indicator of typical HR response. It is _not_ a test of fitness.


Yes and No but we can go on and on with this topic. What I meant was, if you do not periodically check your LTHR, you will end up overtraining because you might think your LTHR is still at the same level as three months ago. Hence, not training and recovering efficiently.


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## zone5 (Aug 21, 2012)

Alex...Do you think the Cycleops Powercal is a waste of money?


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

zone5 said:


> Yes and No but we can go on and on with this topic. What I meant was, if you do not periodically check your LTHR, you will end up overtraining because you might think your LTHR is still at the same level as three months ago. Hence, not training and recovering efficiently.


The answer is no, HR is not and never will be a measure of fitness. There is no _yes_ on that point.

As for a change in HR response to a given effort level, well:

- there is sufficient _slop _in HR response that one can only ever nominate a _range _of HR typical at threshold/time trial effort levels, and that range won't vary all that much with fitness

- with regular training including some quality hard tempo and near TT level interval work, one will see how one's HR responds and if any changes occur in any case

- there is a need to account for daily variance in HR response unrelated to how hard one is pedalling, hence why the ranges are fairly broad

- not sure LT is an appropriate level in this case (seeking a low cost options), hence time trial threshold HR or actual maximal HR would be a better place to start. Determining LT requires measurement of blood lactate response and occurs at a power (and HR) somewhat less than TT level effort.

It is HR associated with (actual) LT that tends to move a bit more with fitness, but it's not all that likely one will over train provide they follow a good plan prepared with some knowledge of the person to start with.


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

zone5 said:


> Alex...Do you think the Cycleops Powercal is a waste of money?


I can't say, that really depends on what your expectations are.

If I were the OP, I would not spend too much on fancy HRMs and instead get some good training advice, keep a good diary and save up some $ for a 2nd hand Powertap in good condition. 

Even an old wired PT model could be picked up for a few hundred bucks somewhere. Get a year out of it and they would learn a heap about their own training and be able to calibrate their own "RPE meter".


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## mjengstrom (Apr 20, 2009)

Do you plan to train indoors? If so, I would seriously look at using virtual power from a tool like TrainerRoad.com. All you need is an ANT+ Speed/Cadence Sensor (~$35) and an ANT+ Stick ($30) and a support trainer. If you look around, you can pick up a used trainer for under $50 that is on the list of support trainers. I bought my first trainer for $20 off of craigslist, but have since upgraded to a KK Road Machine. TrainerRoad.com costs around $10/month, but there are freeware tools that do a similar thing (although not as good as TrainerRoad)

http://www.trainerroad.com/virtual-power

If you dont want to spend that much, you can also use speed on the trainer as a way to gauge effort (This is how virtual power is actually calculated). You still need to use a trainer with a known power curve and have a way to measure speed, but you can do this with many of the cheaper bike computers that use a magnet on the spokes as a way to measure speed. 

Personally, I found this to be a great way learn about training with power without making the huge investment. Once I started though, it was so convincing, that I bought a Quarq powermeter the next spring. I still use this with TrainerRoad in the winter though. I found this much better than using an HRM.

I tried using an HRM for outside training and found it was not effective - there were too many other variables that impacted my HR and the delay in HR response is too slow for shorter intervals. I have also had bad luck finding an HRM that works for more than 6 months before it starts giving me bad data (really high or low spikes).


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