IOL Strength and Conditioning

Ages ago, last winter when we were discussing spin bike training, I promised to write about heart rate training for the benefit of those who bought a heart rate monitor but never learned how to use it. Aside from being the most affective method of cardiovascular training, it’s also a way to spice up aerobic training for those who find cardio more boring than waiting for the spouse outside a Macy’s fitting room.

For years we’ve been encouraging high intensity interval training (HIIT), more work gets done… faster. So, now that you know what high intensity is, how do you measure it?

A heart rate monitor.

You already know I consider the spin bike the way to go for measured, planned cardio because it allows total concentration on technique (unless, of course, you’re lucky enough to have the structure for sprints and easy access to a cinder track, in which case all spin bike recommendations are nixed pronto). And as most of us are heading into winter, indoor cycling with a HR monitor is the order of the day. Let’s figure out how to do that, and slide into a simple heart rate training ride so you can learn how to use your new monitor.

Your monitor is a feedback tool; it’s going to take the guesswork out of your cardio training. Once you learn how to use it, you’ll have precise control over your training; your resting and intensity intervals will be planned in advance and each workout will end as intended, lightly worked, completely wiped out or a selected range between the two.

Most people use what are called training zones, the five training zones from the Zone 1 range of 50-60% of maximum heart rate to the red-line zone at 90%, Zone 5. Usually the initial suggestion is to calculate from a max heart rate of 220 minus age, yet what’s not commonly known is how wide a variance there is of max heart rate per person, per activity, heredity, fitness and more. Here’s a better method to calculate your maximum heart rate.

Not many people fit into “average” when it comes to max heart rate, so for today, let’s just take a little test ride and see what we learn. What we’d like to know at the end of this ride is our anaerobic threshold, that is, at what heart rate do we go from breathing comfortably through the nose, to the slightly uncomfortable anaerobic work that calls on us to breathe through the mouth, the place where nose breathing doesn’t provide enough oxygen.

Let’s hold up a sec for the cautionary note: If your cardiovascular fitness is low, that is, you’re unfit, this point may be low, quite low, and if you discover you hit that point too quickly, back off. Stay in your aerobic zone, a more low-key and comfortable place while you condition yourself, and simply use your heart rate monitor to coach yourself to that calm yet challenging place.

A reader, Susanna Hutcheson, reminds me to tell you that some medications, especially beta blockers, will blunt the natural heart rate numbers. Take your time, learn *your* numbers and work from there. How your heart rate numbers compare with another’s is fully unimportant and may not be a reflection of conditioning in any event. What’s important is to learn to use the heart rate as a training tool… that’s it.

You know what? Before we get into the nitty gritty of heart rate training, which we’ll do next week, let’s go for that test ride. Put on your monitor, grab a bottle of water and a music player and get on your ride.

This is a 60-minute ride I took recently to plot this out for you. If you want to go for a half-hour instead, that’s fine; it’s just a test run to see what the monitor has to offer.

Ready? Okay, let’s ride.

Pedal one minute to activate your monitor, where you’ll maybe see 80 or 90, something like that. Then, increase 5 beats per minute (BPM) per song. That’s it… hold your heart rate as steady as possible during each song and increase 5 beats per song until you get to the top of your aerobic zone, the spot where your mouth opens to breathe.

Make note of the number on your heart rate monitor, perhaps it will be 120, maybe 140, could be higher… just note it and we’ll use it another day to figure out an interval training ride.

If your songs are longer than average, more than four minutes, say, use the clock instead, and increase 5 BPM every four minutes.

Now make your way back down, easing off by 10 BPM per song to finish the ride at around 90 BPM.

Very simple, nothing tricky, just a learning tool to find your aerobic/anaerobic threshold, where it is currently on this particular cardio machine, hopefully we’re talking about your spin bike, but whatever you have access to is fine.

Watch your heart rate jump when you sit upright, balancing with your torso, all your weight on the seat and pedals instead of partially on the handlebars. Raise your hands overhead and watch your heart rate jump again. Your monitor may take 5-15 seconds to register the changing numbers.

Keep hydrated. Heart rate goes up without regular water intake during training. Make your muscles earn the rising numbers.

You’ll find this interesting: 10-point jumps are easier; 5 points take more attention, more finesse.

Also interesting, the way back down is harder to control. If you’ve been riding regularly, your heart rate will drop faster than your planned goal, which is a good thing since your conditioning is better than expected. If long rides are new to you, your legs will feel leaden by 45 minutes and it will be difficult to get your heart rate down. Slow as a tortoise, those moving pedals.

The first time you do this monitoring, use pedal speed to make your increases. You may have to adjust the resistance up or down if you’ve guessed wrong, but for this ride, let’s just have the one variable to attend to. Next time you can bring in the harder gearing.

Once you have the hang of controlling your heart rate, try this: Note your heart rate, decide your next marking point and close your eyes. See the new number in your head and pedal up to it. Open your eyes and see how you did. Amazing, isn’t it, how you can hit that new target so precisely and after just these introductory instructions?

A heart rate monitor is one of the more outstanding modern training tools, and at less than $75, an average unit will coach you into great conditioning workouts for years to come.