Too fast, too slow, who knows?

In the past I've managed to ignore just about every article aimed at runners or cyclists that mentions HRM training. I have one, I used to wear it when I ran, but I never really knew why. I guess I had picked up that I should but what to do with it!? Inspired by my recent hill repeat session (which I've decided to repeat next week) I thought maybe I'd look into HR zone training to see what all the fuss is about. I figure if it makes me a stronger cyclist, I'll enjoy my rides more, and enjoyment is what it's all about!

First step then is to calculate my maximum heart rate. There are various ways of doing this, some discredited, others more accurate than others. Interestingly your MHR will be sport-specific. That means if you run your MHR for training will be different to the MHR you use for cycling. Heck, I'd never have thought of that. So which calculation to use and why? Well, as this is the first dip of my toe into the water, I don't want to get too carried away with details, so I'm keeping it simple and taking the calculation from this online tool machinehead software. Neat. Based on this my MHR is 183 bpm and the zones I need to work in are:

• <108 bpm for short, recovery rides
•  109-118 bpm for Zone 1 (60-65%)
• 118-137 bpm for Zone 2 (65-75%)
• 138-150 bpm for Zone 3 (75-82%)
• 150-182 bpm for Zone 4 (82-89%)
• 162-172 bpm for Zone 5 (89-94%)
• 172-183 bpm for Zone 6 (94-100%)

	Okay, so now what does that mean in practice? Good question! There's a really useful article on Bike Radar about getting started with HRM training and ways to train. What's interesting is the comment to me about getting a three-hour Zone 2 ride in as a way to build endurance. As I haven't been recording my HR on rides I have no idea what my usual pattern is, so the project for the next few weeks is to start keeping a record then introduce some structured HR sessions to see what, if any, difference they make to my level of fitness. Watch this space...