I ’ve usedan HR monitor to try to improve my performance in three differentsports – running, rowing and cycling. The experiment was a miserablefailure in two of them and it’s fair to say that I very nearly manageda dismal hat-trick. I dabbled with an HR monitorduring a long ‘career’ as a club runner and used one occasionally in mytraining for rowing, so it was no surprise that when I returned tocycling four years ago, I turned to my trusty Cardiosport monitor. Nosurprise either that I almost fell at the ?rst hurdle.
The problem with HR training is that it requires discipline. The bigger problem is that it demands even more humility. LastSeptember, when I embarked on what I’d decided would be my ?nal attemptto use an HR monitor properly, I was only a few weeks into my programmewhen I very nearly threw the towel in. I was doing afour-hour base-building session and trying to keep my HR between121-131bpm when I heard whistling behind me. I glanced over my shoulderto see a bloke on an ancient Dawes touring bike complete with tatty oldpanniers coming past. Then I noticed the sandals…
Iwas morti?ed. Here I was astride a beautiful carbon ?bre racing bike,kitted out in the ?nest clobber, and I’d just been blown out the backdoor by an extra from Last of the Summer Wine. This is where that hugeamount of humility I mentioned comes in. Every sinew in my body wastelling me to blast past him, but somehow I resisted. I swallowed mypride and continued training. That’s the discipline I was talking about.
I’llalways remember that day as the day I learnt to train properly with amonitor, and it’s fair to say that I’m a convert: I’ve been trainingwith one religiously for 12 months and the improvements in my cyclingare obvious. I’m ?tter, faster, leaner and stronger. What’s more,blokes in sandals don’t blast past me any more.
The Zones
The best way to get your resting HR is to take it ?rst thing in the morning every day for a week and work out the average. Make sure you're well rested and not ill or under any stress. Put your HR strap on and just lie there for a couple of minutes, trying to relax as much as possible. Note the lowest ?gure you see and repeat the procedure the following day.
At the end of the week you’ll know what your resting HR average is and you can con?dently use this ?gure as the basis of your training. But don’t be fooled by thinking that having a low resting HR means you are super-?t. “Generally speaking, a low resting HR is indicative of a well trained athlete,” explains Fletcher, “but it’s not always the case. There are people who have a genetically low HR regardless of ?tness.”
Maximum HR
Many believe that you can calculate your maximum HR by using the formula of 220 minus your age. For some people this may be accurate, but for many it will be wildly out. I’m 54 years old so, using the formula, my max HR should be 166 (220-54). It’s actually 178, which is a big difference when training in very tight zones.
A much more accurate formula is 210 minus half your age, then subtract 5% of your body weight in pounds. Add four for a male and 0 for a female. The only way to get a truly accurate max HR ?gure is to get a physiological test at a sport science centre, such as Fletcher Sport Science, but you can get a reasonable estimate by doing your own max HR test. Only undertake this test if you are ?t and exercise regularly, though.
Warm up thoroughly for at least 15 minutes. On a long, steady hill start off fairly briskly and increase your effort every minute. Do this seated for at least ?ve minutes until you can’t go any faster. At this point get out of the saddle and sprint as hard as you can for 15 seconds. Stop and get off the bike and immediately check your HR reading. This is your max HR.
“Don’t forget that your max HR ?gure is sport speci?c,” says Fletcher. “This means that your maximum on a bike will invariably be much lower than it is when you're running because the bike is taking some of your weight.”
HR zones
Having established the key numbers (max HR and resting HR) you're now ready to work out your training zones. There are lots of calculators on the web and, while many people use ?ve training zones, I prefer the six-zone system prescribed by the Association of British Cycling Coaches. Fletcher is also a big fan of the six zones, although he points out that there is actually a recovery zone as well which is important. “If athletes are to perform well they need to recover well,” he says. “I monitor every session my athletes do and I can tell very easily when they need to recover and how long that recovery needs to be.”
Zone 1 (60-65%): For long, easy rides, to improve the combustion and storage of fats.
Zone 2 (65-75%): The basic base training zone. Longish rides of medium stress.
Zone 3 (75-82%): For development of aerobic capacity and endurance with moderate volume at very controlled intensity.
Zone 4 (82-89%): For simulating pace when tapering for a race.
Zone 5 (89-94%): For raising anaerobic threshold. Good sessions for 10- and 25-mile time-trials.
Zone 6 (94-100%): For high-intensity interval training to increase maximum power and speed
Average HR
Beware your average HR. I’ve come back from two-hour rides and my HR has been an average of 130bpm, which would be a Zone 2 ride. But far from it. Looking at the graphs I can see that I’ve actually had several peaks during the ride where my HR has been over 150 and sometimes over 160. Not the ride that an average HR ?gure would suggest. ake sure you discipline yourself to spend 90-100 percent of your ride time in the right zone. This may mean getting off and walking on the hills in the early days. Stick with it. You’ll be amazed at the results.
The sessions
Ascyclists we demand a lot from our training. We want to climb hills likeAlberto Contador, sprint like Mark Cavendish and have the ability totime trial like Fabian Cancellara. We’d also like our cycling to ?t inaround our family and work life, and if we can also shed a few poundswhile continuing to eat pies and cream cakes then that would be nicetoo.
Training using an HR monitor may not turn you into a world-beatingcyclist but it will make you an in?nitely better all-round cyclist. Ifyou're training for speci?c events such as a hilly 100-mile sportiveor a 25-mile time trial, you can tailor your training to suit. If youjust want to lose weight, cycling in the correct zones will burn fatand you’ll shed excess pounds in no time. Here are some key sessionsthat will make you a ?tter and faster cyclist.
Go slower, get faster
Itsounds impossible but this is the basic starting point for HR training.I started off by doing long Zone 1 and Zone 2 rides. It was slow,boring and tortuous at times. What happened over a period of months wasamazing. In a nutshell I was still riding in Zone 2 but I was zippingalong compared with when I started. By going slower I’d made my bodymore ef?cient. It was like a light being switched on: if I can go thisfast in Zone 2 then just how fast could I go in the higher zones?
Fletcher,who’s an exercise physiologist, is adamant that by going slow you willget faster. The Evesham-based coach even has a mug on his deskemblazoned with the words ‘slow is the new fast’. But he has some sagewords for anyone who thinks that HR training is like waving a magicwand. “Training is boring. Anyone who says they can make base trainingsessions more entertaining and can introduce fun is kidding you. Justaccept it that those long, steady rides on the bike will be boring butthey will bring results. There are no shortcuts and no quick ?xes.”
Becausediscipline for these slow rides is so important, it’s probably a goodidea to ride them on your own, without the temptation of trying to keepup with faster mates, or rising to the bait of village sign sprints ortraf?c light grand prixs. Key session: 3hrs in Zone 2. Stay in the zone and stick to it. Don’t be tempted to push on the hills.
Burn fat, save time
Weall have to manage our work-life balance but don’t think that wantingto burn fat means you have to go out for ?ve or six hours on the bikeriding in Zone 2. By using HIIT methods (high intensity intervaltraining) you’ll burn far more fat and become a ?tterand faster rider into the bargain. Yes, it’s going to hurt but it willdo you the power of good and the whole session will take less than anhour.
Make sure you do a decent 15-minute warm-up andyou're ready to go. Depending on your level of ?tness you're going todo 4-6 all-out sprints of 30 seconds with 4-5 minutes of easypedalling. During these all-out efforts expect to see your HR rise to85-90% of your HR max. Give it all you have right through the 30-secondburst. Do these for 6-8 weeks and marvel at the fat you’ve lost. Try it– it really works.
But don’t think that training hardmeans you can eat like a pig. Fletcher has a word of warning for thosewho think they can ignore their diet and just ride to lose weight.“Weight control has to be about diet,” he says. “If you want to loseweight you’d be better off concentrating on what goes in, andconcentrating on quality rather than necessarily reducing quantity.” Key session: 5min warm-up and then 4-6 30sec sprints with 4-5min rest.
Become an endurance monster
Handsup if you’ve got to the last 20-odd miles of a big sportive and foundthat you’re absolutely done in and can barely turn the pedals. Thatsinking feeling can be attributed to a number or factors such as goingoff too fast, insuf?cient fuelling or hydration, or just too many hills. But the main culprit is likely to be a lack of endurance, which is where targeted HR training comes in.
What you need to do is LSD – no, it’s not a mind-altering drug, it stands for ‘long, steady distance’. By doing one session of 3-4 hours in Zone 2 and another session of 2 hours in Zone 3 every week your endurance will come on in leaps and bounds. Add a few long intervals once your base is more established and you’ll develop both endurance and speed.
This is an area Fletcher specialises in. Endurance training is his forte and he cautions those who think unfettered big miles will produce endurance no matter what. “It’s amazing how many cyclists do lots and lots of junk miles,” he says. “It’s all about getting the balance right between the length of the session and the zone you're riding in.” Key session: 3-4hrs in Zone 2 with 10min burst of Zone 3-4 every hour.
Easy does it
I have a confession to make: I’ve spent a lifetime as a serial over-trainer. I’ve trained too hard at every sport I’ve ever done, which means I’ve suffered loads of injuries and too many lacklustre performances. For the past few years I’ve been training smarter, though: my hard days are very hard and my easy days are very easy. In the past the easy and the hard seemed to blend into one. I know that riding at a very low HR is actually doing me good by allowing my body to recover. Make sure you have at least one rest day per week and another day that is a really slow recovery ride done in Zone 1 or even lower.
A common cause of poor discipline in moderating efforts is riding with stronger, faster riders, says Fletcher. “Many cyclists go out on the Sunday club run and try to keep up with the faster riders. Then they probably need ?ve or six days to recover from the effort – their training is going nowhere.” Key session: 1hr ?at ride with HR constantly below Zone 2.
Testing, testing…
As you get ?tter and stronger, your cardiovascular system will get more ef?cient so that you can do more work for the same effort. In heart rate terms, this will mean at a set HR you will be able to ride a set distance faster as you get ?tter. One of the most well known of such aerobic improvement tests is the Maximum Aerobic Function, or ‘MAF’ test, named by heart rate training pioneer Dr Phil Maffetone, and it’s a great way of proving to yourself that all those long hours of winter base training are actually working.
Regular testing might also reveal any performance drop-offs that can be the early warning signs of overtraining or impending illness. Maffetone suggests planning a route that initially takes about 30 minutes to complete and then, after a warm-up, riding it at a precise heart rate, while timing yourself. “The important thing is to pick a heart rate that falls within your base training zone and to stick to it,” he says, “both throughout the test and in every subsequent retest.” This submaximal aerobic effort is typically 65-75% of your Max HR – in Zone 2.
“Perform the test regularly to chart your ?tness progress,” says Maffetone, “perhaps once a month. Doing it more frequently won’t realistically re?ect your progress and might lead to obsession with the results, while any less frequently means you’ll miss out on the other bene?t of this kind of test, which is to ?ag up any underlying health or overtraining problems.” Key session: Time this monthly test ride over a set distance at a set aerobic heart rate in Zone 2. Record your times so you can chart your progress over the months.
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