<p>My mother is a nurse and she taught us how to take our pulse when we were very young so I just need a timer to get my heart rate. It’s something that I used to do after long runs out of curiosity. There are charts with your max heart rate and it goes by age - I’d guess that you can find these on the internet pretty easily.</p>
<p>Here’s the booklet explaining heart rate zones (not the instruction manual) that comes with the Timex watches. It’s a very good overview/primer. There is section with two simple tests you can do to estimate your own peak heart rate and a good section on the characteristics of exercising in each of the five zones:</p>
<p>50% to 60%
60% to 70%
70% to 80%
80% to 90%
90% to 100%</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.assist.co.uk/assets/files/support/heartzones/articles/heart-zones.pdf[/url]”>http://www.assist.co.uk/assets/files/support/heartzones/articles/heart-zones.pdf</a></p>
<p>Good for you Mom60!</p>
<p>That is a great combination for fitness. You might want to add a little Pilates to your workout to increase flexibility. You can download some routines from ExerciseTV that are pretty good. </p>
<p>My one suggestion for you as you walk is to make sure you are really shortening your steps when you are going uphill. It less stressful to your hamstrings and it improves your posture. Think of how you go into a much lower gear cycling uphill. If you want to work a little harder, just keep your arms at a 90 degree angle at your side (no chicken wings and no crossing your hands in front of your chest). I graze my wrists along my waist and hipbone, bringing my elbows back.</p>
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<p>IDad - when that happens, give me a buzz and I can fix that for you!</p>
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<p>I bet you can!</p>
<p>I want to state again that the formulas for predicting max heart rate are not at all reliable. I know not everyone can go and do a max stress test, but it is very hard to calculate your target zones without knowing what that is. Also, the better formulas back out your resting heart rate. The Karvonen formula is the better approach.
[Heart</a> Rate Formulas](<a href=“http://www.chicagopersonaltraining.com/heartrateformulas.htm]Heart”>http://www.chicagopersonaltraining.com/heartrateformulas.htm)</p>
<p>35 mile bike ride today with H with a breakfast stop in the middle of it. Not as hot or hilly as last week’s ride, so I wasn’t wiped out all day.</p>
<p>I guess I’m perplexed why we care about max heart rate. As long as you’re pushing yourself and continuing along the path to more and more, what difference does it make if you’re at absolute max or 85 percent max?</p>
<p>You don’t WANT to be at absolute max (unless you are finishing a race or something). You care about it because you can sustain your effort for a longer time if you pay attention to where you are with your heart rate. It is used by runners and other endurance athletes to make sure you keep your easy days easy. Recovery days need to be in a lower heart rate zone than tempo runs or races. Many athletes/exercisers make the mistake at working out at too hard of an effort (high heart rate) and are more prone to injury or burn out. Monitoring heart rate is also a way to tell if you are getting sick or stale. There are people who can’t understand why they can’t run more than 400 yards, or stay on the exercise bike more than 5 minutes. Chances are they are operating at way too high of a heart rate (for them).</p>
<p>The reason it is important to have some idea of your max is simply to be able to calculate your aerobic zone. Everyone’s max is different and it is NOT a sign of superior fitness to have a higher (or lower) max heart rate than someone else. The resting heart rate is what you want to lower as you get more fit.</p>
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<p>Well, I initially cared about it because I was panting so hard and so generally schnackered during some of my early workouts that I thought there was some risk of keeling over dead. I wanted to be able to see my heartrate and make sure I wasn’t seeing off the chart numbers.</p>
<p>Since then, I’ve used it as a way of recording and tracking what can be very different workouts. I like to see a workout average somewhere int he 70% to 80% range with some intervals of at least 85%. As I get more fit, it takes more of a workout to get to those ranges. Also, as I get more fit, there isn’t quite as much correlation between heavy breathing and heart rate.</p>
<p>I’m not interested in absolute numbers. I don’t really care if I’m really at 70% or 72% of my maximum. I’m interested in relative numbers over time.</p>
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<p>I would say that my estimated max heart rate is pretty darn close. I’ve hit 100% heart rate one time in three months of hard (for me) workouts. That was the day I had a senior moment on the bike, got confused gear shifting, and rode up a steep little hill in a hard gear. It took every ounce of effort and at the top of the hill, my legs were on fire, and I was bent over gasping for breath. I can’t imagine what I could do to get my heart beating faster and I would not intentionally duplicate that effort because it really wasn’t very pleasant. The heart rate monitor read 100%.</p>
<p>I registered a 96% heart rate once doing one of my pretty hard interval workouts on the Airdyne bike. I saw a few 95% readings when I first started walking the hills. These days, the highest I usually see is 93% (Airdyne intervals). On my hill walks, I’m only seeing 84% to 87% unless it’s really hot like yesterday. I was actually surprised at my high heart rate on yesterday’s walk because I really wasn’t gassed or feeling it that much. I was doing the “hitchhike” and the “boogaloo” to Wilson Pickett in the last half mile. I did feel it later. I think I was a bit dehydrated.</p>
<p>Well, I have gotten back to doing some serious training. I ventured out for an “economy” workout tonight. I had to wait until evening because it was so stinkin’ hot here today. One of the things I haven’t worked on was foot speed/technique since last summer. So tonight I did a 3K warm-up then did 8x200 @ 1:07-09 with 200 easy walk in between. My goal will be to get that down to 1:03-1:06.</p>
<p>VH - the reason I use a monitor is that I want to stay in certain ranges depending on the workout. When I am walking 5 miles or longer, I want my heart rate to be about 128-140. When I am walking 3-4 miles, I keep it around 140-152. As MoWC has mentioned, it is often more about keeping your heart rate down, not smashing yourself in a single workout. So, by knowing my max, I entered it in a great calculator [MarathonGuide.com</a> - Heart Rate Calculator](<a href=“http://www.marathonguide.com/FitnessCalcs/HeartRate2Calc.cfm]MarathonGuide.com”>MarathonGuide.com - Heart Rate Calculator)
and I have all my target ranges handy.</p>
<p>VH–could never get the handle on the heartrate thing either. When I bike, kayak, walk hard, it goes up. shrug (maybe I follow it less because my natural resting heartrate is somewhere just north of “should we call the code?” anyway, so I can’t get it down much farther, anyway.)</p>
<p>Yeah, my resting heart rate is south of 60, and I do some heavy duty cardio three times a week. Over time, the intensity of that cardio has increased, simply because otherwise it wouldn’t feel like that much of a workout. I try to use the heart rate monitor on the treadmill/elliptical/bicycle, but they don’t work more often than not. When they do work, they allege that I’m somewhere between ~135 and 145. I just keep doin’ what I’m doin’, without any precise, scientific measuring going on, and it seems to be working out OK.</p>
<p>Well, Garland & VH - the two of you are content because you are not nuts. I, unfortunately, suffer from a condition that makes me crazy when I sign up for a race. During the winter, the heart monitor stays packed away, and I happily trot out and do my stuff without any feedback. When I decide to race (or in this case when my daughter badgered me), then the darn equipment comes out. I wasn’t going to race this summer. I wasn’t going to qualify for nationals next year - who wants to race in Houston? But my DD was appalled. She was all over me. So, in the spirit of demonstrating that one should respond to a loved one’s nagging, I am going to race in a couple of weeks. I will not be properly trained, but oh well. </p>
<p>And that’s why I am using a heart monitor. DH - whole other story, but we won’t go into that one!</p>
<p>Worknprogress–you are obviously ten times the athlete than I am, and I salute your efforts (there will be no racing in my future, or past!) :)</p>
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<p>That’s another way you and I are different, WNP – I am immune to the nags of my loved ones!!</p>
<p>wip- I’m anxious to follow your training, progess and race! Very cool.</p>
<p>Well, I asked H if he would ride an easy ride with me today since I’m off from work. First I have cycled 2 days in a row in over 20 years. I wanted about 20 miles. Well, he took me on a route that wound up being 28. 2 hours of beautiful countryside and hills. BUT-at one point 3 dogs charged us. The 2 larger ones were mainly running alongside, but the stupid Jack Russell (I’m sorry, but I see NO redeeming value) was going to bite H. H avoided the JR and the big black dog got right in front of H and H hit him with his bike and almost fell off. I WOULD have fallen since I am not adept with the bike. It was scary. I yelled and used very bad words. This was big lot residential. Also, if I had known we were going out for 2 hours I would have eaten more than a slice of peach ahead of time. Ugh.</p>
<p>OH MOWC–that sounds pretty awful. I went for a shorter ride today. Probably more like 15 miles. Had to get out early before the heat wave sets in. Rode along the bay then came back through the woods. Best thing about S. Jersey–no hills, unless you take a bridge somewhere!</p>
<p>Do you remember a film from the 80’s with Kevin Costner called American Flyer? Sounds like “Eddie” came along for your ride.</p>
<p>I loved that movie!!</p>
<p>Too hot in the house to even consider the most intense iPod nazi workout to date. Something about being overheated indoors just doesn’t work for me. I’d rather be outside drenched to the bone. So, that’s what I did. 96 degrees when I took off for my hilly-river-state park walk. I opted for the 1 hour and 10 minute version and probably should have scaled that back just a bit. I drank a couple glasses of water before leaving, but felt a bit dehydrated coming up the final quarter mile hill to the house. </p>
<p>Too darn hot for us New Englanders. At least it’s not brutally humid. Still, I think it’s going to be a catch as catch can week, just sort of hanging on to get some workouts in. I’ve been losing crazy weight the last week, so I’m pumped to keep that going.</p>
<p>Yesterday we played tennis outside between 10:30 to 12:30. Today I only got to play from 11:00 to 12:30 since we had five people. After playing I went for a short run indoors on the treadmill in a relatively warm environment. I brought 64 ozs of hydration on both days. Brutal weather - upper 90s to 100 on the court. This doubles group just happens to play outdoors during the summer. Back to work and running for the rest of the week.</p>
<p>I think that you need to carry your own water or ensure that there’s a water fountain along the way on really hot days.</p>
<p>Regarding races, the one coming up in my area is a city 5K. There are people that take over an hour to finish it. People pushing strollers (not the running kind), just walking at a leisurely pace and having fun. There are Kenyens that come for the prize money but you don’t have to be a speed demon to take part.</p>