After reading about someone having to help with CPR in Surrey hills I got me thinking should I ride with max efforts, HR being considered?
Do people do this?
A 48 yr old mtb and road cyclist since I was a youth (still think of myself as 25 but know I'm not, hence the question)
Good health and cycling fitness
Slightly chunky (BMI 25.3)
Never smoked, like a beer.
Grandad died of heart attack early 70s
So is a checkup or assessing max HR then riding to a % of that maximum something people do?
Or just crack on enjoying riding and pushing myself hard up the hills.....? I guess it's a personal risk calculation like so many other things.
If you have family history then I'd go talk to the Doctor before putting your heart under any unusual stress.
Having said that, you've been cycling for a while, have you never hit a high (over 160) heart rate before?
If you haven't then deffo' get the Doc' to check you out.
No major heart issues in my family, although my Dad had a bit of angina if that counts for anything (still kicking in his 70s).
I'm 38, don't hit max HR when mountain biking much as we bimble up the hills rather than smashing them.
Road biking usually ends with a steep climb (live at the top of a hill). Regularly hit max HR on that which can be pretty close to 200. I don't stress about it too much!
47, I regularly hit 180-185 max during short big efforts outdoors and on Zwift, depending on my fitness I can comfortably hold 160-175 for 20mins+. I hit 190s for First time in a year or so just before April iirc 192.
For the last ~4.5 years of cycling for fitness, ive simply gone with the flow without GP advice.
im 41, obese.
i regularly hit max hr. bit of a history of heart issues. is this something i should worry about?
i regularly hit max hr.
It depends what you mean by max hr. Unless its been professionally measured its unlikely to be really accurate especially that 220-age approach.
I use training zones as a percentage of max but don't limit myself.
I hit max fairly frequently sprinting up hills.
It shouldn't be an issue unless there is already cause for concern. Enough people do it - hitting the very upper end of HR isn't unusual in racing. Never known a problem in years of hill climbing.
I'm 50 and regularly* hit max HR (193) on road rides, mainly when trying to keep up with fitter riders on a hill. At the point where I get dropped I'm normally pretty close to Max unless I'm already fatigured before the ride.
I figure if it wasn't good for you, your body wouldn't let you get near it.
* most weeks
You could figure out your lactate threshold or 20 min level and work to that - no need to push to your actual max HR for general fitness and speed ability. I suppose being used to hitting true max might be useful for a competitive sprinter.
I'm 45..lived a terrible lifestyle for first 40 years but now fit as a fiddle.
Just been diagnosed with early stage coronary artery disease (nothing to worry too much about apparently..that's what 25 years smoking and eating shit will do for you). My heart function is apparently tip top however
Anyhow I regularly max out my heart rate, and the cardiologist said it's absolutely fine and I should just crack on.
If you aren't getting symptoms then I can't see there would be any cause for concern whatsoever.
If you are genuinely curious, do a ramp test - best done on a trainer so you can steadily increase the load in a controlled environment. It will hurt like hell at the end, but should give you a fairly accurate figure.
Any formula-based methodology is just guesswork.
I have a low hr max for my age but knowning it doesn't really tell you anything medical as it differs from person to person. Its useful for training zones to target base building etc
I'm not sure what going to your gp would do but I doubt they'll do much unless you have some symptons that give them a reason to investigate