THE PLEASURE AND EXCITEMENT OF INDOOR CYCLING: This is the fun time for indoor cycling. It is especially exciting, and gratifying, to have classes full and people eager to work. The genius of group exercise is that we all work harder when we work together. Come take advantage of it. Classes are really fun right now.
HAVE YOU BROKEN YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION YET? New Year Resolutions don’t work because we are psychologically programmed to break them. Really, we just don’t believe in them. We don’t expect to succeed so it’s easy to pull some goal out of the hat. Then it’s easy to let ourselves off the hook at the first failure. The alternative is to make a real commitment to living our lives in a manner that is in harmony with our bodies. This is harder to do. We must know that we are going to slip up. We must learn to get up and start again - over and over not just once a year.
My suggestion: (1) do something physically difficult almost every day, and (2) make everything you eat an informed, conscious decision. And do it all year long, not just in January.
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.” - Abraham Lincoln
HEART RATE BASED TRAINING IN THE NEW YEAR: I’ve had great conversations with some of you about the proper use of heart rate monitors in training. These conversations have led me to decide to conduct some special classes to help you set up your monitor and use it properly. I will try to try to break down some of the information on this subject into bite size pieces.
I strongly encourage the use of a heart rate monitor in class. Consideration of heart rate zones plays a big role in how I design your classes. With consistent, well-designed training your heart becomes stronger and pumps more blood. A heart rate monitor makes this process more precise. It helps you get the most from each workout and avoid over-training.
The trick to using a heart rate monitor is knowing your own physiological zones. There are numerous means for doing this. Some involve real metabolic testing that require blood or oxygen samples. Others require long painful efforts at near your maximal heart rate. In addition, these metrics are moving targets based on numerous factors such as conditioning, rest, nutrition and environment.
Today, we are going to address what I consider step one in using heart rate — setting preliminary heart rate training zones. These preliminary results may be all you need, or you can decide to advance them by using more frequent or more advanced testing.
Zones based on age-based estimated maximum heart rate are generally inaccurate. These are the ones that come with your heart rate monitor. We are going to use an age-based zone but only as a starting point. We will then refine it by using your own perceived exertion in class.
[There are two big, often inaccurate assumptions being made in the application of these age-based zones (1) that your MHR can be determined solely by your age, and (2) that your heart rate zones can be determined by taking arbitrary percentages of that estimate. Unfortunately this method has been widely adopted by the fitness industry because of its convenience. There are two chances in three that this method is significantly inaccurate for you. It can be used, however, as a gross starting point from which you can sharpen your calculations.]
I am going to give you the chance to make a couple of simple calculations at home and then bring them to class to test them.
The best known age-based formula is 220-age (or 226 for women). I am going to suggest that you use a different formula that - while still inaccurate used alone - is considered to be more accurate. Get out your calculator and here we go.
1. Apply your age to this formula:
∙ 206 minus (.70 x age) = approximation of your maximum heart rate. If you have seen a higher number during prior training then use that number as your MHR.
2. Begin to consider your possible “training zones” by taking 65% and 85% of your maximum heart rate number as determined above.
∙ estimated maximum X .65 = Threshold 1 (T1) heart rate
∙ estimated maximum X .85 = Threshold 2 (T2) heart rate
In fact, T1 and T2 are highly trainable and using these arbitrary percentages does not allow for your own individual level of fitness. But it does give you a place to begin to look for it.
3. Bring these numbers to class during the week of January 30th, along with your heart rate monitor. Try to be reasonably rested, hydrated and fed for class. (If you don’t have a heart rate monitor and want to try one, I will bring a couple of mine to loan. First come, first serve. Come early if you plan to borrow and I will give you a quick lesson.)
4. In class, we will test these theoretical results against your own perceived exertion to make it more accurate over time. Think of your heart rate increasing with exercise as a relatively straight increasing line - but with two abrupt points where changes occur more obviously. These two points represent you entering your aerobic zone (T1) and crossing your lactate threshold (T2). We will discuss how these feel in class and that discussion should help you begin to fine tune your heart rate settings. For example, my actual T1 and T2 are about 7% higher than is indicated by this theoretical formula. That’s enough to make a big difference in my training.
In future classes and newsletters, we will review how to further refine this information for your training. But, one bite at a time. For now, let’s try to get some good information with which to start.
The week of January 23, I will distribute and discuss this information in classes.
The week of January 30, we will work together in class to use perceived exertion as a way to refine your estimated training numbers.
Further on, we will discuss how resting heart rate fits into all this, and we will conduct a shortened version of a lactate threshold field in class. In the meantime, this material will give you a good start.
FOOD AND EXERCISE LOGGING: January may be the time that you are also thinking about getting better information about your calorie intake and consumption. My preferred fitness app: www.myfitnesspal.com was recently chosen by PC Magazine as the “best app for losing weight”. I suggest looking at it if you are interested. It’s free.
QUOTE: “Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.” Denis Waitley.
RESOURCES: Recent past issues of this newsletter are available at http://billroachblog.blogspot.com
Thank you.
Bill Roach, NASM-CPT, CEx
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
bill.roach@mchsi.com
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