Heart rate when training

[JoanneR2]

Hi all,

I have what I hope is a simple question. If you are working hard and getting average results but your heart rate is well below UT2 levels for your age and HRR is this a problem with technique or something else?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[btlifter]

UT2 levels ought to not be "working hard" - irrespective of technique. It could be that your heart rate data is innacurate. How are you measuring it?

[JoanneR2]

A Garmin band. I think it is accurate.

[Citroen]

How did you calculate your HR ranges? That's going to be the part you've done wrong.

[Sakly]

Perhaps you could throw in some numbers that we get a better understanding?

[jamesg]

heart rate is well below UT2 levels for your age and HRR is this a problem with technique or something else?

Should signify you are fit. The UT2 band is 55-70% HRR and 18-20 rating, so plenty of room; and you can adjust your stroke work too (= W/spm).

It seems belts are more reliable than watches, for rowing, with an occasional new battery.

[Tony Cook]

Hi all,

I have what I hope is a simple question. If you are working hard and getting average results but your heart rate is well below UT2 levels for your age and HRR is this a problem with technique or something else?

Thanks for any help you can give.

As said by others, some data is needed to advise:
What’s your max HR and resting HR?
When you are ‘working hard’ what stroke rate, pace and duration?
What HR are you seeing in your work outs? E.g. it takes 15 mins to get to 120BPM at xxSPM and yy pace. And/or - after rowing at xx pace for an hour my max HR is ??BPM.
A copy of your work out data either from Ergdata pasted on here or a photo of your PM screen showing the details with HR would be useful.

[JoanneR2]

Sorry, should have been a lot more informative.

So, I am a 63 year old woman. LWT and have been rowing consistently for the past 5 or so years, though I did row regularly when I was in my early 40s.

My resting heart rate is 55 and I have calculated that my MHR is 165, HRR 110, Aerobic 110-137 and anaerobic 143-149.

I only recently tried using the garmin again to start looking at where I get to when doing different types of distances.

A recent 10k PB (2.28.4) was done at 145 and a steady state at 137. I get to the heart rate I want to maintain fairly quickly and my pulse drops quickly too.

However, on short distances with rest periods I don’t seem to get my heart rate up to the high 140s and was wondering if this is a technique problem. On most rows I pull at 23/24 SPM, though will happily drop to 22 for hour long rows.

I have found the short interval training seems to have improved my longer distances, having done 3 PBS in the last three weeks after starting to do the WODs more regularly.

If anyone has any advice it would be gratefully received.
Thanks

[jamesg]

Can't see anything wrong, on the contrary, save maybe your MHR estimate.

If you can hold 145 for a 10k, that must be close to your aerobic limit. So max would be maybe 155, since training pushes AT higher. Which would be neat: rest 55, max 155, range 100; and AT 90% of range.

To do a real mhr test I find a 500 can be enough. But not at rate 24, I have to get to a suicidal 35.

[Elizabeth]

Is your main question about your heart rate not rising more on the short intervals? Mine doesn't get anywhere near max either, and I've figured that it just doesn't have much time to rise before each rest period. This doesn't preclude a technique thing, but I would imagine it's pretty normal.

[Ombrax]

+1 on the "it takes quite a while for HR to get up to 99%-100% of max" statements.

A related issue: One can't use short, hard intervals to figure out you max HR, you have to start relatively slowly (for a good warm up) then progressively increase your pace. There are a number of protocols on how best to do it, so I won't bother to repeat any of them, but will mention this:

They are all, by necessity quite hard, and no fun at all. But knowing your true max HR could be useful (if you're into structured training - I'm not) so in that case it's well worth the effort.

[jamesg]

If MHR can't be found by formula, is hard to find by hard work (limited by technique and strength), it looks like a shaky basis for an entire training program. Could be learning to row is the only option.

[Dangerscouse]

Is your main question about your heart rate not rising more on the short intervals? Mine doesn't get anywhere near max either, and I've figured that it just doesn't have much time to rise before each rest period. This doesn't preclude a technique thing, but I would imagine it's pretty normal.

The only time I can remember seeing my max HR is during my FM PB. Short intervals don't come close to max, probably more like 95% at most.

I'm not sure if that's due to my (possible & assumed) limitation of oxygen delivery, so I fail before my heart rate throws in the towel

[Elizabeth]

Is your main question about your heart rate not rising more on the short intervals? Mine doesn't get anywhere near max either, and I've figured that it just doesn't have much time to rise before each rest period. This doesn't preclude a technique thing, but I would imagine it's pretty normal.

The only time I can remember seeing my max HR is during my FM PB. Short intervals don't come close to max, probably more like 95% at most.

I'm not sure if that's due to my (possible & assumed) limitation of oxygen delivery, so I fail before my heart rate throws in the towel

I've seen my assumed max HR at the end of max efforts of 5k and up. I have not done the recommended testing protocol, so it may be a tad higher. Maybe it's possible that I'd have a record of something higher on my most recent marathon if the monitor didn't disconnect at the end.

The shorter the interval, the less time it has to rise. I went back and looked at a hard 20x100m session that I did and it never got more than 12 bpm above UT2.

[Sakly]

Same for me. Highest observed HR was at the end of a 5k PB.
Intervals don't show high values, even on longer intervals such like 1k's.