Don't Trust Your Heart

New research finds trouble with HR zone training.

People using heart rate as a guide for running and cycling need to take a new look at their training, according to a new study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. In a test of 16 triathletes, scientists at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota found a 12 beat-per-minute error when they compared the athletes' anaerobic thresholds for biking and running. That means what you think is your threshold while your churn out bike intervals can be drastically different when you go out for a hard run.

What's more, the researchers also found that during a 30-minute steady-state cycling test, athlete heart rates slowly increased by 10 BPM without any change in workload. The findings led researchers to recommend athletes forgo heart rate monitor while racing. "In my view," says study author Dan Carey, Ph.D., a professor of health and human performance, "perception of effort is a better indicator of desired pace than heart rate."

If possible, Carey also urges cyclists and triathletes to use power meters to monitor and gauge their efforts. Otherwise, if you still want to train by effort zones, make sure you establish heart rate zones separate from those you might use for a running workout.

from: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-41-18550-1,00.html

Bad news, I'm too dependent to my heart rate monitor pa naman.
I always check
My resting heart rate that's 70 bpm
My warm up heart rate that's 120 bpm
My efficient effort heart rate that's 150 bpm
My cool down heart rate that's 110 bpm
and my maximum heart rate that's 173 bpm