Heart Rate Zones

Maximum Heart Rate Test

What you need:

• Find a long constant gradient climb
• Bicycle Computer with timer
• Heart Rate Monitor

Process:

• Warm up for 10 minutes
• At the bottom of the climb use a gear that you find slightly too big.
• Ride steadily to a point where you are becoming slightly out of breath
• Increase effort by 2MPH every 30 seconds without changing gear
• When you reach 100% effort give it a little more until you can’t go any further and you have reached total exhaustion
• You should now have your maximum heart rate
  

Levels of Training

Level 0 – 55-65% of Max HR
Recovery rides, very light effort

Level 1 – 65-75% of Max HR
Long endurance rides of 4hrs or more to build the aerobic base
Try and include 1 ride at this level per week

Level 2 – 75-85% of Max HR
Hard controlled rides of 2 – 4hrs
Builds power and stamina

Level 3 – 85-95% of Max HR
Short hard rides of 30 to 90 minutes
Long intervals of ½ - 2 ½ miles to build speed

Level 4 – 95% of Max HR and above
Short intervals of no more than 1 minute

This is a Max Heart Rate Test and HR Levels that can be found in a great
deal of coaching manuals and Internet training sites. The levels can be
broken down even further into 8 levels but it’s very hard to be that specific or
controlled riding in groups like what we do.

All the normal safety advise should be followed, make sure it’s OK with your
GP, don’t do it if you have heart problems, are pregnant etc.

Dave Mellor - 2011