How to Use a Bike Trainer to Calculate Heart Rate Zones

Determining heart rate zones helps you get the most out of your training by targeting specific metabolic pathways in your workouts. Zones are usually calculated based on age, but each rider’s cardiovascular system is different. Self-tests are not as exact as laboratory testing, but they will give you a reliable estimate of your individual heart-rate zones.

Things You'll Need

  • Bike trainer
  • Heart rate monitor that shows average and maximum heart rate
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Instructions

  1. Determine Maximum

    • 1

      Warm up thoroughly. Include a few bursts of speed and a few minutes of heavy resistance to prime all your muscle fibers for peak effort.

    • 2

      Do a few minutes of easy pedaling to clear lactic acid from your legs before beginning the test.

    • 3

      Start your heart-rate monitor, set your bike in a difficult gear, and pedal hard for several minutes. Once you reach the point where you are struggling for breath, sprint as hard as you can for one full minute.

    • 4

      When you can push no more, shift into an easy gear until your breathing returns to normal. Your heart rate may continue to climb for a few seconds after you downshift, so don’t stop your heart-rate monitor right away. The highest heart rate your reach in this workout should be within a few beats of your real maximum heart rate (MHR).

    Determine Lactate Threshold

    • 5

      Determine at what point your muscles switch to anaerobic metabolism and start accumulating lactate by doing a 30-minute time trial. Do this test on a different day than your MHR test. Warm up thoroughly before beginning the time trial.

    • 6

      Start a timer and begin pedaling at the maximum effort that you could sustain for 30 minutes. After 10 minutes, start your heart-rate monitor.

    • 7

      Continue at the same effort through the remainder of your time trial. Your average heart rate through the final 20 minutes is your threshold heart rate.

    Determine Zones

    • 8

      Your “recovery zone” is less than 60 percent of your MHR. Multiply MHR by 0.6 to determine the upper limit of this zone.

    • 9

      Your “endurance zone” is between 60 and 75 percent of MHR. Multiply MHR by 0.75 to determine the upper limit of your endurance zone.

    • 10

      Your “tempo zone” lies between 75 percent of your MHR and 5 beats below your lactate threshold.

    • 11

      The “threshold zone” ranges from five beats below your lactate threshold to about 92 percent of MHR, or about five beats above lactate threshold, whichever is higher.

    • 12

      The “anaerobic endurance zone” ranges from 92 percent of MHR (or a few beats above your lactate threshold) to your MHR. Multiply MHR by 0.92 to find the lower limit of this zone.