Colin McHale at www.TheFitnessTool.com.
Why should you use a heart rate monitor while training on your mountain bike?
Maybe because it will make you more efficient at achieving what you want to achieve. There are a few different reasons that people get on a mountain bike in the first place:
- to burn fat
- to increase your cardio endurance
- or to get on a bike and dominate.
Guess what? A heart rate monitor will help with all of that.
You will run across some people that think they are above the heart rate monitor. When this happens you can just simply tell these people that they are ignorant, idiots, or your insult of preference. All three of these zones use different muscle fibers. Therefore, all three zones are important for different reasons. So, to the guy who is too good for the heart rate monitor – Shove it.
Preferably, you want to get a heart rate monitor that shows you the percentage of your heart rate max. If you don’t have one, you will have to do some math to figure out your percentages. Gross. There are three different percentage ranges to focus on: 50-70%, 70-80%, and above 80%. Each of these ranges help focus on certain goals.
50-70% of your max heart rate –
This is the range you want to be in to burn fat. In non-science terms, if you train between 30 to 90 minutes in this zone, you will be burning the fat that you want to be burning. Anything below 30 minutes will not activate the fat burning muscle fibers, so you must train in this zone for at least 30 minutes.
Science fact: this is the range that helps build mitochondria in you muscle cells. Why should you care about that? Mitochondrion is where fat burning takes place. Therefore, the more mitochondrion you have the more fat you burn. Simple. All you fat burners out there, stick with this range.
70-80% of your max heart rate –
This is the range for all you people who want to increase your endurance. You are out of the fat burning zone and into the endurance training zone. This zone will still burn fat as well so you can switch between the first zone and this zone to burn fat. This is also a good zone for you to build your cardio base before you make your way into the higher heart rate zone.
80% and higher of your max heart rate –
If you are looking to lose fat as your goal DO NOT train in this zone.
When you train at this high of intensity, you are getting out of the zone that uses as much oxygen. Fat burning is oxidative, this means that oxygen has to be present for the fat burn to occur. This is the zone to train in if you want to push yourself to the extreme on the mountain bike trail. This is where you will start pushing your threshold.
You might know the threshold better as “The Wall“. Everybody with experience in this zone knows what it feels like to hit that wall. The more you push your body to its threshold, the harder it is to get to that point. Basically the more you push the threshold, the closer you get to being unstoppable. This zone is for people trying to get as close to unstoppable as possible. So, find that percentage of your maximum heart rate where you hit the wall. Remember that number and try to push it on a ride every now again.
Everybody is going to find the zone that they prefer out of these three. The thing to remember is that each zone is using different muscle fibers. Also, as you get in better shape, it becomes more difficult to reach these percentages. So, to become the ultimate mountain biker, you must train in all three zones throughout your training. A good trick for days that you do not feel like working out or riding is fat burning day. Jump on your bike and get your HR in that 50-70% zone and keep it there for 60+ minutes.
Knowing which heart rate zone to train in for your goals will help you to achieve your results much faster. Now that you have the knowledge and power to dominate your heart rate, it’s time to hit the trails.
If you need to purchase a heart rate monitor, click here.
Colin McHale is a fitness professional with a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas. He is currently in Los Angelas California helping the stars of Hollywood TV & radio to achieve their fitness and weight loss goals. Check out more of his sarcasm and insights at www.TheFitnessTool.com.
