I got a copy of "Just Ride" and read it. I agree with 99% of what Grant says.
One thing I take issue with is maximum heart rate. Not explicitly what's in Just Ride. But more the concept of maximum heart rate as it's currently portrayed in health and medical literature and on the web. I think the purpose of discussing maximum heart rate in Just Ride is to get people to listen to their bodies. This is highly desirable. But the general concept of maximum heart rate is seriously flawed. In general, I don't think there is any magic number (or formula) for maximum heart rate. The only thing I think you can say is that if Joe is in good health and reasonably fit and Jack has a history of heart and/or circulatory trouble and is not very fit - then Jack should not push himself as hard as Joe. That's not to say that Jack should not get his heart pumping on a regular basis - just that he should probably limit himself to walking (potentially including hills). I did a thorough search of the web looking for research on maximum heart rate. Also consulted several experts. The only research I could find was anecdotal statistical data reporting heart rates for various groups based on age. But drawing a line through statistical data is just a curve fit. This is without any scientific basis to back it up. In order to establish a scientific basis for maximum heart rate, I think you would need to apply a stress test (bicycle, treadmill, etc.) to a rather large population. The population would need to be pushed near the point of failure - till an undesirable EKG pattern could be detected. At that point, you would have a good idea of the maximum heart rate for a given individual. It's very likely that the point of failure/danger would be radically different based on the health and fitness of the individual. For some people - that point could be as low as 140 beats/minute or lower. For others it could be 190 beats/minute or more. Also, based on the book "Born To Run", I don't think there is any basis for saying a limit on heart rate must trend down inversely to age. Personally, I regularly get my heart rate well beyond the 160 beats/minute or so recommend for a 53 year old male. Since I've been doing this all my adult life (and my workouts seem to be growing in intensity), I'm not worried. I'm comfortable deciding when to back off. In my opinion, you should know your own limits - but should not let your limits be defined by a gross yardstick. And you should carefully establish your own maximum heart rate, and use it as a tool for your own training - but realize that it's a personal measurement/limit. Corwin -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/57BSHmMV9XMJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
