Heart Rate vs. Perceived Exertion in Cyclists

April 6, 2010 · Posted in Uncategorized · 1 Comment 

In cycling there are several ways to gauge how hard you are working. The first and most common method is heart rate monitoring. The second, less common but just as effective, is perceived exertion. There is also a third called power monitoring but most cyclists do not have access to this kind of sophisticated equipment.

What many cyclists don’t know is that heart rate isn’t as accurate a gauge as many people would like to think. In this post we will discuss why this is so as well as why perceived exertion, in many instances, can actually prove to be a more accurate gauge.

Heart rate monitoring tells you just that, how fast your heart is pumping. If you take a sedentary person off of the couch, put them on a bike and tell them to go at a decent clip for five minutes, by the end their heart rate will have raised drastically, even though they may not be working that hard. On the other hand you can take a very fit athlete and have him pedal at 120 RPMs for five minutes at a decent resistance and his heart rate only increase slightly, even though he is putting forth a great effort. To overcome this discrepancy many elite cyclists prefer to use perceived exertion in conjunction with heart rate.

Level Effort

1 Very Light

2 Light

3 Moderate

4 Hard

5 Very Hard

6 Maximal

A common way to judge perceived exertion is by creating a chart using the numbers of perceived exertion. Each time you workout you want to give the session a number coinciding with an exertion level from the chart. It takes a few weeks of various exercises to get the feel of each level, but once you get a general idea the chart will become an invaluable training tool.

For example, when you write up your weekly training schedule instead of putting just 1 hour Tuesday, 5 hours Wednesday etc. you can put 1 hours Tuesday at level 4, 5 hours Wednesday at level 3. This method is a lot easier than monitoring heart rate but just as effective in training.

DS Carroll is a consultant for Biomedical Research Laboratories. Biomedical Research Laboratories market scientifically based nutritional supplements for endurance athletes including supplements for cyclists, runners, triathletes, and mixed martial arts. Visit http://www.epoboost.com to learn more about how EPO-Boost can increase VO2 max, running economy and endurance.

Patent pending EPO-BOOST ingredients have been shown to increase VO2 max and running economy in college athletes.

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Cycling Tips for Your Feet

November 5, 2009 · Posted in Cycling · 1 Comment 

cyclist1_endurafuelCycling is a low impact sport and yet many people still suffer from foot and leg injuries. Here are some quick tips to  protect your feet:

1. Cycling Shoes- Cycling shoes are designed to allow for better pedal power to increase efficiency while pedaling. So they are more rigid that other shoes. It is important that if you wear orthotics, that you continue to wear them when cycling to keep your foot in a better position when cycling. If you do not want to purchase cycling shoes, make sure that you get a stiffer hiking shoe.

2.Position of foot on the pedal- the ball of the foot  be positioned centrally on the pedal for the most comfort and efficency. The toes should not extend over the front of the pedal.

3. Pedal Clips and clipless pedals-Toe clips help keep the foot in place when cycling. The most efficient method way to ride is using a clipless method. Clipless pedal are designed similar to ski bindings in which the shoe has cleats that connect to the pedal. This allows the rider to clip in and clip out. You need to remember to unclip yourself as you dismount the bike or you will have a “Big” surprise.

4. Seat Position -The seat needs to be in the proper position for the rider. If the seat is too high, the rider will experience pain in the back of the knee. A seat that is too low cause pain in the front of the knee. If the seat is positioned to far forward or too far backward pedaling will be less effecient and place addition stress on the knee. The angle of the knee should be about 35 degrees.

Share your tips with others and post your comments.

Disclaimer: Team Epo-Boost is not giving medical advice and suggests you seek medical attention if you are experiencing pain in the ball of the foot, shin pain, or knee pain and make sure that you have made the proper adjustments to your bike and shoes.

Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.

Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!

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Does Quercetin Improve Performance in Endurance Athletes?

October 7, 2009 · Posted in Cycling, endurance, running · Comment 

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Everyone was excited with the initial studies done on Quercetin and endurance athletes looked for promising results to improve their athletic performance. However, studies in humans have been disappointing.

 Quercetin is a phytochemical that is part of the coloring found in the skins of apples and red onions. It has been isolated and is sold as a dietary supplement. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Research shows that quercetin may help to prevent cancer, especially prostate cancer.

Early studies in mice demonstrated evidence of being a potent performance enhance in mice. In the study two groups of mice were given either quercetin or placebo and did pre  and post testing on a wheel treadmill. The mice that received Quercetin were able to run 37% longer that their counterparts who received the placebo.

Several studies in humans both athletes and non-athletes were done with Quercetin and have not produced the same results. F.R.S. financed a small study which demonstrated that the highly trained human athletes improved their performance on Quercetin. The subjects were then given placebo and they also had signifcant improvement in their performance.  A second study was done using 12 untrained men and gave them quercetin and did find improvement after 1 week.

However 3 additional studies have had disappointing results. Runners in the Western States Endurance Run, a 100 mile  were given quercetin and saw no difference. A similar study done by the same researchers found no difference in cyclists.

 The most recent study was done by Coca Cola, which was testing a new drink with Quercetin. “There were simply no differences” between the quercetin and the placebo group, says Kirk J. Cureton, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Georgia and lead author of the study. It just does not improve endurance.

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