Garmin 405

[RacerMDR]

Just bought one second hand off my mate. Looks like a cool gadget/widget

question though - when setting up , I have the opportunity for putting in my Max Heart Rate (i'm assuming simplest method is 220-age= MaxHR

however, in the menu it's asking for resting heart rate........but when I select, it asks for Min Heart Rate - which are two different things.

Anyone give me a clue on the correct value for lower value? i.e. what is it asking for? RHR or MinHeartrate ?

[mcelliott]

Resting heart rate and minimum heart rates are the same thing. As regards your maximum heart rate - do not use the 220 minus your age calculation. That is no longer used and has never been accurate. I'm assuming you don't know your maximum heart rate - you need to set yourself up a VO2 max test, that would be the best way of finding your your maximum heart rate.

[greggers]

I assume you've got the chest strap for it as well? Not all of them came with it and I know it's not compatible with the Polar ones.

[RacerMDR]

thanks guys - yes get chest strap with it too

so - resting heart rate isn't simply your heart rate when sitting in a chair?

are we talking about 60% of your max? Your max being 80% of the 220-age?

I won't have time to organise a Vo2 test anytime soon - i'm just trying to get general figures to help me stay roughly in the aerobic zone

[mcelliott]

Correct - sitting in a chair would constitute your resting heart rate. It should be far less than 60% of your maximum. E.g. mine is slightly below 45 resting, my maximum is near 200, so you're talking roughly 25% ish.

[Parsnip]

mcelliott said:

I'm assuming you don't know your maximum heart rate - you need to set yourself up a VO2 max test, that would be the best way of finding your your maximum heart rate.

You really don't. finding out your max HR is a case of maxing out your HR - run hard and then sprint up a hill till you nearly die - job done. A VO2 max test is completely irrelevant for 99% of recreational athletes.

I'm 24 and my MHR is 191 - 220-age doesn't work - at best it is a very rough estimate, at worst it is miles out.

Resting HR is best taken in the morning before getting out of bed - caffeine and daily stress will raise it by a surprising amount.

Edited by Parsnip on Friday 15th April 16:25

[greggers]

Yep best approach to work out max is run at an increasing pace on the flat for 5 to 10 minutes to gradually build the rate up, then hit a hill that takes a good 2 minutes to climb and increase effort to maintain pace... You should hit your max at some point.

I don't even bother with the chest band on mine any more, it's bigger than the Polar one and less comfortable... I just wear the Polar one on the treadmill for something extra to look at when I'm getting bored.

If you set your training sessions up in the Garmin software so that you train to your heart-rate rather than pace you'll get annoyed with the alarm going off constantly telling you you are out of the zone (either because the sensors aren't working properly or you're running too fast/slow/going up hill/down hill).

It is a great thing during races though, if you are like me and don't update the music on your ipod because of laziness you won't bother with any of the fancy settings/programs on the Garmin.

[mcelliott]

Parsnip said:

You really don't. finding out your max HR is a case of maxing out your HR - run hard and then sprint up a hill till you nearly die - job done. A VO2 max test is completely irrelevant for 99% of recreational athletes.

Yes sorry I should have made myself clearer, that's what I was eluding to - a do-it-yourself jobbie.

[greggers]

They're also quite good things to wear on air-planes and trackdays...

[RacerMDR]

Ok - just used it for first time and managed to get my heart rate to 114% on a 5k run.

Now I'm new to running, but I'm pretty sure ive done something wrong somewhere!!

[Parsnip]

Or more likely you input your max HR too low - if you actually went to 114% of your true MHR you would probably be dead.

ETA - that or there was some interference - occasionally it will spike to values I know aren't possible, the garmin seems to get pretty good communication though and it happens rarely

Edited by Parsnip on Friday 15th April 20:46

[RacerMDR]

Parsnip said:

Or more likely you input your max HR too low - if you actually went to 114% of your true MHR you would probably be dead.

That's what I was hoping someone say. I had advice above saying the way my fitness book tells me to do it is inaccurate. I think I believe that now!! Unless it was just some weird computer blip.

The watch had me maxed at 85% - when I downloaded it said 114

[Parsnip]

I reckon you have put your HR in your watch but not Garmin Training Center then - the watch will say 85, but GTC will say 114 due to the wrong MHR.

[alfa pint]

On my polar HR monitor, the min heart rate is the rate I need to stay in the zone that I want i.e. it will bleep at me if I'm working too hard or too slow. I can set it up for a fat burning rate, say 120 min heart rate and 140 max, or a good running one, which will be 150 min and 170 max. A good hill will always break the 170 limit, but I can take that into account.

At the end of the day, it's only a guide and a helpful tool, not gospel.