Tabata protocol, indoor cycling again, adjusting for the poor performance of the Garmin last time, this time I used the built-in intervals function to see if I could push the device into making more pertinent heart rate recordings.
Much better, with accurate readings that somehow fail to convey the excruciating pain, the bulging eyes and the strange, concerned looks from other gym-goers.
I did another of these yesterday but didn't record it because I'd forgotten my HR monitor. I didn't let that stop me and did the exercise using the smartphone timer application again, but have no way of recording the intensity or heart rate.
The 10 second / 20 second intervals required for Tabata are the minimum values for rest and work time that the device allows, so for a second there I was worried this approach wouldn't work.
The Exercise
It's in the nature of HIIT that it doesn't get easier as you do more of it (not that on my third session I expected to feel any different), and that's because you increase the intensity of your exercise as your fitness level increases. HIIT isn't based on going a certain speed or a certain distance in a certain time - it's based on max effort, whatever that means for you, so it's always going to hurt. If it doesn't you're not doing it right.
So the second time was pretty much the same as the first time, except this time I annoyed everyone nearby with the constant beeping as my watch gave me five second warnings at the end of each rest or effort phase.
I'm definitely feeling fatigue in my legs before the anaerobic phase of the workout kicks in, which may improve as my legs get stronger, but it might be a good idea to try outdoor running Tabata intervals to vary the routine slightly and to compensate for the exhaustion in my thighs.
When the anaerobic phase does start, you're too concentrated on harnessing the willpower to start again in 10 seconds to think about anything else, and the stationary bike's resistance adjustment mechanism (a little wheel you have to turn) is not useful for intervals because you lose 3-4 seconds of your rest phase trying to dial down the resistance so you can keep pedalling, before dialling it right back up again.
By the time the eighth interval started, I'd lost count and was just trying to keep up with what the infernal beeping device on my wrist wanted me to do.
The Results
I really don't like the little Garmin table above because what we care about are average and peak heart rate, but never mind, you can see them in the graph below or by clicking on "View Details".
So the Garmin performed much better with the interval timer activated. I'll spare you the massive spreadsheet but this time I got 265 heart rate readings in 11 minutes, with only one reading during the rest periods, so even these were significantly concentrated during the work phases of the exercise, and so you can see the mini-peaks as my heart rate goes up with each interval.
No idea what happened during the warm up that created that dip at 3:30. Maybe I started thinking about food or something. I didn't stop pedalling though.
Peak heart rate was 168. Average overall was 138, and average for the duration of the Tabata protocol was 157. using the traditional equations for max heart rate at my age, 168 is 91% of MHR, so almost exactly where I want to be.
Conclusion
I have no idea if this is working or not, because it's too early to tell. My legs are like putty after the exercise though and I definitely feel different as I go through the remainder of my workout, so it's effect is certainly not zero. Time will tell.
Much better, with accurate readings that somehow fail to convey the excruciating pain, the bulging eyes and the strange, concerned looks from other gym-goers.
I did another of these yesterday but didn't record it because I'd forgotten my HR monitor. I didn't let that stop me and did the exercise using the smartphone timer application again, but have no way of recording the intensity or heart rate.
The 10 second / 20 second intervals required for Tabata are the minimum values for rest and work time that the device allows, so for a second there I was worried this approach wouldn't work.
The Exercise
It's in the nature of HIIT that it doesn't get easier as you do more of it (not that on my third session I expected to feel any different), and that's because you increase the intensity of your exercise as your fitness level increases. HIIT isn't based on going a certain speed or a certain distance in a certain time - it's based on max effort, whatever that means for you, so it's always going to hurt. If it doesn't you're not doing it right.
So the second time was pretty much the same as the first time, except this time I annoyed everyone nearby with the constant beeping as my watch gave me five second warnings at the end of each rest or effort phase.
I'm definitely feeling fatigue in my legs before the anaerobic phase of the workout kicks in, which may improve as my legs get stronger, but it might be a good idea to try outdoor running Tabata intervals to vary the routine slightly and to compensate for the exhaustion in my thighs.
When the anaerobic phase does start, you're too concentrated on harnessing the willpower to start again in 10 seconds to think about anything else, and the stationary bike's resistance adjustment mechanism (a little wheel you have to turn) is not useful for intervals because you lose 3-4 seconds of your rest phase trying to dial down the resistance so you can keep pedalling, before dialling it right back up again.
By the time the eighth interval started, I'd lost count and was just trying to keep up with what the infernal beeping device on my wrist wanted me to do.
The Results
I really don't like the little Garmin table above because what we care about are average and peak heart rate, but never mind, you can see them in the graph below or by clicking on "View Details".
So the Garmin performed much better with the interval timer activated. I'll spare you the massive spreadsheet but this time I got 265 heart rate readings in 11 minutes, with only one reading during the rest periods, so even these were significantly concentrated during the work phases of the exercise, and so you can see the mini-peaks as my heart rate goes up with each interval.
No idea what happened during the warm up that created that dip at 3:30. Maybe I started thinking about food or something. I didn't stop pedalling though.
Peak heart rate was 168. Average overall was 138, and average for the duration of the Tabata protocol was 157. using the traditional equations for max heart rate at my age, 168 is 91% of MHR, so almost exactly where I want to be.
Conclusion
I have no idea if this is working or not, because it's too early to tell. My legs are like putty after the exercise though and I definitely feel different as I go through the remainder of my workout, so it's effect is certainly not zero. Time will tell.
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