Cardio: High bpm vs hard respiration

A forum for anything related to cardiovascular training.

Moderators: cassiegose, Boss Man

Post Reply
chris10199
STARTING OUT
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 9:54 am

Cardio: High bpm vs hard respiration

Post by chris10199 »

Hey all, I'm new here. It looks like a great place.
A bit about me: 54yrs / 6'2" / 270lbs. Was in good shape until thirties but very long desk culture changed that.
I’m mostly experienced with free weights but have switched to focusing much more on cardio these days as I’m trying to drop weight. Joint problems means I prioritise bike and rowing over elliptical, treadmill etc. So I’ve been doing 30m sessions on an LF upright bike (followed by C2 rower) but due to serious numbness concerns have switched to the LF recumbent bike. Afterwards I do some free weights and stretching.

question: On about level 8 riding a 'mountain trail' route cadence gets high and eventually heart hits around 140bpm. This usually uses around 300kc and I feel more energised than exhausted. However, switching to the recumbent bike (which feels naturally lazy) I've upped it to level 12 (which on gradients means it goes up to 14 and sometimes 16 which is too tough) which means cadence is far less. But I’ve noticed that I’m breathing MUCH harder on the recumbent, even though bpm is lower. I’m also burning around 30-40 more calories over the same 30m period. Hard respiration is what's discouraged me from running ultimately (which I'd like to take up once the weight drops) so, is the harder you breathe (or required to breathe) a better indicator than say heart rate? I’m trying to understand the relationship between the two, as instinct tell me it’s better to work out with higher resistance - as I do on the recumbent, making me breathing harder but the bpm often less. No weight off yet but feeling much healthier!
Thanks for any advice or guidance you can give.
User avatar
Boss Man
SITE ADMIN
Posts: 15457
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:27 pm

Re: Cardio: High bpm vs hard respiration

Post by Boss Man »

Hi Chris, good to speak to you.

Hi BPM is not a good idea on a constant basis, the hardr you breathe on the cycling workouts the more you are challenging yourself. You will have the lower cadence, because it is harder, because you'll proobably be simulating a high climb, which means the machine is altering the settings for more resistance.

I think you should stick with the greater resistance, as it seems to be working for you in its own way.
chris10199
STARTING OUT
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 9:54 am

Re: Cardio: High bpm vs hard respiration

Post by chris10199 »

Thanks Boss Man, will do.
Post Reply