Larry Herman

I have absolutely no doubt that these high heart rates are detrimental and downright dangerous to one's health. I think that everyone should run a heart monitor and as soon as it gets above 150 bpm, just slow down.


Did I mention that my heart rate stays quite low even when turning hot laps?

J richard

Larry, fixed it for ya, they do have pills for that tho....

JimmiLew

I would bet that most people see about 75% of their AT when racing a car. So for someone with a max HR of 175 their racing HR would be 131. That is relatively aerobic and sustainable IMHO.

There is NO way that someone races a car at AT. They would essentially be hyperventalating in a hot race car. They would drive off the track and hit something on their way to either blacking out or rushing to the pits to throw up!

J richard

Excerpts from Official F1: http://www.formula1.com/news/intervi...09/4/9277.html

"You work closely with the drivers, so how fit does a Formula One driver need to be?
RC: There is no other sport in the world which compares to the demands Formula One puts on the heart. The heat rate of a top driver can average over 180bpm for a race distance of 90 minutes or more. This is huge and no other sport keeps a heart rate so high for such a long time. On top of that there is a lot of muscle work for the whole body - heavy work for neck muscles to cope with the g-forces, high loads on legs and arms and good lumbar strength to stabilise the body. A normal person could do two or three laps in a Formula One car under those stresses before physically they couldn't continue..."

And yea it's not F1, but Coulthard was one of the Aussie drivers...
It would be interesting to see how the numbers come in from a club race.

mikew968

I have a anarobic (sp) threshold of about 150 to 155 and a max hr of 185. I too will wear a monitor at the next race. I did do 4 laps in the shifter kart and after stopping had a hr of 165 so I am sure it was 170 to 180.

Larry Herman

I was talking about my heart rate, not my heart on.

wlittleman

Here's my take on this interesting discussion.

I think there is a big difference in the cause and effect relationship between heart rates sustained in a mentally demanding activity such as racing cars, and the and heart rates sustained in a physically demanding activity such as cycling/running.

In the latter, heart rate is increased to carry oxygen to our muscles. And, at some level of exertion, our heart cannot pump enough oxygen laden blood to meet the demands of our muscles. Eventually, the muscles go into anaerobic metabolism, and soon after that, our bodies shut down when all the oxygen supply has been depleted. In this case, heart rate is an estimated measurement of the amount of oxygen we are supplying our muscles.

In the former case, our heart rates are elevated as a result of a fight or flight response in our bodies. Our heart rate naturally increases to respond to a possible emergency. Any of you guys ever have a heated argument that came close to a fight? Your heart rates are probably up there in the 200's, and you definitely feel it when you walk away from the near fight. There is certainly a need for more oxygen to keep a clear mind and to react quickly, but that's not going to require the same oxygen levels that muscles demand. I wouldn't be surprised if a physically unfit person can sustain very high heart rates in a flight or fight response (although the risk of a heart attack are probably higher). I don't think we can equate the high sustained heart rates of auto racing with levels of stamina and fitness that are required in running or cycling.

Larry Herman

^^^ Makes sense to me. BTW I guess that you are judicious with your posts. Don't want to be an

wlittleman

I try to keep it down to around 10 posts/year. I'm doing quite well, no?

Gasser

Talked to our Biomed tech at our hospital about helping me set up my AIM to run a HR monitor. Hopefully Ill have it in the next few months

Circuit Motorsports

Now that is something I'd like to see on a video overlay too.

C.J. Ichiban

hey guys- I spent a lot of time this offseason training on HR monitors and also racing/testing formula cars with a HR monitor on. when the HR monitor didn't get upset by the vibration inside the car- I was regularly above 150. I'm 29.

I would try and get my training level HR to the 160-175 range for 30+ mins to simulate the effects on the decision making process...the highest sustained (meaning for a few minutes) HR I've seen on my own monitor was in the mid 190's- of course I would get this while training with olympic sprinters (long story)

I really think the reason why some guys are great qualifiers vs great racers, some are great starters, etc has a lot to do with how they cope with stress once your HR elevates into the "fight or flight" super adrenaline modes.

the best drivers DO reach HR in training nearing 200- as the f1 info says...these guys are in better cardio shape than 99.9% of all humans. just think about astronaut training in terms of g-loads- the stresses placed on the body and more importantly the mind can be totally overwhelming for some people.

it's amazing that they're able to make RATIONAL decisions at all with exhibited fine motor control while maintaining 170-180 bpm. surely even nascar drivers are that high during starts, restarts, etc.

just try writing out some complex math, or recalling your suspension geometry settings and corner weights the next time you're on the mountain bike and your HR is that high...it's not easy and that's why those guys get the big bucks.

AtlJimK

As promised...and predicted> 139 avg, 157 max (my resting HR is 52)...all in all compares to a slow training ride on my bike. Still a small compnent of the big picture and thus fitness does make a difference. I am skeptical of the F1 HR data...want to see the graphs/output. Those guys are in great shape and make a living do it. My guess is they handle more than twice the speed with the same HR as mine or maybe lower.

http://vimeo.com/12399257

SundayDriver

Your measure was at a DE, right? I think you miss the point. The heart rate in racing is not about conditioning - it is about pumping massive amounts of adrenaline. I have checked my heart rate on the cooldown lap of an intense race and after a all-out qualifying run - it is at my max. I have also checked it during a DE and it is much lower.

WHB Porsche

If somebody remembers to bump this thread right before the weekend of the 26-27, I'll remember to wear my HRM for my race.