The Heart Rate Monitor Book for Cyclists

As heart rate monitors become more sophisticated in function, but less complicated (and less costly) for the user, the need for sport-specific expertise is needed. Sally Edwards and Sally Reed address this need in two fundamental ways, but miss it in a third. First, the authors do a superb job of defining terms and explaining the basics of heart rate training. Second, the indoor and outdoor workouts offer most cyclists variety designed to achieve goals, whether those are in terms of fitness or performance. So far, so good. Unfortunately, the sample CD-ROM did little for me. There was no associated manual or accessable on-line explanation. The spreadsheet format seemed more compatable to downloadable monitors, rather than manual entry. I finally gave up. Too much data, too little information. However, this was an extra (free) feature that should not detract from the overall quality of the book.

I have been working in the health and fitness field for almost 20 years. I have trained, educated and rode with many novice and competitive cyclist. All of these folks had ideas about training programs which in their minds was frequency and duration. How often and how long, but no one really seem to understand intensity: How hard. Which is really crucial for getting results and for anyone wanting to reach their goal, beginner or advanced rider. I am thrilled to reccomend this book to people who want to really understand how to monitor intensity and why a heart rate monitor is essential for doing that. The book also provides info on setting up your bike, skill and technique as well as suggested workouts for those who out there on their own. More often than not, people don't always have access to riding buddies let alone professiotional training advice. This book gives you ideas for creating your training program and motivation for staying on on your plan. There are also plenty of graphics and photos which make it a very comprehensive guide to success. "Goals are dreams with a deadline" this book will get you to your dreams...

Great for beginning or advanced cyclists who wish to introduce the advantages of training with a heart rate monitor. This book is premised on the world-reknowned Heart Zone Training methodology of Sally Edwards. These highly motivational authors provide guidance and instruction on all aspects of heart-rate cycling. A testament to these authors' extensive experience in training and coaching is their sensitivity to all types of readers - this book is friendly to people of all levels of fitness and training knowledge. The incredible variety of workouts keeps training exciting day after day. In addition, there are fascinating charts and graphs, like the calorie consumption chart that relates each training zone to the proportion of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in each calorie that is burned. For example, most people don't realize that the highest percentage of fat per calorie burned occurs in the easiest training zone. Wow! This book shows you how to train smart and have fun.

Finally! A great resource for cyclists. The Heart Rate Monitor Book for Indoor and Outdoor Cylists: A Heart Zone Training Program gives a comprehensive break down of how training with a heart monitor can be accomplished for cylists and those training in various programs of indoor cycling. With either of these activities it is so easy to overtrain - or never really see any fitness benefits over time. This book breaks down in 10 easy steps, the heart zones that are SPECIFIC to you to train in. AND the book provides the assessments and complete protocols for adminitstering the self tests to help you arrive at your specific and individual heart zones! PLUS - the workouts are descriptive both visually and written - letting you know how long you train in each heart zone. One thing that I like about the book is that any fitness level person can pick it up and begin using it. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned athlete -the book is clear with the material and is easy to follow. The Log book that is sold separately has also been useful to me - it is written to follow the principles of Heart Zone Training - so finally I have a log book that fits my training - no more shifting from one log book to another! For anyone who teaches indoor cycling - this is a must buy. It will help you to understand (especially if you are not a outdoor cyclist), how to train your students who are in winter training and give those outdoor cyclists who haven't yet discovered the benefits of "Spinning", to come give it a try. I have used all of these workouts in my Spinning classes and have even written some of my own (thanks to the motivation and guidance of the book!) My students love knowing what zones they are training in and if their training needs to be different they can manipulate their intensity accordingly. Simply put: This book helps you develop a PLAN that you can WORK.

Everyone knows the best way to get fit is to use your heart. It makes sense to work out using a tool that can measure and improve fitness by "reading" this important organ. This book, which is well-written and organized, is especially good for someone who's tentative about getting on a bike or who wants to enjoy cycling while getting the maximum return for output. Simple steps, clear explanations, diagrams paired with workouts for all levels: the authors offer a flexible system for enhancing cycling workouts emphasizing health, fun and self esteem. Can you tell I liked it? Makes a great gift for reluctant couch potatoes who really want exercise but need a little help with a fresh start.