Heart rate training is another method for improving fitness; incuding, of course, on the bike. But what do you do when your heart rate monitor’s battery runs low; and you don’t have the tool you need to open the battery compartment?

There’s the RPE scale; but of course that’s very subjective. It’s better than nothing; but not like having the hard numbers provided by using a heart-rate monitor. In fact, in my opinion, RPE and a heart-rate monitor are complementary. When you have a fair amount of experience watching your monitor’s readouts, you get to know what different heart-rate zones feel like. 

For a couple of weeks now, I have to go by RPE. I don’t have the proper tool for opening my hear-rate monitor’s battery compartment; and neither does the bike shop. I might have to find a jeweler to do the job; and hope it doesn’t cost too much. 

Today I was out on my road bike; and I could tell that I was in upper Zone 3/lower Zone 4 a good part of the time. At least once I briefly reached my heart-rate max when I “put down the hammer” to pass another rider.

For the best heart rate training, though, I’d rather have those hard numbers. Without then, it’s easy to think you’re working harder than you actually are — or that you’re going easier than you are when on a recovery ride!