Cardio and HR concern

[R Burr]

I usually do my cardio on my mountain bike but its got pretty cold here in Iowa so I started to use a eliptical I have at home. I normally work my heart at between 165 bpm which is 85% of max and 180 bpm. On the bike its no problem getting to and maintaining in this range, but on the machine I have a hell of a time getting past 160 bpm. If I try to go more then 160 I start to feel like shit and today I even got light headed. I was thinking that maybe I should turn a fan on me that I might be getting overheated or maybe it cause I'm not really warming up. On the bike I ride at a moderate rate for about 2 miles till I get to the trail then I give it hell, but on the machine I start out with a slow jog for about a minute then I go for broke. Also do you guys think I will see any real ill effects of training at the 160 bpm level rather then the level I normally train at?
Thanks
Bob

 

[SlimShady]

I always use a fan, but I sweat real easily. Fan makes a huge difference for me. I don't trust the HRMs on the cardio machines. Are you using your own or the one on the machine?

 

[R Burr]

I use my own. I checked mine with the one on the machine and it was about 15bpm higher then the machine.

 

[ponyboy]

Your body can have a heart range difference of up to 15 BPM depending on what modality you are using. Your max HR on the bike may actually be different than it would be on the elliptical. Better to go by RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) on a 1-10 scale and try to keep yourself at about an 8, meaning you're working hard but not out of breath.

Also, if your body isn't used to the elliptical it's going to feel harder at the beginning. Keep at it and don't worry for now about your heart rate would be my suggestion.