Hello. I received a Polar Heart Rate Monitor for Christmas with all the good intentions of training hard but I'm really having trouble keeping my heart rate down to the suggested rates for training.
I am 38, have regularly played football and mountain biked for the last 25 years and have now taken up road riding to give my knees a rest.
Today I rode for 45 mins as fast as I could and recorded a max heart rate of 184 and an average of 169, is this excessively high?
Also why do the suggested heart rates seem so low, I have to piddle along to keep my heart rate in the EASY range.
Any advice would be greatfully received!

Paul