Heart Rate Zones?

CLL1001
CLL1001 Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm kind of a beginner...I have worked out off and on in the past but never really paid much attention my heart rate and where I should be with it...
Anyway, I started using a HRM about a week ago and it calculated my MHR to be 188 and my zone limits to be 122-160. I've been doing some Shaun T workouts and throughout my workouts my HR has been consistently right around the 160 range but today I really felt like my stamina was starting to increase but at the same time my HR was increasing as well...at one point it was in the 175 range. So can someone please explain to me what's actually going on when it gets that high and what I should really be aiming for? I feel like I should keep pushing as long as I feel like I can but I don't know if I'm causing any kind of damage in the process? I know I'm really clueless about all this lol. TIA

Replies

  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    First of all, your actual maximum heart rate can differ considerably from the calculated MHR based on your age. Secondly, it's OK for your HR to hit above 85% (which is 160 for you) occasionally, especially in the beginning. Your body will adapt to the exercise (by strengthening your heart muscles and increasing your VO2 Max) and your HR will become lower when you do the exact same routine next week.

    When I started doing exercise several months ago and had no stamina at all, my HR often went up within 5 bpm of my theoretical MHR of 182. Today I can hardly hit 170 even with prolonged and strenuous effort. My resting heart rate also decreased to about 55, which is below the normal range of 60-100, but it's OK because it's a result of improvement in physical fitness.

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