Is it okay to workout with a heart rate of 160?

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  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    I can average 160 for over 2 hours. I would guess that's normal.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Also, assuming your HR is ballpark average your lactate threshold runs should be at a HR between around 160 and 175. Right now you are doing a lot of running in "no man's land" where you are running harder than needed for aerobic development but not hard enough to develop lactate tolerance.

    Easing up a little on your easy run days will improve recovery and allow you to do more if you want to.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    Using Phil Maffetone's formula your MAF heart rate would be 150 (180 - age = 150). If you've been running a year injury free, add 5 BPM.

    Google him. You might want to try out running between 140-150BPM for a couple of weeks. Bet you'll see your pace improve from the start where it will of course be somewhat slower than what you run now.
  • EatWholeFoods
    EatWholeFoods Posts: 174 Member
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    I used to run with I 144 to 150 til it got hot or til I tried improving pace. I will look up the Maffetone formula thank you
  • EatWholeFoods
    EatWholeFoods Posts: 174 Member
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    Lol the max heart rate tests are too crazy for me but I googled the equations. I can do 2 hours at 150 to 160 and I don't get sore. Maybe its OK but I think my Dr should stress test me. I don't sweat a lot but its not comfortable but not uncomfortable enough to want to slow down.
  • JAHodgkinson_uk
    JAHodgkinson_uk Posts: 63 Member
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    Hi, max heart rate varies enormously, the formulas are 'okay' but if you are really wanting to know your HR max there's no need to pay for a doctor to do a stress test, just go for it on a 5k timed run / race. Not sure where in the world you are but http://www.parkrun.com/ is fantastic for inclusive, encouraging and free 5k's every Saturday morning at 9am. If you wear your HR monitor you can see where you max out, usually in the last few minutes. Beware of false early spikes, they're very common early in a run before you have a good connection. 160 sounds pretty normal to me, it depends what it is that you are aiming for in running. Do you have a race or distance in mind?
  • JAHodgkinson_uk
    JAHodgkinson_uk Posts: 63 Member
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    Actually, you can start with this 181 as your max, (I'm guessing that you will push it a bit higher in a race, it's okay, mine is 184 and I'm in my 40's)

    Next you need to work out your resting heart rate, the very lowest that it goes. Some people say testing that first thing in the morning but if I'm stressing about getting ready for work it is lower relaxing in the evening, lying down. This will vary as your fitness increases and is a good indicator of if your are over training and need to ease off or if you're maybe coming down with something.

    I adore geeking out with numbers...
    Take your actual max, so 181 (update as you find it higher)
    Subtract from that your resting heart rate - this number is your range so for me it is 184 - 56 so my range is 128.

    Now you use this range to find your hard run eg 1 mile warm up at less than 70%, 1 mile hard at 80% and 1 mile cool down at less than 70%. The hard effort will be very hard! On easy days you try to stay at less than 70% for the whole run. This will initially feel horribly, horribly slow but will speed up in a remarkably quick time frame.
    It's best to alternate hard days and easy days, in fact I only have 1 hard run day a week.
  • JAHodgkinson_uk
    JAHodgkinson_uk Posts: 63 Member
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    http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Monitor-Training-Compleat-Idiot/dp/1891369849 This is an 'old' book but really useful. Clearest that I've read on the subject.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    The Maffetone 180 formula may be a better way of estimating your target heart rate zone.

    http://philmaffetone.com/180-formula/

    I'm 43 years old and have been running for a long while. I use 142 as my target ceiling based on the Maffetone formula.

    That seems wrong and gives me a max HR of 137

    I generally train at around 145-150 and HIIT will bring me peaks of 165-168

    I just focus on "can I talk" and does it come down quickly when I slow down
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    lporter229 wrote: »
    The Maffetone 180 formula may be a better way of estimating your target heart rate zone.

    http://philmaffetone.com/180-formula/

    I'm 43 years old and have been running for a long while. I use 142 as my target ceiling based on the Maffetone formula.

    That seems wrong and gives me a max HR of 137

    I generally train at around 145-150 and HIIT will bring me peaks of 165-168

    I just focus on "can I talk" and does it come down quickly when I slow down

    It's not intended to give you your max HR. It's intended to give you your optimal training zone for developing aerobic fitness.
  • wolfgate
    wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
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    scottb81 wrote: »
    Or just run a hard 5K and sprint as hard as you can the last 400 meters.

    All of scottb81's advice is spot on. My personal preference for estimating my max HR is this one here. Mainly because I can't make myself actually do one of the tests, but I can push at the end of a 5k no problem.

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    EatWholeFoods wrote: »
    I can do 2 hours at 150 to 160 and I don't get sore. Maybe its OK but I think my Dr should stress test me. I don't sweat a lot but its not comfortable but not uncomfortable enough to want to slow down.
    You should be able to run 2 hours at a higher heartrate than is best for training aerobically.

    How often do you run? If its only 3 times a week then it doesn't matter much since there is so much recovery time built in. If you are running consecutive days or more than once a day then running too hard in training will lead to your improvement stopping because your body will not be able to recover sufficiently for supercompensation. Instead you will stay the same or even get worse.

    Recovery from an easy run should only take 6 to 12 hours. For an easy long run 12 to 24 hours. So you can run easy and run every day, or more than once a day and still improve. Once you start running harder than that recovery times get longer. For example, complete recovery and supercompensation from a lactate threshold run or anaerobic intervals at around 90% max heartrate and above takes around 32 to 48 hours.

    Running too many harder runs close together causes you never to get stronger. Running harder than easy and not as hard as lactate threshold isn't necessary and if you are running every day will be counterproductive in the long term.

    Are you getting faster and stronger from month to month? If yes then what you are doing is probably ok. If your improvement is not moving along then you are either running too fast in training, or not enough in training, or both.

  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    scottb81 wrote: »
    Recovery from an easy run should only take 6 to 12 hours. For an easy long run 12 to 24 hours. So you can run easy and run every day, or more than once a day and still improve. Once you start running harder than that recovery times get longer. For example, complete recovery and supercompensation from a lactate threshold run or anaerobic intervals at around 90% max heartrate and above takes around 32 to 48 hours.

    Running too many harder runs close together causes you never to get stronger. Running harder than easy and not as hard as lactate threshold isn't necessary and if you are running every day will be counterproductive in the long term.

    Emphasis mine, but it's all good stuff.

    Most runners that have received little or no coaching or haven't investigated this stuff on their own ... run too hard for their own good for most of their training. It's easy to understand how the new runner gets caught in this trap when PRs seem to be the focus and thus speed is king. That's only true on race day. For the other 80+% of the time, speed isn't king.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    EatWholeFoods wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. Also I don't feel weird unless it reaches 181.

    then that's all you really need to worry about it.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
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    EatWholeFoods wrote: »
    How do I field test for my max heart rate? Also I have a garmin forerunner heart rate monitor. I care enough to even pay for a stress test etc. I think my max heart rate nay be higher than the equation and that's why I don't get sore or a lot of lactic acid build up.

    That equation is crap in my opinion. If I went by that, I should have had a heart attack a long time ago. I think there are many variables involved that the equations don't take into consideration. My HRM (also a garmin FR) regularly says I'm at 160-170 while I run. And my perceived exersion is moderate-I can talk, I'm breathing but not maxed out...trust how you feel. It's the best gauge.
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
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    I just started C25K, I have never been a runner, but want to give it a go. By the end of the 30 mins I am hitting 180-183 usually during the jogging portions and the mid 150's during the walking portions (age 32, CW 158). I don't feel dizzy or anything. I had a stress test done a few years back when I did my first round of weight loss and started to work out and got scared that my HR got up to 200+ (age then 26ish, SW then 157) just walking with an incline sometimes. Everything was normal, and nothing weird was found so my doc told me at that time to maybe not push myself too hard and just listen to my body. I am curious to see where my HR is when I complete C25K.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    I'm 40 and routinely my HR will get to 160-165 while running. I know my max is MUCH higher than the formula. It gets over 200 on really hard efforts (around 204 I start feeling icky - and I don't stay at that intensity).
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    I have supra-ventricular tachycardia so a HR of 160 is not worrisome to me. However, if you feel dizzy, faint, or experience chest pain when your HR is 160+, you need to see your PCP and ask for a referral to a cardiologist.

    They will conduct tests like an EKG and possibly a stress test to determine the amount of stress your heart can handle.
  • EatWholeFoods
    EatWholeFoods Posts: 174 Member
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    My recovery heart rate is really good. It drops 30 to 40 beats within a minute. I don't always do a super hard heart beating run. Many days are slower runs with 144 for the heart rate and 155 max. I just wonder if 160 is safe to keep fpr an hour or so. Thanks everyone lots of good info. I google many hours a day tips and running info lol. It is true if you run slowly for a month or 2, you can go a bit faster and your heart rate is lower. Eventually you can push a little faster and hear rate is similar. So maybe I shouldn't do the fast heart rate runs and just do slowly and slowly improve time once I see my heart rate lower. Plus the heat is bad. I try to run at sunset now.
  • EatWholeFoods
    EatWholeFoods Posts: 174 Member
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    I run 5 to 7 days a week. I rest if I do a super long run. I can feel if I need rest. I improved my time per mile by 1:30 min in 2 months. Sometimes I rest 2 days. I do a long run per week, pretty slow, then 3 to 4 mile easy runs, then once or twice a week a faster 5k test, intervals once a week or hills, and sometimes 1 to 2 mile tempo run or race pace run pushing time at goal pace.

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