Max. Heart Rate of 223

loxoli

I'm 22 and moderately active. I've been pushing my workouts lately and in the past week I've seen a max of 221, then tonight it got to 223. I've never really paid much attention to my heart rate during exercise, but done a quick google and got conflicting answers.

What does this mean? Is it a bad thing?

Also, should I base my target heart rate around this and stick to it?

donjshaw45

Personally, I think that is too high and I'd probably check with a doctor before doing any more workouts.

However, sometimes interference can affect readings, especially at the start of a workout when you first put your heart rate monitor on. What is your average heart rate for a workout?

yellowantphil

How did you check your heart rate? For me, the exercise bike at the gym got confused the other day. It said my heart rate was jumping all over between 110 and 223. I checked my pulse myself, and it was a steady 150.

loxoli

My average on my last 3 workouts has been around 180. Like I said though, I've never paid much attention before so I don't know if it's always been like that or not. I use a heart rate monitor.

Aussie_in_PA

Count your own heart rate for 6 seconds at least, then add a zero. i.e. 20 beats in 6 seconds and you should see a doctor (age dependent of course, lowers with age)

msf74

loxoli wrote: »

My average on my last 3 workouts has been around 180.

Are you experiencing any other symptoms - dizziness / nausea / fever etc?

ScubaSteve1962

What are you using to check your heart rate?

Nuke_64

Are you wearing tight clothes around your HRM? When I wear compression shirts, my Garmin chest strap monitor reads high. Check it against taking a manual measurement.

betuel75

what exactly are you doing to get a 223 reading? seams real high.

loxoli

I did get dizzy after my workout tonight. I feel lethargic, but I know I pushed myself too hard. No nausea/fever. I use a Suunto heart rate monitor with chest strap.

Another thing, I am significantly under my calorie goal at the moment (I'm going to eat right now though). Could that cause a higher heart rate reading?

betuel75

what exactly are you doing to get a 223 reading?

pmtim

I used a cheaper HR monitor and used to get similar results. Now I have a better HR monitor and have (I think) closer to real results. The new one I am using actually plots out my HR throughout my workout. I think 180 is on the high side for average HR, but it would be best to consult a doctor. Second best would be to evaluate it based on your resting HR and age. There are quite a few HR calculators you can find on line (as you are probably aware). My HR tends to be on the high side as compared to others my age. Not sure if any this helps but good luck and be safe.

ScubaSteve1962

loxoli wrote: »

I did get dizzy after my workout tonight. I feel lethargic, but I know I pushed myself too hard. No nausea/fever. I use a Suunto heart rate monitor with chest strap.

Another thing, I am significantly under my calorie goal at the moment (I'm going to eat right now though). Could that cause a higher heart rate reading?

You're pushing yourself to hard, how long do you keep your heart rate there?

msf74

loxoli wrote: »

I did get dizzy after my workout tonight. I feel lethargic, but I know I pushed myself too hard. No nausea/fever. I use a Suunto heart rate monitor with chest strap.

Another thing, I am significantly under my calorie goal at the moment (I'm going to eat right now though). Could that cause a higher heart rate reading?

It could be something - it could be nothing. Talk to your doctor to be on the safe side.

loxoli

I was interval running, but it was faster and my runs were longer than usual. My top was a bit on the tight side- I didn't realise this could influence readings but I'm glad I know now! I'll keep a closer eye on my HR during my next run, but hopefully it was influenced by something and not a regular occurrence.

loxoli

Oh and I know they aren't reliable, but most online calculators are saying 195-200 for my age.

yellowantphil

loxoli wrote: »

Oh and I know they aren't reliable, but most online calculators are saying 195-200 for my age.

That’s the maximum, yes, and if you stay there for long, you’re going to feel sick. I think you should check your heart rate yourself, to compare to what the heart rate monitor says. Just count the beats for six seconds and multiply by ten, like Aussie_in_PA said.

msf74

loxoli wrote: »

Oh and I know they aren't reliable, but most online calculators are saying 195-200 for my age.

It's not really the issue that you don't fall within the generic MHR given by calculators. Your MHR is personal to you.

The issue is if you have consistent readings and then see a reading or readings which are noticeably different. Right now it could be that your HRM is faulty or you need to allow yourself more time to recover etc.

Alternatively you could be on the verge of an illness.

It's hard to know really.

gainer39911

loxoli wrote: »

I'm 22 and moderately active. I've been pushing my workouts lately and in the past week I've seen a max of 221, then tonight it got to 223. I've never really paid much attention to my heart rate during exercise, but done a quick google and got conflicting answers.

What does this mean? Is it a bad thing?

Also, should I base my target heart rate around this and stick to it?

Is 223 the average, or just a spike? I use a heart rate monitor, and it occasionally gives me anomalously high spike readings, but the longer term averages are usually reasonable. According to the standard correlations, at age 22 your maximum heart rate is approximately 190-198 beats/minute (bpm), therefore 223 is an unusually high reading. Individual vary, and the correlations give an average value, so some individuals will have greater or lesser max heart rates. According to an online article (http://www.builtlean.com/2010/05/25/how-to-calculate-your-max-heart-rate/), the standard deviation is 7-12 bpm (call it 10 bpm on average) , meaning that 2/3 of people will have a heart rate within +/- 10 bpm of the average, 90% within 20 bpm, and 95% within +/- 30 bpm of the average. Therefore, it is possible that you can achieve a heart rate of 223 bpm, but that is your maximum, not one that you will maintain for any substantial period of time. This may suggest that your heart rate measurements are erroneous.

jimmmer

Is there a specific reason why you're trying to give yourself a heart attack?

kweisman1

Sometimes I get wacky readings like that too. My polar will tell me the average and highest that my hr got. I'm 34, 5'8 and 155. My average last night was 163 and my highest was 190. I was doing HIIT, so intervals. I wouldn't worry about it, but make sure you girly ourself properly before and after your meals.

kweisman1

Hahaha!!! Not girly! Fuel yourself!!!

loxoli

That was my peak overall. Trust me, I felt pushed but definitely not on the verge of a heart attack! Lol. So I'm thinking it's probably faulty readings, possibly from my tight top, faulty HRM or maybe because I had a cold last week.. Lots of possibilities. I'll take my HRM manually next time and see how I go. Thanks for all your awesome help guys!

loxoli

kweisman1 wrote: »

Hahaha!!! Not girly! Fuel yourself!!!

Lol I read your first post 3 times and I couldn't work it out for the life of me! Yes, will definitely be more careful with my eating.

chivalryder

When you actually hit your Max HR, you will begin to feel light headed and you'll start to see stars.

You may also end up vomiting.

Also, you'll use your glycogen stores so quickly, within 15 minutes, you'll "hit the wall" and it will be almost impossible to continue working out.

If you haven't experienced these effects, you haven't hit your max HR yet.


Once, when I was out running in a group, I sprinted up a hill and my HR recorded my HR to have topped out at 202 bpm. I knew I could have gotten it higher, maybe to 210, but it would have been a tough feat (and I wasn't trying to maximize my HR. It just happened). I was 24 at the time, so all the calculations were saying my max HR should have been between 180 and 195.

It certainly could have been interference, if you were indoors anywhere, or near any transmission towers, or any mechanical equipment. I sometimes get funky reading on my bicycle. It happens.

Also, it could simply be genetics. Many people have hearts that beat faster than the average. Some people have hearts that beat slower. Also, your level of fitness has a lot to do with this. Your heart is simply another muscle in your body. Train it, and it will be more efficient and will be able to beat faster than someone who sits on the couch all day. I was certainly in excellent cardiovascular shape when I did that run as, prior to it, I was mountain biking on a single speed 9-12 hours a week, for many years. I certainly couldn't repeat that effort again today.

All in all, unless you're actually training for a specific event, I wouldn't worry about it. In terms of general fitness and weight loss, how fast your heart beats means nothing. If you're training for some form of endurance sport or competition, then zone training becomes important. If that's the case, you definitely do not want to be maxing out your heart rate very often.

betuel75

Its probably a faulty reading. 223 would make you feel like your on the verge of a heart attack. You would need to run in an all out full sprint mode for at least a minute or more to get your heart rate that high and you would not be able to continue very long if it truly did get up to 223.

chivalryder

I forgot to mention: VERY IMPORTANT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

If you have an older HRM (this may be true for newer models as well) you MUST ensure they there is a good, wet contact between your body and the electrodes monitoring your heart. For quite a long time, I wasn't ensuring the strap is thoroughly soaked and I constantly got very erratic measurements. It would be fine for a few minutes, then it would spike to 200+ bpm for some time, then it would cut out, then it would work, and so on.

I place my strap under running water and rub the water into the electrodes for a few minutes before I put it on. Once I've got into this habit, I've never had an issue again and my HRM is at least 10 years old now. It works as good as new!

G8rRay

I've used several different Garmin Forerunner GPS/HRM watches with the premium HRM/strap. After about 6-10 months, they start to indicate heart rates that, for me, are highly improbable, if not impossible; a new HRM/strap solves the problem. I also had that issue with a Suunto, but replacing the battery in the HRM took care of that issue. {I have, from the beginning, rinsed the strap and HRM immediately after each use. I have even applied electrode gel to the strap (on the electrodes against my skin); but, that produced mixed, erratic results.}

For example, my HRmax is about 162 bpm; but, during those times that the HRM misbehaves, it indicates my HR going as high as 240 bpm. I noticed that during a run one time and stopped to actually count the number of heart beats (about 130 bpm)! Several times before running, I counted my heart beats at 54-60 bpm, while the watch indicated 180+ bpm. A replacement was in order. Contact your HRM manufacturer; they may replace the HRM/strap without cost to you (other than your time in contacting them).

On the other hand, I know individuals that seldom rinse their HRM/strap, though they exercise several times per week; and, they just replace the battery in the HRM about 1x per year. They have had no issues with their HRM/strap/watch.