High resting heart rate

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marebear31485
marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have always had a very high resting heart rate. It is almost always between 90-100. Even before I was overweight it was high. I know they give you an idea of what your heart rate should be with exercise, etc. But my heart rate during what I would consider moderate cardio sits around 150 bpm. I have had ekg's and nothing has ever been wrong with my heart, it's just always been this way. Since my heartbeat is abnormally fast should I be expects to get it higher than most people during exercise or still stick by the % thing where it's 220-your age? Anyone else have this problem??
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Replies

  • Citycat2015
    Citycat2015 Posts: 86 Member
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    I have had a high heart rate too. My whole life. even I was 17years old 110 pounds it was 90 bps +. Same concern when working out but have no solutions to offer. I barely break a sweat and I am at 150 bpm. Would love to hear from others.
  • marebear31485
    marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
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    Citycat2015 wrote: »
    I have had a high heart rate too. My whole life. even I was 17years old 110 pounds it was 90 bps +. Same concern when working out but have no solutions to offer. I barely break a sweat and I am at 150 bpm. Would love to hear from others.

    At least I'm not the only one! Although I am sweating at 150 but I am only about 4 weeks into this! I have increased intensity but it never really seems to go over 150 either. I don't know if it matters but I'm currently 5'7 or so and weigh around 195 at the moment. Started at 208.
  • dawniemate
    dawniemate Posts: 395 Member
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    I'm 48 female and my heart rate goes to 190bpm when doing cardio. I was concerned and got it checked out . The hospital said it's fine. :) if you are worried though get it checked, :wink:
  • Citycat2015
    Citycat2015 Posts: 86 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I am 5'7 too but 215 now. I think it is better if you are sweating at 150. Means you are working it. I just look at the treadmill and my heart rate skyrockets
  • marebear31485
    marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
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    dawniemate wrote: »
    I'm 48 female and my heart rate goes to 190bpm when doing cardio. I was concerned and got it checked out . The hospital said it's fine. :) if you are worried though get it checked, :wink:

    Thanks! I'm not too concerned about it, I think if it was a problem a doctor would have said something by now! I've actually been turned away at times to donate blood because they won't take you if your heart rate is over 100. I have to put myself in a serious relaxation state before going in. I am just not sure how or if this would affect my weight loss at any point. My heart rate doesn't seem to go up as much as most people's. It's not like yours where it gets to 190. It sticks pretty steady around 150. Maybe 160 if it is a really hard workout. But that's only 50% above my normal rate.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    Fascinating topic. I do not have a high HR.

    I pay close attention to my hr when I exercise (mostly running). I don't think you should sustain 90%+ of your HR over a longer period of time. In my own experience that time is 3-5 minutes max. Like any muscle it's subject to tearing and failing if you go over the capacity. It's scary.
  • Citycat2015
    Citycat2015 Posts: 86 Member
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    dawniemate wrote: »
    I'm 48 female and my heart rate goes to 190bpm when doing cardio. I was concerned and got it checked out . The hospital said it's fine. :) if you are worried though get it checked, :wink:

    Wow! That's high. Good to know it's fine.
  • marebear31485
    marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
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    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Fascinating topic. I do not have a high HR.

    I pay close attention to my hr when I exercise (mostly running). I don't think you should sustain 90%+ of your HR over a longer period of time. In my own experience that time is 3-5 minutes max. Like any muscle it's subject to tearing and failing if you go over the capacity. It's scary.

    I have tried out several different options when on the bike or treadmill. I tried the heart rate option once and I think I selected either 70 or 80%. It turned off about 5 mins into my workout when k got above 150. I didn't use that option again!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    As you are an outlier in terms of your resting HR you may well also be an outlier in terms of estimating max HR (220 - age is a very rough approximation only) and exercise HR.
    Suggest you just go by perceived effort rather than HR for your exercise.

    You could do a max HR test but suggest you do that only after getting fit - it's very taxing.
    I'm an outlier for min HR (48 - 50bpm) and my tested max HR was 176 when the formula would have given 165bpm.

    PS
    Using a basic heart rate monitor for calorie estimates would be very misleading for you!
  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
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    I have a high resting heart rate. Due to that and frequent heart palpitations I was experiencing at 18 I ended up going into the hospital and being referred to a cardiologist.

    Ended up getting diagnosed with tachycardia (high resting heart rate), and mitral valve prolapse. One nurse once expressed concern of me possibly having A-Fib after watching me on a pulse monitor while getting unrelated testing done, but I've never received that diagnosis. I'm on a beta blocker to help my heart slow down from the mitral valve prolapse.

    While at my heaviest weight (about 230), my resting heart rate could vary between 100 and 140 bpm without medication. I had to have a stress test once, which had to be induced medically instead of running on a treadmill because the running was deemed unsafe for me as I was already at my exercise target heart rate that they wanted while I was resting.

    I've lost about 130 pounds now and was taken off one of my heart meds due to my weight loss and exercising more. I'm still on a low dose beta blocker. My resting heart rate now averages about 70-80 bpm. I honestly don't track my heart rate while working out, but I only do weight lifting, and low intensity walks (sometimes jogs) on the treadmill and low intensity (around 8 mph) on the stationairy bike. My high intensity cardio is nil, mainly because I also have dislocating knee caps and the last thing I want to do is pop my knee out at a full out run.
  • marebear31485
    marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    As you are an outlier in terms of your resting HR you may well also be an outlier in terms of estimating max HR (220 - age is a very rough approximation only) and exercise HR.
    Suggest you just go by perceived effort rather than HR for your exercise.

    You could do a max HR test but suggest you do that only after getting fit - it's very taxing.
    I'm an outlier for min HR (48 - 50bpm) and my tested max HR was 176 when the formula would have given 165bpm.

    PS
    Using a basic heart rate monitor for calorie estimates would be very misleading for you!

    Very good point! Luckily one has never been my top priority or in my budget so I just track my exercise in MFP.
  • Nicklebee93
    Nicklebee93 Posts: 316 Member
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    A normal heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute, no? Though you're on the higher scale it's definitely not abnormally high. The more fit you get, the better your resting heart rate should be. It's why i LOVE cardio. I have a heart rate of 60 per minute. I would of loved to have known what it was before i started my cardio.
  • chrisfwood
    chrisfwood Posts: 37 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I found another method yesterday while reading to get your max HR.
    211.415 - (0.5 * age) - (0.05 * weight in lbs) + 4.5 for a man
    211.415 - (0.5 * age) - (0.05 * weight in lbs) for a woman
    This give me 186 vs 178 and as I push myself to 180 yesterday I would say it is a little more accurate.

    Today I have had a new low of 35 I just hope that was the monitor not working for a moment although my average is 48.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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    A very high resting heart rate was the first symptom of my husband's Hyperthyroidism/Graves disease. Have you been checked out for thyroid issues? An EKG alone wouldn't spot that. That being said, you may just have a higher resting heart rate. If it hasn't bothered you up til now, it's probably not an issue.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,478 Member
    edited April 2016
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    marebear31485 wrote: »
    I have always had a very high resting heart rate. It is almost always between 90-100. Even before I was overweight it was high. I know they give you an idea of what your heart rate should be with exercise, etc. But my heart rate during what I would consider moderate cardio sits around 150 bpm. I have had ekg's and nothing has ever been wrong with my heart, it's just always been this way. Since my heartbeat is abnormally fast should I be expects to get it higher than most people during exercise or still stick by the % thing where it's 220-your age? Anyone else have this problem??

    Your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate are not related. The first is determined by your level of fitness and other factors, the maximum heart rate is purely driven by genetics - you can train as much as you like but it doesn't change. It only goes down a bit with age. The equation you're quoting is completely useless as more people tend to be far away from the calculated value than there are close to that number. If your doctor has given you no reason to keep your working out heart rate low then just go for it. If you want to improve general fitness and be able to get better and faster then long and slow workouts are really crucial. Ignore all HR meters and train such that you're still able to talk but that you feel you did something afterwards. See if you can increase the distance by 10% each week and do a break every now and then. You might want to do fast and shorter sessions regularly as well. If you can't talk anymore then you're at the right speed :)

    Btw, I'm a massive outlyer! My restingHR is around 45 while my max is at around 210. According to this equation it should only be 178! Imagine I tried according to this equation: It would be completely useless as I'd be walking then and not running.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
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    A high resting heart rate(Tachacardia) is over 100 BPM. I was diagnosed with it last May. I had a bad issue with beta blockers( my heart rate was 35 BPM in the ER) so they gave me a calcium channel blocker. Helped a little but still was very high.

    Doc suggested diet and exercise, again, this time I was serious. He was OK with the exercise as I'd had a echocardiogram the prior year and I had no structural heart issues.

    Started losing with diet and eventually walking in the hills around here. I was try to keep my heartrate down to the (220-age)*.85, but at 58 there wasn't much room. Eventually I paid less attention to my HR while exercising. As I lost weight and added more exercise my RHR dropped. In May my average was 93 BPM by September it was 65! Today I seldom look at it while exercising.

    Good luck, I'd check with your Doc just to be sure. I asked him about the 220-age like said prior it's just an estimate.

  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I have a high resting heart rate. Like, 120 or so. I have palpitations and pvc's and I also have an extra electrical pathway that had to be ablated with surgery. I also have POTS. I had numerous normal ekg's, it was only when I had an implanted device in my chest that the doc saw what was really wrong. I've been seeing a cardio the last eight years and always will have to as well as take beta blockers.

    If you think something is off then I suggest to see a doctor.

    My electrophsyilogist also used the 220 minus age rule and he said my heart rate was in the upper limit of normal, but when he did the EP study my hr was in the high 200s, about 280 bpm. [They provoke rhythms on purpose, it's controlled] and that confirmed the extra pathway.
  • marebear31485
    marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
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    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    A very high resting heart rate was the first symptom of my husband's Hyperthyroidism/Graves disease. Have you been checked out for thyroid issues? An EKG alone wouldn't spot that. That being said, you may just have a higher resting heart rate. If it hasn't bothered you up til now, it's probably not an issue.

    I was actually tested last year due to having no energy and always bein tired. It came back normal and it ended up I have sleep apnea.
  • marebear31485
    marebear31485 Posts: 36 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    marebear31485 wrote: »
    I have always had a very high resting heart rate. It is almost always between 90-100. Even before I was overweight it was high. I know they give you an idea of what your heart rate should be with exercise, etc. But my heart rate during what I would consider moderate cardio sits around 150 bpm. I have had ekg's and nothing has ever been wrong with my heart, it's just always been this way. Since my heartbeat is abnormally fast should I be expects to get it higher than most people during exercise or still stick by the % thing where it's 220-your age? Anyone else have this problem??

    Your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate are not related. The first is determined by your level of fitness and other factors, the maximum heart rate is purely driven by genetics - you can train as much as you like but it doesn't change. It only goes down a bit with age. The equation you're quoting is completely useless as more people tend to be far away from the calculated value than there are close to that number. If your doctor has given you no reason to keep your working out heart rate low then just go for it. If you want to improve general fitness and be able to get better and faster then long and slow workouts are really crucial. Ignore all HR meters and train such that you're still able to talk but that you feel you did something afterwards. See if you can increase the distance by 10% each week and do a break every now and then. You might want to do fast and shorter sessions regularly as well. If you can't talk anymore then you're at the right speed :)

    Btw, I'm a massive outlyer! My restingHR is around 45 while my max is at around 210. According to this equation it should only be 178! Imagine I tried according to this equation: It would be completely useless as I'd be walking then and not running.

    My doctor was actually the one who said I needed to start exercising so I think I'm in the clear! She told me I am pre-diabetic. That was the kick in the face I needed to start getting healthier!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,478 Member
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    marebear31485 wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    marebear31485 wrote: »
    I have always had a very high resting heart rate. It is almost always between 90-100. Even before I was overweight it was high. I know they give you an idea of what your heart rate should be with exercise, etc. But my heart rate during what I would consider moderate cardio sits around 150 bpm. I have had ekg's and nothing has ever been wrong with my heart, it's just always been this way. Since my heartbeat is abnormally fast should I be expects to get it higher than most people during exercise or still stick by the % thing where it's 220-your age? Anyone else have this problem??

    Your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate are not related. The first is determined by your level of fitness and other factors, the maximum heart rate is purely driven by genetics - you can train as much as you like but it doesn't change. It only goes down a bit with age. The equation you're quoting is completely useless as more people tend to be far away from the calculated value than there are close to that number. If your doctor has given you no reason to keep your working out heart rate low then just go for it. If you want to improve general fitness and be able to get better and faster then long and slow workouts are really crucial. Ignore all HR meters and train such that you're still able to talk but that you feel you did something afterwards. See if you can increase the distance by 10% each week and do a break every now and then. You might want to do fast and shorter sessions regularly as well. If you can't talk anymore then you're at the right speed :)

    Btw, I'm a massive outlyer! My restingHR is around 45 while my max is at around 210. According to this equation it should only be 178! Imagine I tried according to this equation: It would be completely useless as I'd be walking then and not running.

    My doctor was actually the one who said I needed to start exercising so I think I'm in the clear! She told me I am pre-diabetic. That was the kick in the face I needed to start getting healthier!

    Go for it! I'm sure you can do it. Reducing your weight will probably have a good influence on your blood sugar levels and sleep apnea. If you want to start running then maybe look at a programme such as C25k. There is a really supportive group here. This is how I learned to run. Important: start slowly, walk as much as you need. There's no shame in doing that. You will get better in due time :)

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