Anyone else get a super high heart rate when they exercise?
Replies
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I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Are you a runner? It sounds like you're doing fine. You probably don't need to and shouldn't try to keep your HR at any specific number unless you have specific training needs.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Are you a runner? It sounds like you're doing fine. You probably don't need to and shouldn't try to keep your HR at any specific number unless you have specific training needs.
I started jogging (I wouldn't quite call it running, lol) about 3 months ago, and I'm up to about a 35 minute 5k on a normal cardio day and a 57ish minute 5 mile on a long day. I've always been able to push relatively to the higher edges of the recommended target HR charts, even when I was younger and in better shape. I've always thought that if you felt fine in the higher zones that it didn't mean you were in any worse shape than someone who may have a lower heart rate. I grew up being told that the whole point of cardio was to get your heart rate "up" and keep it there, so I took that to mean to get it up to as high as you can maintain for an extended period of time (unless you're doing sprint/ HIIT work).1 -
I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Depends on the individual and their max HR, threshold HR and resting HR. Threshold HR and resting HR are the ones that may change with fitness. Max HR decreases with age, but how much is not absolute. Some decrease sharply, some very gradually.
There's a lot of variation, so the average HRs that are suggested to delineate the zones and are based on age don't work well for a fair number of people. For some they're too high, others they're too low. Impossible to know where you fall without testing it yourself. It's why I prefer to rely on perceived effort rather than HR. I record HR, but just out of curiosity.
What should I be looking for on the perceived effort scale?1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Are you a runner? It sounds like you're doing fine. You probably don't need to and shouldn't try to keep your HR at any specific number unless you have specific training needs.
I started jogging (I wouldn't quite call it running, lol) about 3 months ago, and I'm up to about a 35 minute 5k on a normal cardio day and a 57ish minute 5 mile on a long day. I've always been able to push relatively to the higher edges of the recommended target HR charts, even when I was younger and in better shape. I've always thought that if you felt fine in the higher zones that it didn't mean you were in any worse shape than someone who may have a lower heart rate. I grew up being told that the whole point of cardio was to get your heart rate "up" and keep it there, so I took that to mean to get it up to as high as you can maintain for an extended period of time (unless you're doing sprint/ HIIT work).
Probably true. I feel like I could have a heart attack when mine is up there - so that's a bit different. I assume (assume, I'm not dr!) that if you feel okay it should be fine unless it's like...as high as over 200 for a long time?0 -
I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Depends on the individual and their max HR, threshold HR and resting HR. Threshold HR and resting HR are the ones that may change with fitness. Max HR decreases with age, but how much is not absolute. Some decrease sharply, some very gradually.
There's a lot of variation, so the average HRs that are suggested to delineate the zones and are based on age don't work well for a fair number of people. For some they're too high, others they're too low. Impossible to know where you fall without testing it yourself. It's why I prefer to rely on perceived effort rather than HR. I record HR, but just out of curiosity.
What should I be looking for on the perceived effort scale?
Depends on your training goal. I spend a lot of time in the endurance and tempo categories training for distance running.
Recovery/endurance: You should be able to carry on a normal conversation in full sentences. Breathing should be completely under control.
Stamina/tempo: You can only speak in short sentences. Breathing is quicker, but still no huffing and puffing.
Speed (above lactate threshold, not maximal effort): You can only get out a couple of words for this entire phase of your workout. Definite huffing and puffing.
Maximal effort: Speech is not possible, need to breathe takes over.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Are you a runner? It sounds like you're doing fine. You probably don't need to and shouldn't try to keep your HR at any specific number unless you have specific training needs.
I started jogging (I wouldn't quite call it running, lol) about 3 months ago, and I'm up to about a 35 minute 5k on a normal cardio day and a 57ish minute 5 mile on a long day. I've always been able to push relatively to the higher edges of the recommended target HR charts, even when I was younger and in better shape. I've always thought that if you felt fine in the higher zones that it didn't mean you were in any worse shape than someone who may have a lower heart rate. I grew up being told that the whole point of cardio was to get your heart rate "up" and keep it there, so I took that to mean to get it up to as high as you can maintain for an extended period of time (unless you're doing sprint/ HIIT work).
If you're running faster, it probably means you're more fit now than when you started. (It would be a little odd if you weren't!)
What you're doing sounds like it's working for you, there probably isn't any real reason to change it. Because HR varies so much from one person to another, and because we all have different goals, there isn't any "supposed to be" for this. I mean, some people are on a training plan that has then do 80 % of their workouts in zone 2 (moderate) and the other 20 % in zone 4/5 (very intense) to prepare for an event, and those people have a "supposed to be" but if you're going for general health and found a routine that works for you, that's awesome!2 -
@stealthq and @NorthCascades, can you guys recommend some additional reading on perceived effort and workout zones?
My only cardio training goal is to get "better", as I've loosely defined as continually getting faster and being able to go for longer distances. My current short term goal is to run 3 miles in 30 minutes (I have a current PR of 33:09 for that distance, so there's a lot of room for improvement). After that, I want to be able to extend that 6.0 pace for longer and longer distances (eventually
). I don't have any training plan, though. I run on a treadmill at 1 or 1.5% incline, and I tend to start out slow-ish in the 5.0-5.2 pace for a few minutes, spend the bulk of the run between 5.6-5.7 (this is where my HR is steady in the low 170s/ what I perceive to be between stamina and speed as Stealth describes it), and spend the last half mile or so steadily increasing to max effort. I'll finish the last .1 or .05 of the run at or nearly at 7.0 (or as fast as I can manage that day).
Do you need a training plan for general cardio?
ETA - Sorry if this is hijacking OP!1 -
@DamieBird
Since your goal is to be able to run longer distances a little bit faster than you're running now, you can achieve that by doing longer runs. Don't even pay attention to speed for now, just focus on distance. As you become able to run longer distances, you'll also be able to run shorter distances faster.
That's not what you just asked, though.
If you have a Garmin, they have (free) training plans. There are two for running a 5K using HR as a guide, and two more for a 10K with HR. You don't need a training plan for general cardio, but it might be interesting to look at one, you might get some ideas you like from it.
Here's a guide for HR zones. It might not be exactly what you want, so feel free to ask more questions.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »@DamieBird
Since your goal is to be able to run longer distances a little bit faster than you're running now, you can achieve that by doing longer runs. Don't even pay attention to speed for now, just focus on distance. As you become able to run longer distances, you'll also be able to run shorter distances faster.
That's not what you just asked, though.
If you have a Garmin, they have (free) training plans. There are two for running a 5K using HR as a guide, and two more for a 10K with HR. You don't need a training plan for general cardio, but it might be interesting to look at one, you might get some ideas you like from it.
Here's a guide for HR zones. It might not be exactly what you want, so feel free to ask more questions.
Cosigned.
I'll add that when you want to add more distance, it is helpful to follow a training plan. There's rules of thumb about how to increase that help avoid overuse injuries while making sure you steadily improve. Popular ones are designed by Jeff Galloway (walk/run method) and Hal Higdon, but there are plenty of good ones out there. The two I mention are nice because they have free training plans for multiple distances and for various degrees of experience.
Higdon's plans (beyond the novice plans - those are for building distance) are designed for improving performance. Galloway's probably are pretty similar, but I haven't used his to say for sure.
jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/
halhigdon.com/training/3 -
Thank you!
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@DamieBird- If you are interested in reading a book that explains the reasons for training in each zone, how to determine your zones, and also includes some example training plans for 5K through marathon distances, I highly recommend Matt Fitzgerald's "80/20 Running". It is written for runners (the subtitle of the book is "Train Slower to Race Faster"), but could probably be useful to anyone training for an endurance sport.2
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Verity1111 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Are you a runner? It sounds like you're doing fine. You probably don't need to and shouldn't try to keep your HR at any specific number unless you have specific training needs.
I started jogging (I wouldn't quite call it running, lol) about 3 months ago, and I'm up to about a 35 minute 5k on a normal cardio day and a 57ish minute 5 mile on a long day. I've always been able to push relatively to the higher edges of the recommended target HR charts, even when I was younger and in better shape. I've always thought that if you felt fine in the higher zones that it didn't mean you were in any worse shape than someone who may have a lower heart rate. I grew up being told that the whole point of cardio was to get your heart rate "up" and keep it there, so I took that to mean to get it up to as high as you can maintain for an extended period of time (unless you're doing sprint/ HIIT work).
Probably true. I feel like I could have a heart attack when mine is up there - so that's a bit different. I assume (assume, I'm not dr!) that if you feel okay it should be fine unless it's like...as high as over 200 for a long time?
There's no absolute number that can be used as a guide. Truly, everyone is different. If someone has very unusual heart rates (statistically speaking, even while feeling OK), or feels faint or has chest pain or something like that at any heart rate, or has a heart rate response that doesn't follow expected patterns, IMO it's a Good Plan to check in with one's doctor. (In the latter cases, bad symptoms when exercising or erratic heart rate, I'd say that check-in is urgent, and that one should back off the exercise until after it happens.)
You can't exceed your max heart rate. By definition. And you can't (physically) sustain an ultra-high heart rate (max effort) for an exceedingly long time, with respect to your own personal heart rate range, even if you're a well-conditioned athlete.
If your goal is fitness improvement, going super hard all the time is probably not your most effective strategy. It may not even be your most effective calorie-burn strategy.
Edited to add: OP, you will rehab and regain fitness. I went through a similar cycle after cancer treatment (chemotherapy, and all that). I thought I'd never feel strong, energetic and vital again. Since I'd never been regularly active, there was some exploratory work involved, but within a short number of years I was feeling great and in the best athletic condition of my adult life. Patience - you'll get there!
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Verity1111 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).
What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
Are you a runner? It sounds like you're doing fine. You probably don't need to and shouldn't try to keep your HR at any specific number unless you have specific training needs.
I started jogging (I wouldn't quite call it running, lol) about 3 months ago, and I'm up to about a 35 minute 5k on a normal cardio day and a 57ish minute 5 mile on a long day. I've always been able to push relatively to the higher edges of the recommended target HR charts, even when I was younger and in better shape. I've always thought that if you felt fine in the higher zones that it didn't mean you were in any worse shape than someone who may have a lower heart rate. I grew up being told that the whole point of cardio was to get your heart rate "up" and keep it there, so I took that to mean to get it up to as high as you can maintain for an extended period of time (unless you're doing sprint/ HIIT work).
Probably true. I feel like I could have a heart attack when mine is up there - so that's a bit different. I assume (assume, I'm not dr!) that if you feel okay it should be fine unless it's like...as high as over 200 for a long time?
There's no absolute number that can be used as a guide. Truly, everyone is different. If someone has very unusual heart rates (statistically speaking, even while feeling OK), or feels faint or has chest pain or something like that at any heart rate, or has a heart rate response that doesn't follow expected patterns, IMO it's a Good Plan to check in with one's doctor. (In the latter cases, bad symptoms when exercising or erratic heart rate, I'd say that check-in is urgent, and that one should back off the exercise until after it happens.)
You can't exceed your max heart rate. By definition. And you can't (physically) sustain an ultra-high heart rate (max effort) for an exceedingly long time, with respect to your own personal heart rate range, even if you're a well-conditioned athlete.
If your goal is fitness improvement, going super hard all the time is probably not your most effective strategy. It may not even be your most effective calorie-burn strategy.
Edited to add: OP, you will rehab and regain fitness. I went through a similar cycle after cancer treatment (chemotherapy, and all that). I thought I'd never feel strong, energetic and vital again. Since I'd never been regularly active, there was some exploratory work involved, but within a short number of years I was feeling great and in the best athletic condition of my adult life. Patience - you'll get there!
Thank you very much for the encouragement and congrats on getting your health back Thats a very inspirational story. 1
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