Legs say yes, heart says no!

icanmovemountains

When Im exercising on an elliptical, bike, or treadmill, my legs want to go fast but my heart rate jumps! I find myself struggling to go slow enough to keep my heart rate below 160. I feel that I can go really fast on the elliptical especially without any protest from my body, except for my heart. My heart rate can jump up to 190's if im not carefully monitoring it. Im not very fit, and that might be the cause. It feels like my body can handle harder exercise, but my heart just says NO. Any ideas why? Am i just not fit enough yet for that kind of intensity? Does anyone else have this problem? What am I doing wrong!? Please help!

lorrpb

Just pace yourself based on your HR. As you say, your cardio endurance isn't great yet, so just keep working on it. Fitness doesn't happen overnight.
Has your doctor evaluated you within the past 6-12 months to rule out any other problems?

icanmovemountains

I havent been to my doctor specifically about my heart and exercise yet. I started working out again this summer when I found out my resting heart rate was 75. Which is a large number compared to what it used to be when I was a teen. So yes, my cardio is endurance is TERRIBLE. Should I go to the doctor?

spiriteagle99

If you're using the heart rate monitor on handles of the machine, take it with a big grain of salt. Many have no relation to reality. If you are puffing and panting, slow down. Otherwise, just keep moving at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation or sing alone with the music.

icanmovemountains

I compare the machines heart rate monitor to my fitbit in order to get an accurate reading

ronocnikral

Aerobic Deficiency Syndrome. There have been cases of people heavily into crossfit and they can't even walk on a treadmill without their heart rate going through the roof. If you have been doing a lot of heavy lifting and/or "HIIT" or just off the couch or overweight, you really need to work to keep your HR down. Monitor you HR, pick a threshold and stay under it, even if you have to walk slowly.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

My heart rate has always gone a bit high. Worth getting a check up, but it may not be a problem; your body will just tell you how hard you can push.

AnnPT77

Are you having any other symptoms at all, besides increased heart rate? Faintness, gasping, wooziness, pain anywhere, sense that your heart is fluttering wildly all of a sudden (vs. going up to the high value a bit more gradually)?

I mean, exertion makes our heart rate go up, and being unfit or doing something unaccustomed makes it go up even more so. If we exert ourselves more, it goes up higher. That's normal. But if there are other bad symptoms, that's a worry, and you should definitely back off and consult your doctor.

It's generally best to start with a challenging but moderate, sustainable pace, and gradually work your way up to including higher intensities. This can help avoid injury, burnout, or excess fatigue.

But if you're simply worried that you're getting above some magical "fat burning zone", don't be: That's pretty much a myth, as a concern for the average exerciser whose main goal is general fitness or increased weight loss.

Also, those "220 - age" formulas for max heart rate are inaccurate for many people. (The formula would put my max at 158, but it's actually 180.

I'm moderately fit (very active for last 15+ years). My heart rate sometimes goes up to mid-160s during exercise, but there are no scary symptoms with it, so I don't worry about it as long as the exercise was intense enough to explain it. (It doesn't go up to 190 because my actual tested max heart rate is 180 - I'm a l'il ol' lady. )

But if you are worried, see your doctor!

CricketClover

When I first started exercising "for real" a few years ago I was surprised at how high my heart rate went. I mentioned it to my doc casually and they decided to do a stress test. Everything was fine with my ticker but I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. Now I see a cardiologist because my thyroid meds makes my heart flutter and makes my heart race sometimes. I see him once a year to just make sure everything is still good. Anyway, long story short: My cardiologist said that as long as I feel ok when it is high and it quickly goes back down after exertion then all is good.

ETA: If you can, see a doctor. I am sure you are fine, but having a doctor say it can put you at ease. You don't want to add anxiety over it, it will just make it worse!

successgal1

Personally, I don't want to be a statistic. (over weight woman who overdid it and died while exercising). So I wear a fitbit with a heart rate monitor. I'm unfit enough that my heart rate gets to 188 doing things that more fit people wouldn't even consider a warm up. I don't want to die, so I pause and take a break, a drink of water, let it slow down, then proceed. I'm doing a light weight and body weight 20 minute routine, then a 20 minute kickboxing routine. Which is fun, but that's where I can overdo it, punching and kicking at imaginary things. Plus there's some jumping in there with a 180 degree switch, that I'm not fit enough (or light enough) to accomplish, so I do a jumping jack or 3 instead, or not. I guess my workouts allow for more variance in form or exercise then a machine.

As you get more fit your heart rate won't spike as much, it will actually get harder to get it up there.

tiefighther66

When I was first starting to exercise six or seven years ago - I was really unhealthy/not fit. I had the same issue - my heart rate would spike just going at relatively slow pace on machines. What I ended up doing was switching to at-home workout videos (namely Leslie Sansone 'walk away the pounds') that were more geared towards older people even though I was in my early 20's.

These helped me exercise but keep my heart rate stable. For the first month or so my HR (according to my polar monitor) hovered around 150 to 160 but that quickly dropped down to like 120 as my heart strengthened. Once I was used to that I was able to do more vigorous cardio. I also used Fitness Blender's level 1 and 2 low impact cardio workouts to get started, then progressed in level as I became more fit.

For some perspective:

When I was 19 I weighed 260lbs. I had been overweight my entire life and was obese as a child. I weigh less now at 27 than I did when I was 13. I weighed 170ish by the time I turned 21.

I'm now around 160 (I'm 5'8") trying to get to 145-150 but I'm very active. I play roller derby and don't generally take any off-days from my workout routine. I can run/jump and do all sorts of things I never thought would be possible for me. It was just a slooooow process to get to where my heart and body can handle all the stress I put it through.

icanmovemountains

I think I will see my doctor. I predict that this problem will go away as I get more fit. But I also have an enlarged thyroid and many of the symptoms of thyroid disease, even though my test showed no abnormal thyroid levels. So its worth it to see my GP and get a second opinion on everything. Thanks for all help guys! I love this community

BrianSharpe

Seeing the doctor is probably a good idea but in general it's really common for people, early on, to try and go too fast which is probably the culprit. One of the hardest lessons many runners have to learn is to slow down and do most of their running in a low HR zone (not for fat loss but for building endurance). If your fitness is as poor as you suggest you may even be better off starting with walking at a brisk pace and then gradually introducing short, slow running intervals.

FWIW my heart rate was really high when I started running, even at what I thought was a pretty slow pace, but I've watched it steadily drop over the past 10 years. Be consistent and be patient.

The_Ta

See your doc

Focus on maintaining an easy rhythym in your cardio range for building endurance.

You should periodically push your heart rate to strengthen your heart.

But most importantly....STOP IMMEDIATELY if you have any of the warning signs : dizzy, etc.

HoneyBadger302

Seeing your doctor is not a bad idea, especially since you have no baseline for your body to compare to.

Each person is different. It's not uncommon for me, once relatively fit, to go into the 160-180 range while working out. No issues, and I recover really quickly, just spikes up during high intensity. Moderate intensity (steady state, something I can maintain over time) will be in the 130-140s.

I was higher than that when I got back to the gym a few months ago, but as my fitness increased the average started to drop during steady cardio sessions.

gillianav

Hi! I have a similar issue. I've been running (jogging) for 10 years or so. I'm 48 and at 5'6" I weigh 117lbs. My resting HR is 54, but in longer runs (5 - 10 miles) even when I plod along at 12 - 13 min miling my HR goes into my overreaching zone (147 plus). I can't go much faster anyway! It's really annoying as my perceived effort is fine: I can hold a conversation etc. HR goes back to 100s after a few mins. Currently training for 1st half marathon. All posts above really interesting, but is there anyone out there in my situation, ie. not over weight and with good resting HR but the same prob?

Melkiah

The heart rate improves over time with excercise. The resting rate will get lower and your heart rate will stabilize over longer periods of excercise duration.

Your nutrition, hydration, and rest plays a huge role in your cardiac creep.

For instance, yesterday I ran 3 miles/30minutes fasted with about a 162bpm average and a 167bpm max.

Today I ran fed and carb-loaded for 10miles/100minutes and my average heart rate was 152, with the highest heart rate being 163 towards the end.

gillianav

Thanks, that makes sense looking back over my stats.

AnnPT77

gillianav wrote: »

Hi! I have a similar issue. I've been running (jogging) for 10 years or so. I'm 48 and at 5'6" I weigh 117lbs. My resting HR is 54, but in longer runs (5 - 10 miles) even when I plod along at 12 - 13 min miling my HR goes into my overreaching zone (147 plus). I can't go much faster anyway! It's really annoying as my perceived effort is fine: I can hold a conversation etc. HR goes back to 100s after a few mins. Currently training for 1st half marathon. All posts above really interesting, but is there anyone out there in my situation, ie. not over weight and with good resting HR but the same prob?

Do you have any idea what your true max HR is, other than age-based formula estimates? For me, age 62, based on tested max of 180 and 48 resting, 148 would be upper aerobic (I see it regularly, and can talk). AT doesn't start kicking in until around 153 or so.

Maybe your max HR is simply a little higher than average for your age? (This is mostly a genetic thing, as I understand it.) RPE is honestly a pretty good training guide, for most healthy people.

spiriteagle99

I am fairly fit, averaging about 40 mpw running and another 15-20 mpw walking for the past two years. I've been a runner for 6 years and was a dedicated walker/hiker for 25 years before that. I am 61 and at a good weight (5'6, 121 lbs).

My resting HR averages about 60, so is a bit high for an athlete. When I start my runs I immediately jump to 145 or so during my warm-up. Even just walking slowly my HR is at 125 or so. Once I am running at an easy conversational pace, I'm usually around 160. I think my maximum is around 185, though I'm not sure. I did an interval workout recently and maxed out at 183 and have been around 184 on hills but I've never tested all out or worn a HRM during a 5k race so I can't be sure that actually is the maximum. I have a wrist HRM monitor and it has occasionally had me at 190 and above, but they are notoriously inaccurate.

In any case, I do have low thryoid issues. I've never heard that that affects HR before. Since I rarely have issues with dizziness etc. I don't worry about the fact that my HR isn't average. I do pay attention in the summer though, because I know heat does affect me very badly. I'll sometimes just sit in the shade to bring my HR down rather than risk passing out mid-run.