My max heart rate is impossible to reach now!

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HilTri
HilTri Posts: 378 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When I first started spinning, I could get my heart rate up to 158 or so while spinning. Now, no matter the load or RPM I can only get my heart rate to 145 or so. I am really bothered by this because I am working as hard as I can but yet it won’t budge. I was recently diagnosed with aortal regergitation but was told to keep exercising like normal. I am very fit and strong. Any suggestions. Female 48 yo, 128 lbs, 5’6” approx 13% bf.
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  • FitAndLean_5738
    FitAndLean_5738 Posts: 90 Member
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    Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that reaching your maximum heart rate isn't the healthiest thing to do.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    FitAndLean_5738 wrote: »
    Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that reaching your maximum heart rate isn't the healthiest thing to do.

    If you're healthy it is not a big deal. If you have medical issues, you should check with your doctors.

    OP - How did you determine your max HR?
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    And a follow up question... How are you measuring your HR?
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    How did you determine your maximum HR?

    My experience is that 95 percent of my max is about as high as it goes other than spikes or error reading.
  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
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    I have a Garmin Fenix 5 to measure heart rate. I also wear a polar chest strap that sync’s with my spin bike. I just like to go at max effort. Maybe I am a little obsessed with it all. I take a MOi spin class which focuses on three different heart rate zones low, mod and high. I can’t get out of the mod range. I think I will make an appointment with cardiology to get more info. Thanks 777Gemma888, that was helpful.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    HilTri wrote: »
    I have a Garmin Fenix 5 to measure heart rate. I also wear a polar chest strap that sync’s with my spin bike. I just like to go at max effort. Maybe I am a little obsessed with it all. I take a MOi spin class which focuses on three different heart rate zones low, mod and high. I can’t get out of the mod range. I think I will make an appointment with cardiology to get more info. Thanks 777Gemma888, that was helpful.

    I too never reach what is supposed to be my max HR. I have MVP/MVR(mitral valve prolapse.regurgitation).my cardiologist said not to worry about reaching a target HR,as a target is just an estimate and it depends on the person.so if something gives you an estimate of 180 if you are below it thats fine and if above it as long as you dont have any side effects from it being that high then thats fine too. he said as long as you arent having any pain, dizziness,nausea,vomiting,etc then not to worry and of course know your limits.

    I dont really monitor my HR much at all when working out,I know how hard Im working by how I feel and how hard I am breathing.unless you are training for something or need to monitor your HR due to your health issue then I dont see why you should worry if you are hitting your range or not. its not going to matter much otherwise. I also notice the more fit I get the harder it is to get my HR up.
  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
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    Wow! CharlieBeans, thank you! It can ruin a work out when I can’t get my heart rate up and I guess that is all for not. I am just going to work enjoying my workouts.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    HilTri wrote: »
    I have a Garmin Fenix 5 to measure heart rate. I also wear a polar chest strap that sync’s with my spin bike. I just like to go at max effort. Maybe I am a little obsessed with it all. I take a MOi spin class which focuses on three different heart rate zones low, mod and high. I can’t get out of the mod range. I think I will make an appointment with cardiology to get more info. Thanks 777Gemma888, that was helpful.

    How did you determine what your max HR is?
  • richardpkennedy1
    richardpkennedy1 Posts: 1,890 Member
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    Why do you need to do this? Your max heart rate is whatever you get to when you're putting in 100% effort. It's not a goal
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    HilTri wrote: »
    Wow! CharlieBeans, thank you! It can ruin a work out when I can’t get my heart rate up and I guess that is all for not. I am just going to work enjoying my workouts.

    yw just do your workouts and if not having any issues then I wouldnt worry too much. I think you would know if you are overdoing it or not Im sure.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    HilTri wrote: »
    Wow! CharlieBeans, thank you! It can ruin a work out when I can’t get my heart rate up and I guess that is all for not. I am just going to work enjoying my workouts.

    oh and not to mention my hubby had a stress test done a few years ago and when he was on the treadmill they had the elevation as high as it would go and had hubby running quite fast(not sure how fast now) and they could not get his heart rate over 150 no matter how long he ran either. he has no heart issues. They tried all they could to get it to go higher than that and it didnt get any higher. hes not a runner either. The dr was shocked. hubby smokes too lol.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    If you're using an age-estimate HRmax, there's a very good chance it's inaccurate (high or low). Reaching your (actual) max heart rate is not unhealthy, as long as you've been medically cleared, and ideally have built a reasonable CV fitness base beforehand. Maximum effort (for any given activity) and maximum heart rate aren't necessarily hand and hand in sync, and the gap can vary depending on the activity being undertaken.

    The rest of this is just personal anecdote, not generalizable, just FWIW:

    I'm 63. I was (athletically) tested (by a coach) for max heart rate a few years back, got 180, which was well over my age-estimated max heart rate at the time (not self-congratuatory; it's not fitness-related, it's mostly genetics). My RPE at various HRs suggests that max is still around 180 (while HRmax tends to decline with age, it declines more slowly in active people). The 220-age estimating formula is wrong (according to research) for a very significant fraction of people.

    I had a medical stress test; they stopped the test when I got slightly over my age-estimated max, even though I had enough breath left to be arguing with them that they should let me go on. As far as that or any other testing has indicated, my CV health is fine, other than very minor calcification that showed up on CT. (As a cancer survivor, I tend to get ordered some kind of high tech scan over even pretty minor symptoms.) No contraindications to intense exercise have been imposed.

    I can reach 180bpm even now, on a rowing machine at repeated max effort (Tabata intervals, say). It isn't fun (except in a weird way); it for sure isn't sustainable. I can't do it on a spin bike, even though I spin regularly and hard (not enough body involvement to reach 180, I think). Spinning, the highest I've reached is mid 160s, about 87% (HRR method; 90% simple percentage), and I can't seem to push it higher.

    OP, unless you have a tested max, maybe your max is lower than you think. Or, maybe, given your fitness, there isn't a taxing enough effort available in spin to get you to your max. Personally, I try to visit 80-85% HRR in each spin class, and will go harder if the instructor's workout makes it reasonable, but I know I'm not likely to go beyond the 160s (the roughly 87% HRR). Maybe I just don't work hard enough . . . . :) S'allright.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    for me the highest I have ever seen was 177 and that was going all out and gasping for breath lol. I dont try to get there anymore. when I get to where Im gasping I slow down a bit.150-160 is the norm for me. at 150 I can still hold a conversation pretty well. anything higher it gets harder to talk and breathe. but again I dont normally track it as I know how hard I am working by my breathing.
  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
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    Thanks all. I had a stress test but like others said, they stopped it before I got to my max, I could still carry on a conversation. I think I will make an appointment with my Primary Care Doc just to check the box. Other than that, I will try not to worry about it and adjust my goals. Other than the number, I am happy with my fitness level, I am not training for anything. I teach spin and lift and run occasionally. I am grateful I can do that. Exercise helps me so much mentally as well as physically. Thanks for your replies.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Isn't this a pretty normal training response?

    I bet if you did something you weren't trained in/for (maybe rowing, for example?) you'd peg your HR fairly easily.
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    Another 63 year young person here with a maximum HR of about 180 bpm, self-perceived on down from 185 bpm about 5 years ago. This was determined from several running experiences including treadmill and repeated hill sprints.

    My morning resting HR low, recently, was 49 bpm.

    Point to keep in mind is that it varies by activity. Upper extremity activities will produce lower bpm before you perceive you’re at max.

    Do burpees to test or hill sprints to test, or sprints on treadmill with steep incline.

    Hal Higdon, in one of his books, shared his HR stats which were low at max effort.

    Everyone is different.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Isn't this a pretty normal training response?

    I bet if you did something you weren't trained in/for (maybe rowing, for example?) you'd peg your HR fairly easily.

    I agree with this. You muscles have adapted to the activity so they require less oxygen and your heart does not have to work as hard. What are your goals with regard to exercise? What are you trying to achieve? Striving to reach a maximum heart rate on every workout does not really make sense as a fitness goal, IMO.

    I've seen a few posts like this recently and was wondering what I was missing. If you train at something, shouldn't you expect this to happen? I've also wondered why someone would want to max out, HR, but I don't know enough about training adaptation at that intensity to really understand what, if any, meaningful benefits there are to this. Regardless, seems like a good path to burnout.

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