Heart Rate - Too High?

IThinkICan_Dejay

Background: I've been working on losing weight and getting in shape since 2018. I started at 318 pounds and lost 80 pounds and was running regularly. A year ago I ran a sub 5 hour Marathon and a few months later a sub 2 hour half. I thought I was doing great...

Then I pulled a muscle in my groin and all exercise stopped, add in over eating with frustration and I rapidly gained weight. It goes on so much easier then it comes off.....

I'm back to running and making progress again. Several times recently going up hills my heart rate has peaked at 189. I'm 44 years old so that is way over (220-44=176). When I get to the top of the hill or slow down my heart rate drops back down to the 160 range. My average heart rate for a 5 mile run today was 167 and average pace was 11:00. My overnight resting heart rate is very low in the upper 40's.

Easy answer is slow down going up the hill, but I'm running with friends who are faster then me. They are already slowing down so I can run with them. Even slower on the hill means running alone....

All heart rate data is from my Garmin watch.

QUESTION: Is a heart rate that high for a short time dangerous?

spiriteagle99

You don't know what your actual maximum HR is, since the formula doesn't apply for a lot of people, so odds are you're not even close to maximum. If you were, you wouldn't make it to the top of the hill. FWIW, I'm 63 and my average HR on many of my runs is in the mid 160s and I peak at 185+. Also wrist HR monitors are notoriously inaccurate, so your actual HR may be 10 or more BPM less that the watch is stating.

AnnPT77

How do you feel when that happens?

If asymptomatic (don't feel like heart is fluttering, beating out of chest; may be breathing hard but breathing rate's increased mostly linearly with effort; no chest pain/strain; etc.), that inclines toward believing your HRmax is higher than age estimates. If any weird symptoms or odd feelings, see your doctor sooner than later, and back off intensity until you do. If feeling OK, doctor is still the right expert (not us random internet idiots), but maybe not urgent.

I'm 64. My HRmax is around 180. 156, the 220-age estimate, is for me not even anaerobic: It's energetic but not all that draining - I visit there often . If I believed 156 was HRmax, I'd severely undertrain. Higher than age estimates is not uncommon. It's not mostly about fitness, rather genetics.

IThinkICan_Dejay

AnnPT77 wrote: »

How do you feel when that happens?

/quote]


Definatly feeling it. I can feel my heart pounding hard, breathing too hard to talk - giving 100% effort (or close to it) to keep up on the hill. But nothing I would describe as odd or weird;It's how I would expect to feel for how hard I'm pushing.

I was unaware that it is common for HR Max to be different then the 220-age rule I've read. My limited understanding was that is a recommended maximum, not necessarily the fastest your heart could beat.

I've had some less then positive experiences with doctors, in fact my experience has been that random stranger on the internet listens better and often have better advice then doctors. Too many doctors would rather do surgery or run every possible test then give advice and figure out the issue...... But I'll probably change my opinion someday when I am really sick

YellowD0gs

Might want to find another HR measurement tool, rather than just the Garmin, just to be sure. I have the Vivosmart 4, and just today it told me I was at 191 on the stationary bike. For me and my cardiac stents, that's near lethal. The bike, my cell phone and fingers-on-wrist were all about 92.

AnnPT77

IThinkICan_Dejay wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

How do you feel when that happens?

Definatly feeling it. I can feel my heart pounding hard, breathing too hard to talk - giving 100% effort (or close to it) to keep up on the hill. But nothing I would describe as odd or weird;It's how I would expect to feel for how hard I'm pushing.

I was unaware that it is common for HR Max to be different then the 220-age rule I've read. My limited understanding was that is a recommended maximum, not necessarily the fastest your heart could beat.

I've had some less then positive experiences with doctors, in fact my experience has been that random stranger on the internet listens better and often have better advice then doctors. Too many doctors would rather do surgery or run every possible test then give advice and figure out the issue...... But I'll probably change my opinion someday when I am really sick

It is usually considered not a great idea for someone to exceed age-etimated max if they have not gradually built up to that level of intensity by (1) doing some reasonable volume of lower-intensity exercise to build base fitness (weeks to months), then (2) starting to gradually work up in intensity while watching for symptoms . . . and (3) (with apologies to your preferences) it's normally suggested to get medical clearance before getting very intense.

The fact that doctors run tests is sensible in this scenario. They can't just look at you and see what your heart is doing when exercising intensely. They may simply question you about how you feel at intense exercise levels . . . or they may send you for a stress test . . . which is kind of the point, under the right circumstances. :flowerforyou:

There's no way to know whether you have a potentially life-threatening heart condition . . . without medical insight.

dewd2

While not necessarily dangerous to get close to your actual max HR (I do it nearly every Wednesday while I do my speedwork), it probably isn't a good idea if you're not already fit. Pushing that hard doesn't really help much with running or weight loss (for beginners or those starting over). It can lead to injury and should never be done without first getting the OK from a doctor.

I guess my question is what are you trying to achieve by pushing that hard?

fiddletime

I’m 65 and got to 180 doing squat jumps in a workout class last week. Since I felt fine (but out of breath) I ignored it, just like I did before we all had heart rate monitors. I’ve worked out most of my life and spin 4 days a week.

BrianSharpe

I'm 64 and, according to my Fenix 5, my HR hit 189 last week on a brick run (after a 2 hr sweet spot interval ride) so I'll be wearing a chest strap again for runs as I'm not sure I trust the wrist measurements. Don't worry about 220-age, there's no science behind it and, apparently, it was doodled on a cocktail napkin as a MaxHR for recovering heart attack patients if my urban lore is accurate.

If you're not gasping for breath and/or feeling dizzy I wouldn't worry too much. On the other hand, being dropped during a run is hardly the worst thing that can happen......our group adjusts the pace to the slowest runner.

firef1y72

I'm 48 and my hr hit 190 during a spin class a couple of weeks ago. Yes I was pushing, and pushing hard (near enough 100% effort), so it was probably near enough accurate. But it recovered quickly in the recovery intervals.
That's what my dr told me to look out for rather than how high it goes, how quickly I recover after the work intervals.

If it's new for your hr to go that high then maybe just get things checked out. If you are more experienced at high intensity (and for me at least running up hills is high intensity), then just go by how you feel and if you do need to slow down then do.

gexking

you are in the gray zone...not cardiovascular, not lactic acid training. In my humble opinion if you keep it lower, your cardio will recover faster, and you will build endurance faster. Let those guys run ahead, you are in this for you.