Does max heart rate matter when exercising?

EmpireBusiness
EmpireBusiness Posts: 333 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
The American Heart Association says my max heart heart should be about 190 bpm.
Various sites place the training heart range around 50-85% of max heart rate.

Question is, does the ceiling matter?

I have gotten back into running and I am pushing myself, but find my heart rate close to 190. Aside from the strain of running, I feel great. Should I care that I'm at 190?

Replies

  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    The American Heart Association says my max heart heart should be about 190 bpm.
    Various sites place the training heart range around 50-85% of max heart rate.

    Question is, does the ceiling matter?

    I have gotten back into running and I am pushing myself, but find my heart rate close to 190. Aside from the strain of running, I feel great. Should I care that I'm at 190?

    If you were a competitive athlete then it's something to monitor because some of your training would involve knowing your heart rate. For the every day person, I dunno how much it matters to be honest. It's not something I would lose sleep about.
  • Lestan48
    Lestan48 Posts: 489 Member
    I am 66 and female so max HrRt is 220-66= 154. If I am race-walking or running my HrRt goes over 110%. I am OK kust breathing hard
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    The '220 minus age' method of estimating your max HR doesn't work for a lot of people. It's better to find your own max HR using your HRM and do your percentages from there.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,042 Member
    It's an estimate for general population. Athletes and people who are very cardio fit would invariably exceed the max many times.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • EmpireBusiness
    EmpireBusiness Posts: 333 Member
    The '220 minus age' method of estimating your max HR doesn't work for a lot of people. It's better to find your own max HR using your HRM and do your percentages from there.

    But once I find it, does it really matter? I understand it matters in terms of "peak fat burning", but is it unhealthy to be at your max heart rate for say 30 minutes straight?
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    The '220 minus age' method of estimating your max HR doesn't work for a lot of people. It's better to find your own max HR using your HRM and do your percentages from there.

    But once I find it, does it really matter? I understand it matters in terms of "peak fat burning", but is it unhealthy to be at your max heart rate for say 30 minutes straight?

    That's pretty much what a 5k race is for me. Max or near max heart rate for over 20 minutes. Unless you have an underlying heath issue it won't hurt you. That's just the limit of what your heart will do. If you keep it there you're just going to be working harder than you can supply oxygen and such to your muscles. Don't worry about overdoing it. The mental challenge of staying in that zone is nearly too great to overcome.

    Generally it's better to run at a pace that you can sustain for a long period of time but for a race or a sprint workout, feel free.
  • EmpireBusiness
    EmpireBusiness Posts: 333 Member
    The '220 minus age' method of estimating your max HR doesn't work for a lot of people. It's better to find your own max HR using your HRM and do your percentages from there.

    But once I find it, does it really matter? I understand it matters in terms of "peak fat burning", but is it unhealthy to be at your max heart rate for say 30 minutes straight?

    That's pretty much what a 5k race is for me. Max or near max heart rate for over 20 minutes. Unless you have an underlying heath issue it won't hurt you. That's just the limit of what your heart will do. If you keep it there you're just going to be working harder than you can supply oxygen and such to your muscles. Don't worry about overdoing it. The mental challenge of staying in that zone is nearly too great to overcome.

    Generally it's better to run at a pace that you can sustain for a long period of time but for a race or a sprint workout, feel free.

    Awesome. Thank you!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    The '220 minus age' method of estimating your max HR doesn't work for a lot of people. It's better to find your own max HR using your HRM and do your percentages from there.

    But once I find it, does it really matter? I understand it matters in terms of "peak fat burning", but is it unhealthy to be at your max heart rate for say 30 minutes straight?
    I'd say no, it's only useful to know if you did want to watch your zones or do interval training. Mine also runs very high with running. I find it uncomfortable to keep it that high for long, though.

Categories