High Heart Rate Question

Hsanders3961

I have a naturally high heart rate (I say that, but its probably just that I have been out of shape for so long, I just dont remember having a low heart rate!) But anyways, my resting rate (in the morning) is around 90 and during the day it hovers around 110 from normal activity. When I work out, it usually goes to around 160-180. So of course, my HRM says my calorie burn is through the roof--usually about 450 for 30 minutes of exercise. I understand if this was a person with a lower heart rate, and their heart rate was that high, they probably really do burn that many calories...but since mine is already so high, am I really burning that many calories? Someone told me that if my heart is really working that hard then I probably am...but I just done know what to believe. I usually log my exercise in MFP around 100 cals or more below what my HRM says just to be on the safe side, but want to know for my sake.

Thanks for the input!

jleshko

That is a pretty high heart rate... Does your doctor have any concerns about it... Your resting heart rate should be in the 60-70 range...

Hsanders3961

I have told her and she didnt seem to worry. She said for my age (22) that heart rate wasnt a huge concern. My mom who is just 44 has already had a valve replacement and my doc knows that, but she still isnt worried about it. I am hoping it goes down as I get more in shape.

Baregravity

to answer the question, on whether you are burning that many calories. i would venture to say yes specifically because of the heart rate. it is just an energy problem... it is like stepping on the gas pedal in your car, pedal to the medal, burns more fuel.
now, the suggestion i wonder about is do you want to lower your heart rate? your heart is a muscle after all. if you keep pushing it at a lower heart rate for a longer period of time it should get stronger and thus make it more efficient and thus lower your heart rate overall. workout resting etc. some good advice on this idea can be found by researching dr phil maffetone. and his work wiht bieofeedback. good luck.

oEmmyo

I'm not sure what my resting heart rate is.. but... I just got off of the treadmill. I do a cardio type plan with this personal trainer that the treadmill has built in to it. I aim to burn 300 calories and have my heart rate stay at 160 (160 is the max heart rate for 20-30 year olds..says the treadmill graph) the whole time. After I was done, while doing the warm up, I wasn't breathing heavily and I wasn't tired and I felt rested.. it said that my heart rate was at 130. It might be totally different from your case, but that's all I know about heart rates. Lol.

walkingmag

Did you determine your maximum heart rate? Your monitor might have an instruction book that will tell you how to do that. If you can store your max HR in the monitor, it helps to determine your effort, which is a better indicator of how many calories you are burning. I'd also get a book about how to use your HR monitor. It will give you some added info about workout zones, exertion, etc.

My max HR is over 180. Just had my annual physical and my doc was not concerned. (My resting HR is pretty low though.)

I've been told that my HR monitor is not necessarily accurate for determining calories burned. Like you, I tend to under-estimate calories burned.

danielleeeee

That is a pretty high heart rate... Does your doctor have any concerns about it... Your resting heart rate should be in the 60-70 range...

Actually, anything between 60 and 100 bpm is considered a normal resting heart rate and 72 is the average.

To the original question - sorry, I have no answer!

hroush

I would assume your calories burned are probably about the same when you are working out. If you are still worried about it and you eat back your exercise calories, you could not consume them all. I would be very surprised if your heart rate didn't drop after exercising for a while. My resting heart rate is in the low 40s due to my spin classes.

bizco

Did you determine your maximum heart rate? Your monitor might have an instruction book that will tell you how to do that. If you can store your max HR in the monitor, it helps to determine your effort, which is a better indicator of how many calories you are burning. I'd also get a book about how to use your HR monitor. It will give you some added info about workout zones, exertion, etc.

I agree with this. You probably can't use the age method to determine your maximum heart rate (220-age). My HRM instructions provides two different methods to determine your maximum HR, both are activity-based. You can view HRM instruction manuals/guides online if you visit the manufacturer's website. You can then enter your true maximum HR into the HRM to get more accurate readings.

Hsanders3961

Did you determine your maximum heart rate? Your monitor might have an instruction book that will tell you how to do that. If you can store your max HR in the monitor, it helps to determine your effort, which is a better indicator of how many calories you are burning. I'd also get a book about how to use your HR monitor. It will give you some added info about workout zones, exertion, etc.

My max HR is over 180. Just had my annual physical and my doc was not concerned. (My resting HR is pretty low though.)

I've been told that my HR monitor is not necessarily accurate for determining calories burned. Like you, I tend to under-estimate calories burned.

Unfortunately, I only have the $30 HRM from Wally World. Not the greatest! But it does get an accurate HR....just dont trust the calorie readings. It does not have an option to put in anything besides weight and age. I have always heard that your max HR is 220-your age. So mine would be around 198--I dont know how accurate that formula is, but I have never had a physical where they tell me all that stuff.

bexdc

Don't believe the age method when calculating heart rate max. You just have to test it out. My resting heart rate is between 45-50 bpm. I ran a 10K and at the end, I was at 195 bpm.