Heart Rate when Running

TrailerM

Hey folks,

I spoke to a Personal Trainer yesterday (it was free, at a company function). I told him about my progress I have been making with working out and jogging. He said that it sounds like I’m about to hit a plateau and that I should up my heart rate, which makes sense. It was at approx. 140 - 155 during my jogs on the treadmill.

This sounds a bit high, but he wanted me to try to hit 180, every 5 - 8 minutes. Last night, when I ran on the treadmill, I tried to hit 180 but I maxed out at 168, running at 7.5 on the treadmill for approximately 1-2 minutes a time. I simply could not make it up that high. At the 1:00 mark of running at 7.5 my lungs could not keep up and I had to slow down.

Will I eventually be able to get my HR up like he said, or is 180 an unrealistic goal. My resting heartrate is 65, if that factors in anywhere. What is your average HR when jogging?
.

GirlPower1018

I can usually get my HR up to the high 170's then I push it into the 180's because while I am runninng on the Treadmill I will punch the air in front of me like I am boxing and I will do it in tune with my feet and at first I didn't think I would be able to do it because I thought I was running to fast and I would not be able to keep up and being a blonde I was not sue I could listen to music run on the treadmil and box (JK) but it worked and I did intervals of that every other lap. My arms got a great workout and I really enjoyed it I was Crazy tired after the work out but it was Great!
Good Luck.

beckajw

Just a thought, is you HR monitor working correctly? When I can't breathe at all, my HR is usually around 180. That's pretty high (90%).

bbush18

It's hard for me to keep my heart rate below 160 when i'm working out. I'm at 170-180 for most of my run. But the minute I stop, my heart rate can drop back down 130...the more you work out, the longer you'll be able stay at your higher heart rate.

irishgal44

So are you plateaued right now or showing that your weight loss is slowing down significantly? What is your percentage of weight loss now compared to 10 or 20 lbs ago?? If it's the same percentage, I wouldn't worry about your hr so much. Just my thoughts- I'm not an expert at all. But just remember, when people are at their highest weight vs getting closer to goal weight, their lbs lost per week will be smaller numbers...but remember the % is what you should be looking at.

When you run, if you are on a treadmill, you could always run at a larger incline, which will make you work harder. Or chose hills when you are running outside. And vary it - run fast, run slower, run very fast, run at a moderate pace...this burns more calories and can change things up for you as well.

daddyzgurl

The lower your heart rate when exercising, the more in shape you are. It is rare that my heart rate reaches 180 because I run 6 days a week. You can research online how to determine you hear rate percentage based on your weight and resting heart rate. For high intensity interval training (HIIT) you want to be between 75%-85% of your max heart rate. That really is only sustainable for a short time. For steady state cardio you want to be between 65%-75% of your max heart rate. This is more sustainable long term. A mix of both types is what will break you out of your current plateau.
Good luck!

TrailerM

Yea, it seems to be right on. I checked it with my wifes HRM last night and it registered the same BPM.

Aitenev

It really depends on what your goal is. Are you trying to lose weight? Improve cardiovascular fitness? Train for endurance competition? You determine your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Then you use that number to determine your target heart rate based on what you want to accomplish.

TRAINING ZONES

Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.

Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.

Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.

Hope this helps.

AllyS7

Maybe you're in decent shape. I know the slower your HR is at rest and while working out strenuously, the more efficient your heart is at pumping oxygenated blood.

I know on my run yesterday (hill training) I got up to the high 180's and felt very out of breath and has to slow down. Usually on my long run days when I run about a half-marathon pace my HR stays in the 160's-170's.

AllyS7

It really depends on what your goal is. Are you trying to lose weight? Improve cardiovascular fitness? Train for endurance competition? You determine your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Then you use that number to determine your target heart rate based on what you want to accomplish.

TRAINING ZONES

Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.

Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.

Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for posting this! I didn't know all this information!

irishgal44

The lower your heart rate when exercising, the more in shape you are.

I agree- but all hearts are different. I have been running for 2 years and mine is higher than average. Many tests done only to find out that some people just have higher hr than others and nothing is wrong with mine. I average 170-180 when I run and I can get it up to over 200 if I run hard.

scottb81

As several others have said, it depends on your goals. If you are trying to build aerobic endurance then the vast majority of your running should be between 70-80% max heartrate. I don't run on a treadmill, but outside my heartrate averages around 138 at a 8:30 to 9:00 min/mile pace for about an hour. (Age 51 male, estimated max heartrate 177, resting heartrate 40.)

If you train consistently at 70-80% max, over time your speed will increase at the same heartrate. So, you will be able to run faster for a longer time with no real increase in effort.

Running at a very hard effort does have a benefit, but that benefit is other than increased aerobic capacity. It also makes you very tired and increases the chance of injury so that you are not able to train as much as you would be able to otherwise. Generally, very intense training should occur once a week with the rest being at 70-80%

travelsoul88

OK reading this post freaks me out.. Everyone here is talking about their HR being around 170 to 180 ...my heart rate goes up to 85 at the highest when I’m running... My resting HR seems to be around 60... This is what my treadmill is telling me at least... Wow should I Go to the Dr for this? For the people who get their HR that high what would you say your average rate is?

chrisyoung0422

I cannot go past 175 without getting light headed and what not.

At 150ish I am already sweating like a man beast wishing I had a fresh towel....

Maybe try a thermogenic supplement.....

wsheaf82

OK reading this post freaks me out.. Everyone here is talking about their HR being around 170 to 180 ...my heart rate goes up to 85 at the highest when I’m running... My resting HR seems to be around 60... This is what my treadmill is telling me at least... Wow should I Go to the Dr for this? For the people who get their HR that high what would you say your average rate is?

I think your treadmill is lying to you. Try using the manual method of finding your pulse and counting the beats for 30 seconds then multiply the number you counted by 2. Not as accurate as a good heart rate monitor but I'm sure you will see that your heart rate is higher then 85 when running.