A heart rate concern

SparksFly460

I have come across a slight disturbance concerning my heart rate.

Over the years (through running XC in high school) I found myself feeling as if my heart was literally going to explode. I pretty much ignored it and only quit running after a knee injury. Recently I have picked running back up again....a short while after I hit mile number 2 yesterday, my HRM went off...my heart rate was at 201. I was shocked. I have never seen it go above 192/195 whether I was running or on a cardio machine. Seconds before my watch went off I start feeling the all too familiar "heart exploding sensations." During workouts I usual find myself in the mid 180s....I hit the 190s when I'm really pushing myself for a good sweat-out.

I am planning on going to see my physician about this.

I heard that for cardio work outs I should be around 165 (80%) or so...but I figured hitting the low 190s was just normal for me. However 201 seems frighteningly high.

Should I be concerned and tone down my workouts? Is anyone else experiencing this? What is your max HR during cardio?

kathleennf

IMO you should be VERY careful with your workouts until you get checked out by your doctor.

brucedelaney

Based on the standard HR calculation of 220 - Age = 100% with you being 23 that's 197, I'd say you should probably tone it back some... you'll find as you continue to condition your heart rate will come down allowing you to intensify your workouts safely.

CraftyGirl4

I have a heart murmur and a heart arrythmia so I have the same problem you have sometimes. Neither of these conditions are life-threatening so I can do anything I want. My doc just told me to stop anytime I have chest pain (which is a good rule of thumb for anyone really).

Azdak

It's not a question of "max heart rate". Under normal circumstances, with a healthy heart and no underlying problems, max HR is what it is. For someone your age, a max HR of 201 is not, by itself, evidence of a problem.

However, in your case, the report of feeling like an "exploding heart" COULD BE a sign of a more significant condition. It's the symptoms that are more significant and definitely indicate following up with your physician. In the meantime, it is not a bad idea to stay below that threshold.

ruffledviolet

My max HR seems to be around the 180s. I think I may have been 190+ once. I just turned 21.

Is your username after a Taylor Swift song? I love that song.

SparksFly460

TY Kathleen, Bruce & azdak.

Crafty; I had a heart murmur through out my childhood....which seemed to 'disappear' as I I hit my teenage years. Never have I been diagnosed with an arrythmia

SparksFly460

Is your username after a Taylor Swift song? I love that song.

Nope, but now I'm curious. I'll have to look into it.

otr12

My heart does the same thing so I asked my dr. She ran some tests and found nothing wrong with my heart. But she told me I shouldn't let it go over 170bpm anymore. Etremely irritating because I like fast! It's going to be several months until I can run fast without my heart breaking that 170bpm.

ruffledviolet

Is your username after a Taylor Swift song? I love that song.

Nope, but now I'm curious. I'll have to look into it.

Aww okay. Let me know, now I'm curious to find out if you like it haha. It's cool if you don't of course.

Balanced_Life

I'm glad that you're going to have a doctor check this out! Having a heart rate that high during your workout is definitely a concern.

My heart rate during my workout is typically ~138, which is ~80% of my max heart rate of 174 (= 220 - age = 200 - 46).

My resting heart rate is ~56 BPM.