Um.. Whoa. Wore the ft4 and am concerned!!!

TaraTLC83

so I wore my spanking new ft4 for week 2 day 2 of couch to 5k.

I did my warm up of brisk walking and my hr went right up to 130. I started onto my first jog and my hr went immediately up to 185. This didn't bother me, but my sister was with me and she exclaimed that that was not normal nor healthy. She made me slow down to no higher than 165 which put me at a walking pace. The pace I normally walk at when I'm at the mall. I tried jogging again, right back up to 185. So, I scratched the c25k and walked.

It was pointless exercise. I felt like I was doing nothing. I didn't break a sweat I wasn't tired but the ft4 insists that was my hr. I followed all instructions on te monitor.

Has this happened to anyone else? Was the monitor accurate? Is my hr actually that stupid? I'm only 27 years old.

Any comments Are Appreciated.

leomom72

i have the ft4 as well..make sure all your user info is correct..i know there also is a feature to set your h.r in between XXX# and YYY#..i cant remember how to do it tho..i set it a good long time ago..best of luck

DrBorkBork

That doesn't sound right at all. I would try to reconfigure your settings. There should be instructions in the manual on how to do that (reset the watch completely so you can re-enter your height, weight, etc)

spammyanna

I don't think that 185 is too high, it just means you are working hard.

Refer to this chart: http://zone1.metabodiquesdnbh.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/target-heart-rate-for-weight-loss.jpg

As you run more, your body won't have to work as hard to keep up the pace and your heart rate will go down. Mine goes up into the 170's when I run in the morning, and it doesn't feel like I am going to keel over and die.

This website really helped me understand heart rates too:

http://correct-weight-loss.net/2011/06/10/target-heart-rate-for-weight-loss/

allenlisa

Mines not that bad. I max in the mid 180's at a full jog. Fast walking only get's me a little over 110ish

GymRatRaceRunner

My heart rate had been jumping up to 180-185 when running on the treadmill for well over the last month. Tonight, after running 5 miles at a 7MPH pace, my heart rate was steady at 137-140. I think my body is finally getting a clue... lol

I was attempting to run a 10k, but I ran out of time (had to give up the machine). My normal 5k pace is 9MPH. At that pace, I'm still in the 180's yet. But I feel good doing it...

jillybeanruns

Unless you have a heart condition and are under doctor's orders to not exceed a certain HR, then ignore the advice of your sister.

I'm fit and currently training for my first marathon. My resting HR is between 47 and 52 and I hit the 190s during a race or when I'm sprinting. For most of my runs, my average heart rate is between 160 and 170 though.

jenilla1

You could always try timing your heartrate the old-fashioned way to check and see if your monitor is accurate. Find your pulse and either set a stopwatch for 15 seconds or watch the second hand of a watch then times it by 4. 165 for walking seems crazy. Hopefully it's your monitor screwing up. :flowerforyou:

dad106

Yea.. your sister is not right at all. Your max heart rate should be around 193.. so 185 while it is high, isn't that awful. If you didn't feel fatigued or like you were pushing yourself, then 185 is fine.. unless your getting dizzy or something, then I would stop.

Was it really warm out or something? That can make a heart rate shoot up. Also since your running/jogging, I would suggest that your heart rate could actually be that high considering running is a pretty intense cardio activity. My heart rate hovers around there when I walk on the trreadmill at an incline. and so far I haven't expired.

TooFatToFit

I will not put my hands on the heart rate sensors at the gym for that reason. They beep and warn me heart rate is too high, but I feel fine (well, except that I'm busting my butt!) That sensor beeping is kinda scary though. I talked to my doctor about it and she checked me out, so I guess I just have a higher than average heart rate. I'm hoping that will work itself out as I get healthier. The doctor said if I really should be scared, I'll feel it...lightheaded or pain or something.

SueInAz

I'm a bit older, and I "run" at around 5.5 to 6 MPH. My HR gets to 175ish during my runs. I usually run for 3 minutes then walk for 1. During the one minute I walk, my HR usually drops into the 150s. The recovery time is very important, so if yours is dropping fast when you stop running, and the high HR isn't bothering you, don't worry about it. It'll probably decrease as you get more fit.

gumpg1

Listen to your body not the HRM. You need a stress test to find your real maximum. The 220 minus age number that is out there is a very safe estimate. If you went by those numbers every elite athlete would be in big trouble. I do interval training and my average HR for a 65 min workout is in the low 150's but while I am working my hard intervals it gets to the mid 180's very often and normal maxes at the low 200's. If you chest hurts or you get light headed you are working out to hard. As you jog more I think you will find that your HR will start to come down.

TaraTLC83

Listen to your body not the HRM. You need a stress test to find your real maximum. The 220 minus age number that is out there is a very safe estimate. If you went by those numbers every elite athlete would be in big trouble. I do interval training and my average HR for a 65 min workout is in the low 150's but while I am working my hard intervals it gets to the mid 180's very often and normal maxes at the low 200's. If you chest hurts or you get light headed you are working out to hard. As you jog more I think you will find that your HR will start to come down.

Pretty much exactly what the physician said. I was also told to increase my water and caloric intake. He said that 1320 calories for me is far too low.

Thanks for all of your input! I feel much better now and won't stress while pushing it. I feel like todays workout was a waste.. but it wasn't. The FT4 said i burned 400ish calories even though I was taking it "easy".

Thanks again!

Azdak

Listen to your body not the HRM. You need a stress test to find your real maximum. The 220 minus age number that is out there is a very safe estimate. If you went by those numbers every elite athlete would be in big trouble. I do interval training and my average HR for a 65 min workout is in the low 150's but while I am working my hard intervals it gets to the mid 180's very often and normal maxes at the low 200's. If you chest hurts or you get light headed you are working out to hard. As you jog more I think you will find that your HR will start to come down.

Pretty much exactly what the physician said. I was also told to increase my water and caloric intake. He said that 1320 calories for me is far too low.

Thanks for all of your input! I feel much better now and won't stress while pushing it. I feel like todays workout was a waste.. but it wasn't. The FT4 said i burned 400ish calories even though I was taking it "easy".

Thanks again!

Keep in mind that the same "elevated" heart rate that everyone is talking notice of will also significantly OVERestimate your calorie burn unless you manually change your HRmax. Right now, the Polar thinks you max HR is 193, so when you are in the 180s it thinks you are working almost at your max. Since you don't know your true max, I would put it in the 205-210 range.

TaraTLC83

Keep in mind that the same "elevated" heart rate that everyone is talking notice of will also significantly OVERestimate your calorie burn unless you manually change your HRmax. Right now, the Polar thinks you max HR is 193, so when you are in the 180s it thinks you are working almost at your max. Since you don't know your true max, I would put it in the 205-210 range.

How do I determine my "true" max heart rate?

What should I set my min to?

lvfunandfit

If your heart rate gets high and recover at a reasonable rate then it's cause for concern.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/203833-the-acceptable-recovery-for-a-heart-rate-level-five-minutes-after-exercising/