Heart rate question

FitForLife81

This is probably a stupid question but I figured I would ask opinions anyway. I am 5'3" and 114lbs and while I know the smaller you are the less you burn but I was also wondering if the more you are in shape the harder to get your heart rate up?!

I am doing insanity and I have noticed that I dont burn as much as other people and I know it is due to size to some extent but I find I have to push really really hard to get my heart rate up.

I am also thinking that I need to eat more since my energy is dwindling during workouts. I am not trying to loose anymore weight. What is a good range to maintain?

FitForLife81

Oh and not sure if this is important but I am in very good shape cardio wise I run a lot (6+) miles and this is my second go at Insanity!

MissFit0101

Yes the more fit you are the harder it is to get your heart rate up! It means you are in good cardio health, and that's a good thing!

JenScud

Elite athletes often have very low resting heart rates, too. This means you are in good shape.

TheBigYin

best advice I was given regarding heart rates and training, was to get myself properly tested - have a proper maximal exertion test and assess your actual HrMax and VO2Max figures. Thing is, the figures vary due to all sorts of factors - your build, size, gender, state of fitness, how healthy you are that day, and even genetic tendencies ot high/low beating.... So - while HR data is useful as a measure of improvement etc, its not really all thad good for comparing between one person and the next... Speak to your Doctor - mine referred me to the sports science department of my local University who were happy to use me as a "Lab Rat" for a half day while giving me a thorough checkout and assessment of my Pump and Breathing kit :laugh:

Generally speaking though -

the fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be,

the more exertion it will take to make you beat faster (though that doesn't mean you'll not hit a high HRMax - just that you'll have to work harder to do it!)

and the quicker your HR will return to it's normal range as you reduce the intensity of the exercise

EMc4452

You are correct...it will be harder to raise your heart rate since you are in better cardiovascular shape than some others. The best way to couteract that is to do HIIT or just change up the types of cardio you do. The variety should help a little.

FitForLife81

So I guess the low calorie burn isnt necessarily a bad thing. I just get jealous when I see someone burn 600+ on the same video I did and I was lucky to get 200!! I do think I need to up calories. I hadnt upped them because I was maintaining at 1340 but maybe I am maintaining because it isnt enough calories?!

aussiesarah

Definitely!

My average HR and calorie burn has decreased significantly over the last few months.

I used to have a very steady average HR of 164 for a 5k run at 10kmp/h. However after losing about 28lbs and getting a lot fitter my average HR at that pace is now only about 150-155.

While it is great to be fitter, I think the unpleasant side effect is that, to get the same calorie burn for a workout, there is no option but to run faster and/or further. . . !

Fatbuster205

I agree with the others. Once upon a very long time ago I was super fit and had the same problem. I had to work incredibly hard to get my heart rate up. Be happy that you are in such good shape.

FitForLife81

Thanks I have been doing some of the HIIT workouts from Turbo fire and I do notice I get it much higher during those.