Target heart rate and running

Le_Joy

So based on heart rate zones I *should* be exercising between 128-165ish. When I walk (even quickly) my HR is in the low 120s. If I run/jog for even 30 seconds my hr is in the 170s. Any suggestions on how to better keep my HR in the appropriate range? I am not completely sold on the HR ranges, but I am not fit enough to really want to push it and be at 90% for long amounts of time or for repeated short amounts of time every workout.

Only thing I can think of is jog slower, but I would also like to improve my 5k time and if I jog any slower than I already do it'll be about the same speed as my walking,

Di3012

So based on heart rate zones I *should* be exercising between 128-165ish. When I walk (even quickly) my HR is in the low 120s. If I run/jog for even 30 seconds my hr is in the 170s. Any suggestions on how to better keep my HR in the appropriate range? I am not completely sold on the HR ranges, but I am not fit enough to really want to push it and be at 90% for long amounts of time or for repeated short amounts of time every workout.

Only thing I can think of is jog slower, but I would also like to improve my 5k time and if I jog any slower than I already do it'll be about the same speed as my walking,

Your heartrate will gradually slow down as you get fitter.

I am like you, my heartrate tends to go through the roof actually if I am in a race, it went up to 204 bpm three months back during a 5k - hell it is not supposed to go above 170 for my age-group - when I saw it, it was nearly enough to drive me to drink!!! FWIW as soon as the "go" signal was given in that particular race, 30 seconds later I glanced at my watch to see I was already at 170bpm and there it stayed the whole damned time :frown:

Stress will push it up higher than normal, so during races it is quite likely it will be above what you get during training.

Basically though, it really is as you get fitter, it will reduce and the only way to get fitter is to push yourself that little bit more each time, therefore slowing down to try and keep your HR down is not beneficial to the bigger picture.

scottb81

You don't need to push yourself hard every time you run to improve. In fact, most of your runs should be at an easy pace, easy being defined by your current fitness level. This pace builds aerobic fitness every bit as effectively as killing yourself everytime and also allows you to run longer and more often which builds more fitness.

As a point of reference, I raced my last 5k at a 6:30 pace. Most of my training runs are between an 8:00 to 8:30 pace with a fair number of them being between a 9:30 to 10:00 pace. I only run faster than that for around 10% of my training mileage.

scottb81

Also, if you haven't been running for long I would recommend ignoring the heart rate and just run by feel - its easy if it feels easy. After a couple of months you will probably have built enough heart fitness that running by zones will be more useful.

Azdak

General heart rate "ranges" are significantly off for at least 30% of the population. You should not use heart rate alone to determine exercise intensity.

ironmanwannabe

try run/walking. when your HR gets too high walk until it comes down and then start up again. it will almost seem like interval training...

MzFury

Yeah, I like the suggestion to mix up the running and walking - I was going to suggest something similar, doing OTHER things/an in-between - squat and throw fast punches, do a few jumping jacks, go up and down stairs - you should be able to sense your appropriate exertion range more based on how you feel (...uh, somewhere in between where you are at fast walk and run!) and slow down when you're getting too out of breath, etc.

Also, 130s range could be a good place to stay. You might want to aim to see how long you can maintain fast walking - I find that this sort of thing builds and builds - if you can get to 30 or 45 minutes, keeping up a very fast pace, you'll probably find your HR creeps up as your body gets more fatigued. I get this with ice skating, for instance - feels like a piece of cake, but after more than an hour I'm up in a higher range and my coordination and balance start to flag a little (I just ice skated for the first time in probably 25 years this past winter, ha! was a blast...). Something steady but a little intense, just try to keep that up. And yeah, you could add some hand weights to that fast walk.

AZKristi

High intensity interval training will improve your conditioning and you will be able to accomplish more intense exercise before hitting your max HR. You may want to try running at a slower pace while your fitness level improves. There's no law that says your work interval can't be a quicker walk for the time being.

Also, make sure you are well hydrated. Your pulse naturally increases when the body is dehyrated (even slightly) because your blood volume decreases.

BeSophisticate

I had a similar problem and, with a family history of heart disease and heart attack, I was terrified to over do. I'm not that old, but you just never know, right?

My solution was not something that I intended but that worked fabulously. I belong to a gym and the elliptical machines are programed to automatically adjust to maintain your target heart reat. I tested the HRMs on the machine against my wearable one, and they were reading identically, so I decided the machines must be pretty accurate.

Anyway, the first time I went, I hit my target HR for cardio exercise (147 for me, btw) in about a minute lol. But the machine paced me so that I was staying pretty close to my target the full time I exercised (15 min. that first time). By about the 3rd or 4th time I went (that was somewhere into the second week), I noticed that my heart rate was improving about 2-5 beats per minute every time I ran on the elliptical! Every time I go, the machine has to ramp up to higher and higher levels to keep my heart rate on target!

It was the first result I saw, way before I lost any weight or felt any different, and that, alone, is what kept me motivated long enough to see other results, as well. :happy:

Elliptical =

Short story long, I recomend pacing yourself. If you can't run for more than a few second without your heart rate leaping, then don't. Run/walk and work your way up to it. You'll get there eventually!

sengseng74

Le_Joy is asking about running, so I'm confused why advice is being offered on jumping jacks and throwing punches. :-)
And since Le_Joy expressed an interest in working towards a 5K, I would have to disagree with another member that heart rate monitors are not important. They are VERY important, in my opinion. If you do not have one, at least take your pulse during your exercise over a 10 second period and multiply the pulses by 6 to get your BPM. The zone you find you are running in will protect you from under-working and/or overworking the body.

Di3012 had it the closest so far, in my opinion--your heart rate will come down once you get into the pattern of running/jogging/walking. If you are hitting 170 after 30secs of running, it sounds like you might still be getting into things. But the more frequently you keep at a certain workout intensity, the sooner you'll find that the same intensity produces a lower BPM, for sure.

For the beginner runner, walking for about 5 minutes and then breaking into a one minute jog (then slow down and repeat) might be a comfortable way for you to begin conditioning your body for running. As you do this every other day, you'll find that you don't get winded during your one minute jog, and you'll likely want to push for two minutes, and so on. If you keep at it, you'll find you only end up walking to "warm up" and to "cool down".

I know quite a few folks who started out this way and were quite surprised at how soon they did away with walking altogether.

Good luck, Le_Joy!

Le_Joy

Thanks everyone for the different ideas!

cheshirechic

If you're walking on a treadmill, walk at an incline. I usually hit around 165-ish when I'm walking at 4-4.5 mph at a 5.0 incline. I hope this helps!

nuttyfamily

The recommended HR is not a text book for all people. It is a guide.

My HR runs high.

On my long slow runs and I am seriously taking it easy, mine still runs higher than they recommend. If I push it on my short run to work on speed, it goes way up.

Also on my fast walks (4.3 or or so mph), it is higher than it says it should be.

I finally ditched it for running and walking.

I do use it for activities where it is harder to calculate my calories burned like zumba, etc.

Azdak

Le_Joy is asking about running, so I'm confused why advice is being offered on jumping jacks and throwing punches. :-)
And since Le_Joy expressed an interest in working towards a 5K, I would have to disagree with another member that heart rate monitors are not important. They are VERY important, in my opinion. If you do not have one, at least take your pulse during your exercise over a 10 second period and multiply the pulses by 6 to get your BPM. The zone you find you are running in will protect you from under-working and/or overworking the body.

Di3012 had it the closest so far, in my opinion--your heart rate will come down once you get into the pattern of running/jogging/walking. If you are hitting 170 after 30secs of running, it sounds like you might still be getting into things. But the more frequently you keep at a certain workout intensity, the sooner you'll find that the same intensity produces a lower BPM, for sure.

For the beginner runner, walking for about 5 minutes and then breaking into a one minute jog (then slow down and repeat) might be a comfortable way for you to begin conditioning your body for running. As you do this every other day, you'll find that you don't get winded during your one minute jog, and you'll likely want to push for two minutes, and so on. If you keep at it, you'll find you only end up walking to "warm up" and to "cool down".

I know quite a few folks who started out this way and were quite surprised at how soon they did away with walking altogether.

Good luck, Le_Joy!

The equations programmed into HRMs to estimate HRmax based on age have a standard error of estimate of about 10-12 bpm. That means that a max HR that is 36 bpm above the estimated number can still be considered "normal".

Since heart rate "zones" are based on percentages of HRmax, if HRmax is off by a significant amount, then the HRM "zone" numbers are not worth *kitten*. They will hinder the person's workout -- as in the case of the OP -- by making them feel like they need to slow down the workout to an unreasonable level.

Unless they accurately reflect one's actual intensity level, heart rate numbers --whether from an HRM or counted by hand -- are worse than useless. Too many people purchase HRMs, put them on, and then immediately start changing their workouts based on the numbers, often not understanding that those numbers might not be accurate for them.

The OP is the perfect example. She obviously has a true HR max that is higher than the age-predicted number programmed into her HRM. So it means the "zones" are not correct for her. The HRM number says she is "overworking", but, in fact, based on her reported exertion level, she is not pushing herself at all.

That is why perceived exertion is so important. You must always match the number you see on your HRM with your perceived sense of effort. If they are way off, then you have to do some work to find out your true HRmax (or close to it) and reprogram the HRM.

Again, without the appropriate physiological context, heart rate numbers are not very useful. Using an HRM as an effective tool is a learning experience and does not happen right out of the box.