Heart rate ?

Nyranee

Hello All,

I recently started going to the gym and mainly walk or do some yoga classes. I am still very unfit but start seing that my heart rate isn't that high with walking now that I do this the thirt week. However I am really insecure with monitoring my heart rate as I just don't know what would be the maximum peaks I can have when I include some jogging in my walking routine.

Currently within a few seconds my heart rate goes up to around 160 and I then slow down again to around 130. I would like to know what would be ok to reach in such an interval ? 160 or 170 or even higher ?

I would like to gain some endurance and just a stronger heart with walking / jogging intervalls, and maybe one day I can jogg for a longer time.

Thanks for your advise.

Nyra

georgie_lou

My heart rate does that...When I do interval training (running and walking on a treadmill mainly) it spikes often. I'm told this will decrease the fitter I get

Nyranee

But how much peaking is aceptable, not dangerous ?

I would like to increase the jogging time but currently I slow once I reach that high... not sure if I should push it and increase the heart rate further?

georgie_lou

Mine jumps from 90 to 140 om a matter of a minute. Apparently this is ok. I wondered about it as you are and asked sa trainer at the gym

Nyranee

you see that sounds normal for me.

I am around 128 when I walk 5.3 and once I run around 6.5 it jumps to 160+ so I slow down after few seconds.

Kirkajuice

If I work hard, mine goes to around 184, but I never keep it there for long and it just goes back down again within a minute.

Nyranee

Ok so I guess I will try to push a bit more and see how I feel then and how fast it slows back to normal after.

KarenJanine

Mine is always really high, usually between 170 and 180 when doing intensive cardio and it will stay up there for the duration but I recover really quickly afterwards and it comes straight down when I stop. It's just the way I've always been. Everyone is different so it's what's 'normal' for you that counts.

Nyranee

Thank you this makes me feel more normal. I will give it a brave try and push a bit longer

georgie_lou

If you feel lightheaded or faint or like you're gonna vomit slow down lol

Nyranee

Will definetly slow down then :laugh: Iam over careful when it comes to this, guess that's why I am so scared to play with the heart rate.

I will let you know how it goes after the gym tonight.

bradphil87

I think that before anything serious happens your normally will pass out or faint. It's sort of like the body's way of getting itself back to normal. It can be very scary and really embarrassing but, often times not serious. That being said, you certainly don't want that to happen!! I usually like to work out at about double my resting rate. (which means I usually work out at 140, give or take 5-10 is just fine for me) It doesn't tax me too much and I still sweat a good amount

Nyranee

I so not want to faint !

Will try to push it by time and not go over 170 spikes and then I see how I go with this.

Should be able to tell tonight how it felt.

Thank you all for your advise.

paulwgun

Your MHR is around 189 BPM

226 - your age 37 = 189

for men its 220 - age

My max is 171 and im hitting 164/165 in an intense spin class

Pebble321

Your MHR is around 189 BPM

226 - your age 37 = 189

for men its 220 - age

Yup, these numbers are a good guide to start with. Unless you have any medical concerns (in which case you should see your doctor) don't worry too much until you get up near the maximum range. Be aware of how your body is responding and slow down if you feel faint etc, but don't go slower just because of what the numbers say, be guided by your body and what you can do.

Also, be aware that these numbers are very rubbery - your maximum may in fact be quite a bit higher of lower - you'll know when you get to a point that you can't continue! (According to this formula my max heart rate should be 181, but my heart rate monitor has recorded numbers over 200 enough times to make me think that it's not an error.)

yksdoris

I does stabilize a lot as you get fitter; overall the healthy heart rate depends on your age and general frame (for humans there's not that much variance but for example an elephant's resting heart rate is 28 and a mouse's 500 beats per minute); so basicaly a teenager will have a faster heart rate than a fully grown person.

Anyways, when I first started working out I was really out of shape, I'd get up to 180-185 and stay there which supposedly isn't that healthy but it didn't feel any differentfrom 170 and I felt like I could still push myself. Now though, it generally stays between 160 to 180 even when I'm really really pushing (intervals).

Nyranee

Your MHR is around 189 BPM

226 - your age 37 = 189

for men its 220 - age

My max is 171 and im hitting 164/165 in an intense spin class

Great THANK you ! That's the information I was looking for.

Nyranee

Your MHR is around 189 BPM

226 - your age 37 = 189

for men its 220 - age

Yup, these numbers are a good guide to start with. Unless you have any medical concerns (in which case you should see your doctor) don't worry too much until you get up near the maximum range. Be aware of how your body is responding and slow down if you feel faint etc, but don't go slower just because of what the numbers say, be guided by your body and what you can do.

Also, be aware that these numbers are very rubbery - your maximum may in fact be quite a bit higher of lower - you'll know when you get to a point that you can't continue! (According to this formula my max heart rate should be 181, but my heart rate monitor has recorded numbers over 200 enough times to make me think that it's not an error.)

Thank you very much for this detailed response. I will need to learn to listen to my body needs. Guess I didn't listen so long nad that's what caused my overweight and undermovement. That's why I need some numbers to reassure I am not risking anything.

I will try today to push to a higher range and weill record how I feel and how long I lasted etc.

Nyranee

I does stabilize a lot as you get fitter; overall the healthy heart rate depends on your age and general frame (for humans there's not that much variance but for example an elephant's resting heart rate is 28 and a mouse's 500 beats per minute); so basicaly a teenager will have a faster heart rate than a fully grown person.

Anyways, when I first started working out I was really out of shape, I'd get up to 180-185 and stay there which supposedly isn't that healthy but it didn't feel any differentfrom 170 and I felt like I could still push myself. Now though, it generally stays between 160 to 180 even when I'm really really pushing (intervals).

That sounds like your body learned to perform in that range. How long did it approx take you to have a healthier range permanently?

handle123

great post i asked the same question yesterday. mine peaked at 192 bpm on Sunday at the gym, i was doing interval training on the cross trainer this is the highest its ever gone that ive noticed.

Ive bought a heart rate monitor so i can track it a bit better.

mutineer33

Hi -- actually this is my first time posting -- although I have been on this site since April. I am a huge believer in heart rate based fitness.

I would not worry too much about individual one or two second spikes too much as monitors can sometimes make an inaccurate read -- better to trust your body.

What you want to do is find your "comfort zone" for sustainable exercises. This is a rate where you are likely sweating profusely and breathing hard enough that you find it difficult but not impossible to hold a conversation. It may take a week or two to find that zone if first starting out because your fitness level is poor and ANY exercise is going to be challenging; but, fight through it and your body will figure it out and adapt.

Typically the maximum heart rate is 220 - your age. So say if you are age 40, your maximum target heart rate would be 180 (220-40)

I am assuming you are not a triathlete or something but rather an average person trying to lose weight. In this case, and VERY IMPORTANTLY, this should NOT be your target hear rate for weight loss as it is unlikely to be sustainable nor for that matter even healthy in some cases.

Typically what you want is to be exercising consistently with a "zone" that is 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate and sustain your rate within that zone for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, and longer if you can. So for a 40 year old this would be a range of 108 to 126. Where possible you can push your rate up to 80% of maximum for 5 to 10 minutes (if you can) so maybe up to 144 in shorter bursts.

I personally try to do one hour of cardio at 65% to 70% but mix in one or two 5 minute challenges to bump it up to 80% -- sort of like jogging but adding some sprints to your jog.

There are several excellent heart rate monitors out there and i would recommend them as heart rate monitoring is also an excellent predictor of calories being burned.

These are just indicators only so you need to listen to your body.

I am pretty knowledgeable about fitness having dropped 25kg (about 55 pounds) over the past year but I am not a health or fitness pro. Of course you should get your heart checked by your doctor before doing anything to intense.

Good Luck!

Nyranee

great post i asked the same question yesterday. mine peaked at 192 bpm on Sunday at the gym, i was doing interval training on the cross trainer this is the highest its ever gone that ive noticed.

Ive bought a heart rate monitor so i can track it a bit better.

Yes, got my heart monitor as well mainly to track calories burned but I needed to know what's the max I can go... will play with the numbers in a higher range now.

Nyranee

Hi -- actually this is my first time posting -- although I have been on this site since April. I am a huge believer in heart rate based fitness.

I would not worry too much about individual one or two second spikes too much as monitors can sometimes make an inaccurate read -- better to trust your body.

What you want to do is find your "comfort zone" for sustainable exercises. This is a rate where you are likely sweating profusely and breathing hard enough that you find it difficult but not impossible to hold a conversation. It may take a week or two to find that zone if first starting out because your fitness level is poor and ANY exercise is going to be challenging; but, fight through it and your body will figure it out and adapt.

Typically the maximum heart rate is 220 - your age. So say if you are age 40, your maximum target heart rate would be 180 (220-40)

I am assuming you are not a triathlete or something but rather an average person trying to lose weight. In this case, and VERY IMPORTANTLY, this should NOT be your target hear rate for weight loss as it is unlikely to be sustainable nor for that matter even healthy in some cases.

Typically what you want is to be exercising consistently with a "zone" that is 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate and sustain your rate within that zone for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, and longer if you can. So for a 40 year old this would be a range of 108 to 126. Where possible you can push your rate up to 80% of maximum for 5 to 10 minutes (if you can) so maybe up to 144 in shorter bursts.

I personally try to do one hour of cardio at 65% to 70% but mix in one or two 5 minute challenges to bump it up to 80% -- sort of like jogging but adding some sprints to your jog.

There are several excellent heart rate monitors out there and i would recommend them as heart rate monitoring is also an excellent predictor of calories being burned.

These are just indicators only so you need to listen to your body.

I am pretty knowledgeable about fitness having dropped 25kg (about 55 pounds) over the past year but I am not a health or fitness pro. Of course you should get your heart checked by your doctor before doing anything to intense.

Good Luck!

Thank you for this detailed reply.

a previous poster recommended 189 as my max heartrate:


"Your MHR is around 189 BPM

226 - your age 37 = 189

for men its 220 - age "

So if I combine that with your information I should be around the following numbers:

65% to 70% out of 189 = 122 - 132
80% out of 189 = 151

I reach higher as I am THAT unfit so I will more likely look at spikes of 170 (90%) ...

Again I walk most of the time in the 65-70% range but if I start running for a minute my heart rate goes more in the 85-90% range at the moment.

Will try that for a while and see how my heart rate adjusts after getting fitter.

Ah... I got my heart checked last week as I went very high but doctor says it's all ok heart wise but my thyroid medicine needs to be lower as that could increase the heart rate as well. So I reduced that but it takes a few weeks to adjust. so till then I try to train within non-critical ranges.

mutineer33

Those calculations seem about right. Don't get too discouraged if you have a lot of difficulties starting out as your body needs to adjust to the new effort you are forcing upon it. In my case (A year and 25 kg ago) I could barely do 15 minutes on my elliptical trainer before feeling exhausted because my heart was working so hard. Over a period of two weeks I adjusted to it, and later pushed to 20 minutes, then 30, 45, then 60. After 6 months the ellyptical trainer had gotten too easy for me as my body had adjusted to it that I was even having a hard time reaching the 65% target threshold ---- so I had to move on and find more challenging exercises

It is a normal process to go through -- you just need to be determined and consistent in your effort (minimum 3 or 4 times a week) so your body can adjust..

Nyranee

Those calculations seem about right. Don't get too discouraged if you have a lot of difficulties starting out as your body needs to adjust to the new effort you are forcing upon it. In my case (A year and 25 kg ago) I could barely do 15 minutes on my elliptical trainer before feeling exhausted because my heart was working so hard. Over a period of two weeks I adjusted to it, and later pushed to 20 minutes, then 30, 45, then 60. After 6 months the ellyptical trainer had gotten too easy for me as my body had adjusted to it that I was even having a hard time reaching the 65% target threshold ---- so I had to move on and find more challenging exercises

It is a normal process to go through -- you just need to be determined and consistent in your effort (minimum 3 or 4 times a week) so your body can adjust..

Thank you for these encouraging words mutineer33. I often expect too much in too short time so this post is of great help to remind me to just give things the time they need.

Jennvandemark

when I am doing intervals my average heart rate is around 145 but when i really push it I can hit 168-170 but it does come back down in about a min. When I first started working out it didn't take much for me to reach 168 but now that I am getting fitter it takes a whole lot of effort to reach 168.

2hobbit1

Check out the WebMD site and calculator, It has a lot of good info!

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/healthtool-target-heart-rate-calculator

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Nyranee

when I am doing intervals my average heart rate is around 145 but when i really push it I can hit 168-170 but it does come back down in about a min. When I first started working out it didn't take much for me to reach 168 but now that I am getting fitter it takes a whole lot of effort to reach 168.

Hope to become fitter soon too.

Nyranee

Check out the WebMD site and calculator, It has a lot of good info!

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/healthtool-target-heart-rate-calculator

===

Thank you will look around there.

mutineer33

Apparently we cannot edit our posts here so I wanted to update with a bit more detail and clarification from my first post.

Typically the maximum heart rate is 220 - your age. So say if you are age 40, your maximum target heart rate would be 180 (220-40)

I am assuming you are not a triathlete or something but rather an average person trying to lose weight. In this case, and VERY IMPORTANTLY, this should NOT be your target heart rate for weight loss as it is unlikely to be sustainable nor for that matter even healthy in some cases.

Typically what you want for weight loss is to be exercising consistently with a "zone" that is 70% to 80% (light exercise like walking should be 60% to 70%) of your maximum heart rate and sustain your rate within that zone for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, and longer if you can. So for a 40 year old this would be a range of 108 to 126 for walking or other light exercises but 126-144 for real "cardio" . Where possible you can push your rate above the 80% of maximum for 5 to 10 minutes (if you can) so maybe up to 160+ in shorter bursts.

I personally try to do one hour of cardio at 65% to 75% but mix in one or two 5 minute challenges to get out of my comfort zone -- sort of like jogging but adding some sprints to your jog.

yksdoris

I does stabilize a lot as you get fitter; overall the healthy heart rate depends on your age and general frame (for humans there's not that much variance but for example an elephant's resting heart rate is 28 and a mouse's 500 beats per minute); so basicaly a teenager will have a faster heart rate than a fully grown person.

Anyways, when I first started working out I was really out of shape, I'd get up to 180-185 and stay there which supposedly isn't that healthy but it didn't feel any differentfrom 170 and I felt like I could still push myself. Now though, it generally stays between 160 to 180 even when I'm really really pushing (intervals).

That sounds like your body learned to perform in that range. How long did it approx take you to have a healthier range permanently?

The biggest breakthrough was interval training: before that I'd kind of crawl very slowly up the stamina incline but with intervals it stabilized within about a month.

Though, for the past maybe... 3-4 months I've been doing very minimal pure cardio, just enough to warm up and then the rest of the workout is strength training (but, with max 35 second breaks inbetween sets, so it keeps my heartrate up) and I'm seeing that the cardio heartrate has not suffered at all, if anything it's gotten better.

Edited to add: my brother is one of those annoyingly fit people, he's always been into sports and has a degree in physiotherapy; according to him one of the things that indicates how "in shape" you are is not only how high (or rather, how low) your heartrate spikes when you're really pushing it but also how fast it declines to normal again once you stop pushing. That's probably why the intervals are so effective: they repeatedly force your heartrate up, then down, then up then down.