Exercising close to max HR

tappae

I've always had a high heart rate while running, even at longer distances (usually around 170 the whole way). This year, I've intentionally started trying to run with a lower heart rate (around 140). At first, I could only barely jog and my heart rate would get over that. I would have to take walking breaks. As I've kept at it, though, I've been able to go faster and faster without any increase in perceived effort. Today, I ran 6 miles in under 58 minutes (pushing a 35+ pound stroller) and my heart rate was 132 when I stopped. 6 months ago I couldn't have done that time at all with the stroller. Today I was never even out of breath. Obviously, I don't know you, so I don't know for sure, but it may be that your will power is stronger than your cardiovascular system.

imkegoal

This one caught my attention as I am also always in the high.
When running I go as high as 198- even when I was 20.
I do feel like I have a good work out, but don't feel like I am truly pushing my limits. But, well; I don't see the point in exercising without working up a sweat!
I have been asked if I was Ok by gym instructors before because my head goes bright red. My dad and Sister have exactly the same problem. It doesn't stop any of us in staying active. Should it?
What I have noticed is that I tend to get a head ache after exercising in the gym. This has resulted in me taking it a little easier. I don't have that when I give it my most when out cycling or doing other sports....

Azdak

There is a wide range of "normal" when it comes to maximum heart rates. When the age-prediction formulas were developed, everyone paid attention to the "220-Age" part, and ignored the "standard of error is 10-12 beats/min" part. That means that one can have an actual max HR of 30+ beats/min higher than the "age-predicted" formula and still be in the "normal" range.

There are some conditions under which a very high exercise heart rate can reflect an underlying problem, but those are usually characterized by a sudden and sustained increased that does not change when exertion is stopped or lowered, or by symptoms such as dizziness, inappropriate shortness of breath, lightheadedness, or chest pain.

Heart rates by themselves out of context are normally not all that meaningful. One of the down sides of HRMs is that, without a fundamental understanding of exercise physiology, they can cause unnecessary concern for users when they see unexpected numbers.

Azdak

How old are you? How are you measuring your HR? With a chest strap or wrist device or some other way? It sounds like you are above the "normal" range, but I have heard that HR can vary a lot. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

I am 34, 5'8" and I am using a Polar F7 watch and chest strap to measure my HR. I guess I'm just wondering if others are experiencing the same 'high' HR... The only time I feel like I"m going to pass out is when I hit 192 for 30+ seconds, but I can usually manage to stay at 168-178 for a full 45 minutes and feel like I've had a really great workout.

Hitting 150 is like a warm up for me. It sounds crazy and I was considering going to the DR to chat about it, but thought I'd get everyone's thoughts and sound somewhat educated and informed before I went asking questions. :P

The doctor will know your physical history and so might know if there is some underlying physical issue (unlikely), but when it comes to exercise heart rate in general, I doubt that he or she will have much to offer.

wombat94

I'm 43, so my 220-age would indicate a max hr of 177... A 90% level... Something that would theoretically only be able to be maintained for a few minutes would be 160.

My max recorded hr (with a chest strap hrm) had been about 215 with no ill effects.

Also, my hr is in the mid 160 s almost immediately when I start running and I can run for literally hours on end. I ran a half marathon a couple of weeks ago and AVERAGED 175 for the race.

All of this is to say that the 220-hr formula has SO much variation as to be almost useless.

JezzD1

Thanks, yea I used the calculations one of the other posters replied and my heart rate is 194 so now I have a new number to aim for :bigsmile: thanks Ladies!!:flowerforyou:

scorpio516

How old are you? How are you measuring your HR? With a chest strap or wrist device or some other way? It sounds like you are above the "normal" range, but I have heard that HR can vary a lot. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

I am 34, 5'8" and I am using a Polar F7 watch and chest strap to measure my HR. I guess I'm just wondering if others are experiencing the same 'high' HR... The only time I feel like I"m going to pass out is when I hit 192 for 30+ seconds, but I can usually manage to stay at 168-178 for a full 45 minutes and feel like I've had a really great workout.

Hitting 150 is like a warm up for me. It sounds crazy and I was considering going to the DR to chat about it, but thought I'd get everyone's thoughts and sound somewhat educated and informed before I went asking questions. :P

If you can hold ~175 for 45 minutes to an hour, more than likely, thats your LTHR - lactic threshold. Using the traditional "zones", LTHR is the break between Z4 and Z5, so if your all into training by HR zone, go from that.

Karmarie24

You may have a higher heart rate, everyone is different, and the 220 - age formula is very generic and is quite wrong for some people. You may be able to go for long periods of time in a high heart rate zone, and yes you burn more calories in that time because your heart rate is higher, but that shouldn't be every workout every time.

I've had my heart rate zones figured out by my trainer. My resting is low, 37 and my max is 182. If I want to burn mostly fat I have to keep my heart rate around 145. If I get into the 150's and above I'm burning sugar too, and the higher my heart rate gets the less fat I burn and more sugar.

I used to go all out all the time, and I got burned out and still was pretty flabby. By doing 3 workouts a week in my fat burning zones, and 3 workouts above that, I have really decreased my body fat percentage.

sammyneb

I don't have solutions, or answers, but can tell you that you are not alone. I have been running now for a little over a year, ran a half marathon in May and have run several races since. I got a heart rate monitor this summer and noticed my heart rate was steadily around 170 when I would run. I could still talk and such, so I wasn't about to die but it did make me worry. I even went to the dr. and basically everything is normal (they did a CAT scan and I had a holitor monitor on for 24 hours, nothing showed up that concerned the dr.). I have a normal/low resting heart rate of 59. I think everyone is just different, if you feel fine I wouldn't worry to much about your heart rate. I have pretty much just stopped wearing my heart monitor. If I feel I'm going to fast, I just slow down

Good to know, and thanks for your reply! I was considering going to the DR too. I am curious what my resting HR is. I just thought that BY NOW it would go down from exercise because my body is used to the high intensity workouts. Guess not! lol!

The best way to find your resting heart rate..is wear you heart rate monitor to bed, and first thing you do when you wake up (before you get out of bed) check your heart ate, it is the closest you are going to get

lisamichelle123

I use a HRM. I consider myself a fit cyclist, and spin/cycle 10+ hours a week, doing HIIT. I completed a 90km (half-ironman - 56ish miles) race in 3hours today, averaging 176bpm with a max of 199bpm. My resting heart rate is usually about 48bpm, and rarely goes above about 54bpm. Also, I will drop from a high intensity interval bpm up near 200 (I can hit 210-220 if I reeeeeally push) to about 130 within 30-60secs. As you get fitter, you can push higher heart rates but the tell-tale signs of increased fitness are a faster reduction in heart rate after hard work, and a lower resting heart rate.

steffanyjames

Have you considered a ramp test? They are relatively inexpensive and will give you a lot of useful data.

I haven't.. but I will, thank you!

steffanyjames

My heart rate is very similar to yours - everyone has a different peak rate. I am healthy - low blood pressure, good cholesterol, 5'2, 100 lbs. I exercise everyday. My resting heart rate is in the 60s. I have a friend, in great shape, who has to work hard to get her heart rate to 150 - 150 is a comfortable jog for me - 180's when I am running fast. I adjust my heart rate monitor for peak heart rate - and so does she - we get the same caloric burn. I have no idea if this helps you out - but if you feel healthy & good don't worry. I freak out when my HRM reads zero!! lol

Thanks Freda! Appreciate it!

steffanyjames

I've always had a high heart rate while running, even at longer distances (usually around 170 the whole way). This year, I've intentionally started trying to run with a lower heart rate (around 140). At first, I could only barely jog and my heart rate would get over that. I would have to take walking breaks. As I've kept at it, though, I've been able to go faster and faster without any increase in perceived effort. Today, I ran 6 miles in under 58 minutes (pushing a 35+ pound stroller) and my heart rate was 132 when I stopped. 6 months ago I couldn't have done that time at all with the stroller. Today I was never even out of breath. Obviously, I don't know you, so I don't know for sure, but it may be that your will power is stronger than your cardiovascular system.

Good call.. yeah I see what you're saying. I think I need to tone it down a bit and focus on working out with a lower HR and see if I can increase speed etc w/o increasing perceived effort. Apprecite your reply, thanks so much!

lovechicagobears

No real answers, but I too am in the high HR boat. I use a Polar FT4 and consistently have a heart rate in the 170's when working out no problem. I get into the mid 180's for briefer periods, but don't last more than a couple minutes there. My true resting HR is 60-70's, but it jumps up over 100 quite easily. I'm a nurse, and honestly don't worry too much about it. I think as long as you can tolerate it and it returns to a lower rate easily with rest, not an issue!

Thanks for your response. I wondered about this too, since I get up to 175-185 on the elliptical if I push it, but my resting heart rate is 74. This makes me feel better. I don't stay there for very long, just a few minutes, and my heart rate comes down to 100-110 after a minute or so (if I'm sitting and not walking around).

midschool22

I don't go by the 220 formula. That means me and Lance Armstrong have the same max HR (minus any EPO / blood doping...allegedly). I have hit over 200 on climbs and lived. LOL.

samlankford

my resting heart rate is pretty low, 60-65... Now when I am doing Insanity or the Asylum each circuit will have my heart rate between 170-190... but it drops fast during the water breaks and stretches... :happy:

MrGonzo05

I use heart rate to determine if I'm slacking. Particularly if I'm exercising while I'm tired or have a lot on my mind, I can really phone in my cardio. I don't care how high my heart rate goes, as long as it's above the target I set. If I go anaerobic, I will not need a HRM to tell me that.

rapat

I play ice hockey, and wore my HRM at a couple games. MY HR peaks at 192 during games. According to the formula, my max hr should be 190. So my guess is the ice hockey gets me at or pretty close to peak.

It doesnt suprise me as ice hockey is 1 minute shift at high intensity (3-5 seconds of max effort sprinting, a few seconds of gliding, and a few seconds of skating at half speed, all intermingled) followed by 1-2 minutes of sitting.

I also read that heart attacks could be an issue among adult hockey players -- which given what I just described doesnt suprise me.

I thought about tailoring my cardio to more closely match what happens in hockey games, but then I realized its probably not a smart thing to get your HR up to max too often. So now I've decided to target 180 as a peak if I'm doing cardio.

Anyways, it might be safe to take it down a notch, or atleast not to be staying at the 190 level for too long

I read an article about it last week, but can't find it. These are a couple links that came up in a quick search:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8808957.htm
http://hockey-university.com/archives/991
•23% of heart attack occur during exercise
•During high intensity bouts of exercise our chance of suffering a heart attack increases 100 times.
•During high intensity bouts of exercise our chance of suffering a fatal heart attack increases 50 times.

Azdak

I play ice hockey, and wore my HRM at a couple games. MY HR peaks at 192 during games. According to the formula, my max hr should be 190. So my guess is the ice hockey gets me at or pretty close to peak.

It doesnt suprise me as ice hockey is 1 minute shift at high intensity (3-5 seconds of max effort sprinting, a few seconds of gliding, and a few seconds of skating at half speed, all intermingled) followed by 1-2 minutes of sitting.

I also read that heart attacks could be an issue among adult hockey players -- which given what I just described doesnt suprise me.

I thought about tailoring my cardio to more closely match what happens in hockey games, but then I realized its probably not a smart thing to get your HR up to max too often. So now I've decided to target 180 as a peak if I'm doing cardio.

Anyways, it might be safe to take it down a notch, or atleast not to be staying at the 190 level for too long

I read an article about it last week, but can't find it. These are a couple links that came up in a quick search:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8808957.htm
http://hockey-university.com/archives/991
•23% of heart attack occur during exercise
•During high intensity bouts of exercise our chance of suffering a heart attack increases 100 times.
•During high intensity bouts of exercise our chance of suffering a fatal heart attack increases 50 times.

Couple of things to keep in mind about the ideas you present.

1. Doing max-effort intervals in hockey is not the same thing at maintaining a high sustained effort for 2+ hours. I believe it is the extended time at effort that is the more significant factor rather than the effort itself.

2. There has always been an increased risk of injury during exercise and the risk increases as the effort increases. Anytime you put a load on the heart, there is an increased risk--if there are any underlying abnormalities or disease. Which leads to.......

3. The risk is most significant if there is an undetected underlying abnormality (e.g. Marfans, aortic stenosis, etc) or if there is underlying heart disease. A healthy individual (esp a young healthy individual) with no heart disease or structural abnormalities is likely at little risk from heart damage when engaging in higher-intensity effort.

4. There might be other related issues that could be a problem with max effort--e.g. asthma, hyperthermia, blood sugar--but these are not directly related to the max effort and would be more comparable to #2.

scottb81

Most of the time in people who have been exercising a while a high heart rate at a lower perceived effort is simply a sign of poor aerobic conditioning - not just a sign that everyone is different.. Usually that is because all the work has been done at a higher intensity - too high to properly and fully develop the aerobic system.