Target Heart Rate vs. doing all the Reps
JamesChargerWolf
Posts: 83 Member
I recently bought a HRM to count the calories I'm burning while doing various workouts. During Ripped in 30, when I check my heart rate right after doing intense cardio, I'm through the roof - literally 97% one time I checked. Do I just keep trying to finish the reps/time or should I stop and let my heart rate lower? I have been pushing myself to do as much as I could. Honestly, I would never have even known my heart was working that hard.
But should I pay more attention to my heart rate?
But should I pay more attention to my heart rate?
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Replies
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That sounds very high! how did you work out your MHR? If you used an online guestimator it could easily be wrong. I used my Garmin to take me through a 30 minute routine to 'guestimate' mine 180bpm) and thinking about doing the hill running test (basically run till I drop).
HRM training is a big thing and am sure more knowledgeable peeps will be here soon
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Let me make sure we're talking about the same thing here... You're not saying you're getting to within 97% of your maximum heart rate, right? You're just getting to within 97% of some artificial "target" on the HRM? What "target" is this? Some sort of fat burning zone thing, or what? If it's the latter, you can safely ignore it, it's a load of rubbish.0
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The HRM had me set my resting heart rate in the morning. It calculates my maximum from there. When I say it said 97% - I mean of my maximum. The bar was in the red zone, way past the target area.
Whenever I'm working very hard and I test my HR, it's at 90% or higher.0 -
The HRM had me set my resting heart rate in the morning. It calculates my maximum from there. When I say it said 97% - I mean of my maximum. The bar was in the red zone, way past the target area.
Whenever I'm working very hard and I test my HR, it's at 90% or higher.
Okay, that's not good, try to keep it under about 85% of max. It can hurt your heart to be so high, and also cause recovery issues because your heart won't recover as quickly. As another poster said, make sure your max HR is correct as well. Some of the calcs out there are wrong. Ideally, you'd determine this via a cardiac stress test, but there are simple calculations you can do to estimate it. (The newer standard is 208 minus age times 0.7).0 -
I never use my HRM on % as yes, it 'guesses' so I use the BPM display and work on that and my own calculations that I have on a spreadsheet. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to keep above 90% for long unless your ultra fit already.
How do you feel when your exercising?0 -
How do you feel when your exercising?
lol. Like hell! Seriously, I'm ok - working very hard but not dying - during strength and ab portions. But when we're doing the cardio stuff I'm seriously out of breath. Which is why I stop and check my heart rate. And I'm shocked at the reading. When I check my HR after strength, it's not bad, 80's or so.
Am I just doing this wrong?0 -
The HRM had me set my resting heart rate in the morning. It calculates my maximum from there. When I say it said 97% - I mean of my maximum. The bar was in the red zone, way past the target area.
Whenever I'm working very hard and I test my HR, it's at 90% or higher.
Okay, that's not good, try to keep it under about 85% of max. It can hurt your heart to be so high, and also cause recovery issues because your heart won't recover as quickly. As another poster said, make sure your max HR is correct as well. Some of the calcs out there are wrong. Ideally, you'd determine this via a cardiac stress test, but there are simple calculations you can do to estimate it. (The newer standard is 208 minus age times 0.7).
I did that calculation... got 180. So I need to calculate the healthy range for that and just stay under THAT max. Is that right?0 -
If your heart rate is really 175+, that's just plain dangerous for you. You may need to think about finding a less strenuous workout and work your way back up. I see you in your profile pic with a child. Please don't put your life in danger just to lose weight. There are plenty of other ways to accomplish your goals!0
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The HRM had me set my resting heart rate in the morning. It calculates my maximum from there. When I say it said 97% - I mean of my maximum. The bar was in the red zone, way past the target area.
Whenever I'm working very hard and I test my HR, it's at 90% or higher.
Okay, that's not good, try to keep it under about 85% of max. It can hurt your heart to be so high, and also cause recovery issues because your heart won't recover as quickly. As another poster said, make sure your max HR is correct as well. Some of the calcs out there are wrong. Ideally, you'd determine this via a cardiac stress test, but there are simple calculations you can do to estimate it. (The newer standard is 208 minus age times 0.7).
I did that calculation... got 118. That can't be right, can it? That's BPM? I'm sure I don't understand. Sorry for the density.
Sorry, order of operation issue. I was thinking like a programmer, not someone doing this manually. It should go like this:
208 - (40 * .7), or 208-28, or 180.0 -
yeah, that looked way too low, i double checked online and got the correct order! edited the 118 line above.0
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Yea, you should always strive to stay under that max number no matter what, so I guess to answer your original question: stop, don't force yourself to continue. That said, you may need to think about modifying your workout intensity somewhat because ideally, you should keep it under 85% of 180 or about 153. Remember, these are just estimates unless you've had a recent cardiac stress test, so I'd probably shoot for more like 150 if I were you.0
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It's frustrating becasue you have a fitness person telling you "come on, 400 lb people can do it." Well, I guess anybody can push themselves to the brink of collapse for 2 minutes. Anyway... I will probably stick with her ab and strength portions but modify the cardio so my HR stays safe.
I found an interesting write up on target heart rates. Honestly, most of the time I'd prefer to be in a range that burns the most fat, at least for my cardio. They are talking specifically about walking as exercise but I imagine the THRs are applicable to any cardio.
http://walking.about.com/cs/fitnesswalking/a/hearttraining_2.htm0 -
I'm sorry but cordianet is being a tad bit dramatic - stop that already, that is my thing!
I am not an expert and perhaps one will chime in here but until then the way I understand it is:
1. Calculations to determine MHR are highly inaccurate
2. Your MHR is different depending on the activity
3. Forget about working exclusively in the "fat burn zone," working at higher levels burns more calories, is more efficient, and is good for your overall fitness.
4. Barring any health problems you are most likely not going to die by getting your heart rate up when exercising just like you are most likely not going to be fatally hit by a car when crossing the street - can it happen? yes, but not likely.
5. Your daughter in your profile pic is adorable
Keep in mind exercise is supposed to be hard, you are supposed to be out of breath, it is supposed to suck. Back off a bit if you need to but don't discount the cardio portion of your workout. You will find that over time it gets easier working at whatever level you are at right now and you will be able to work even harder. Good luck!0 -
153? Really? My MHR is 180 according to a calculation my trainer did (which by the way these types of calculations tend to be highly inaccurate) and 153 really isn't all that difficult for me. Maintaining a HR in the 150s for a cardio workout would be a waste of time for me. It is OK to work hard, it is OK to get that heart rate up (barring any health problems of course) - some may even find it preferable as it is extremely efficient.0
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I'm sorry but cordianet is being a tad bit dramatic - stop that already, that is my thing!
I am not an expert and perhaps one will chime in here but until then the way I understand it is:
1. Calculations to determine MHR are highly inaccurate
2. Your MHR is different depending on the activity
3. Forget about working exclusively in the "fat burn zone," working at higher levels burns more calories, is more efficient, and is good for your overall fitness.
4. Barring any health problems you are most likely not going to die by getting your heart rate up when exercising just like you are most likely not going to be fatally hit by a car when crossing the street - can it happen? yes, but not likely.
5. Your daughter in your profile pic is adorable
Keep in mind exercise is supposed to be hard, you are supposed to be out of breath, it is supposed to suck. Back off a bit if you need to but don't discount the cardio portion of your workout. You will find that over time it gets easier working at whatever level you are at right now and you will be able to work even harder. Good luck!
I agree that "fat burning zones" are a crock, but that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about a % of max heart rate and the OP stated that she's getting to within a few beats of her max as part of her normal exercise routine. If it were sprints or something, I'd probably not be all the concerned if she was getting up to 90% on occasion as long as it came right back down. That said, getting to 97% of maxHR anytime, and certainly on a regular basis is NOT a good idea. People can and do die from exercise induced heart attacks all the time, even young, in shape athletes, much less out of shape 40 year olds. This is nothing to scoff at.0 -
No scoffing here, but really people die in car accidents every day so maybe you should give up driving. If the OP has concerns that she may die from a heart issue she should see her doctor before continuing with a fitness regimen.
Perhaps the OP should come back and give more info.
OP -
How long is your HR that elevated? I am guessing not long since it is very difficult to maintain a HR that high.
What type of cardio is in this workout? Is it interval training? If so, how long are the intervals?
What is your rate of perceived exertion? 1 = lying in bed 10 = I am going to drop dead right here it is so hard
Check out this article for more info: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1044
Perhaps determine your MHR using the Karvonen Formula which uses your resting heart rate.
Good luck with your fitness goals.0 -
Honestly go a bit lighter on it until you can see a doctor... but this is my story.
Last year I used a HRM all the time and I was regularly around 170 BPM when "running" (more like a light shuffle) and 140+ when walking fast. I could still hold a conversation at 170. I would easily get up to 190 or so during spinning. My calculated max is 191 BPM! So I was very worried about myself. I got to see my doctor, and he checked me out and told me this was normal for me, nothing to worry about for me, and that my actual max heart rate is much higher than the average for my age. (it's actually at the very least 208, most likely 210).
Knowing this changed the way I exercised it was a lot less frustrating. I dared to actually run as opposed to a slow shuffle, even if it got me up to 185 BPM!
I'm not saying this is your case, but it could be, especially if you feel "fine" when you're at 170 and can still hold a conversation. Do get checked out before writing it off as normal for you though.0 -
No scoffing here, but really people die in car accidents every day so maybe you should give up driving. If the OP has concerns that she may die from a heart issue she should see her doctor before continuing with a fitness regimen.
So let me make sure I understand this... The recommendations of the American Heart Association be dammed, it's your feeling that 153 is too low, so even though you know nothing about the OP, you're going to recommend she should disregard those recommendations in the absence of any data to support that it's safe for her to do so? In addition, to support your argument, you're going to rely on the old straw man argument that driving is also dangerous? Well, so is pointing a loaded gun at my head and pulling the trigger, but I'm not likely to try that any time soon. It's all about risk/reward here. Let's not forget that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the USA and the rate of death for women from auto accidents is just a fraction of what it is for heart disease.
If you're going to make comparisons to other risks, you could at least make the comparison fair. You're comparing the risk of driving vs not driving. In our case here, that would be more like comparing exercising vs. not exercising, something no one has suggested. A better comparison would be driving the speed limit vs. driving 95mph in a 65mph zone. The former carries some risk, just as many other activities do. The latter is just irresponsible and should never be "recommended" to anyone.
One point you made is valid: how the OP feels does matter here. She said herself she stopped because she felt short of breath. That alone should be a warning sign.
OP: there are generally 2 reasons we see elevated heart rates like this: One, you're pushing too hard. If that's the case, it's not work the risk. Two, you're one of the few folks (like another poster) that have a naturally high max heart rate. The only way to know this for sure is the get your doctor to check you out.
Best of luck!0 -
OP here: hi all, thanks for the help!
SJ46, about my girl: Thank you. She and her older brother are why I'm here. This is about health.
About my OQ...
Let me state for the record: this isn't about wanting to look good in jeans. I already look good. I've got a little middle and great curves and if it was looks I wouldn't bother. My cholesterol and glucose numbers are perfect. In fact, my Dr. is always impressed with my HDL levels. BUT... my kids are high energy and I'm not. I hate telling my son, "Mama is tired, can we color instead?"
At my last Physical when I told my Dr. that I didn't work out at all, she told me to start cardio and strength. I just never got around to it until now.
I started exercising "in earnest" at the end of December. Generally I do interval workouts 5x a week and walk 3 miles, 5x a week. While I'm not the most fit person out there by far, I wouldn't consider myself a standard "out of shape 40 year old." I'm a former swimmer and volleyball player with decent muscle. (Which is why 160 can look good on me.) I wouldn't even attempt something like Ripped In 30 if I had no previous exercise experience or thought of myself as out of shape.
Ripped in 30 is interval: 3 min strength, 2 min cardio, 1 min ab work, repeat 4-5 times. It's the cardio where I saw the high numbers. The cardio is stuff like jumping from side to side, very fast running in place, etc., It during those 2 minutes where I'm really pushing myself to finish. I check my heart rate when the segment finishes. I take about 10 seconds before rejoining. And if I need to, I do modified moves. So, my HR is not above 90% for more than 2 minutes at a time. And I read that short bursts of working at that rate are ok as long as you return to a lower rate for a few minutes in between.
Percieved level of exertion: during strength- 6-7ish, ab- 8, cardio 9. If I was working at 153 during my workout, I would think it was too easy. I probably walk that fast. I don't know, maybe my heart rate is higher than normal. I'll look into getting that checked. I wanted to go back to my Dr. after I lost a few pounds but I can make the appt earlier.
Really, I was just trying to reconcile the "Come on 400 lb people can do this" sentiment during workout DVDs with Target Heart Rates. I mean, one of those HIIT programs actually boasts about making people throw up. Wth? I'm certainly not going to make myself dizzy or nauseated so I can have a 6 pack. I don't even want a 6 pack.0 -
You and I see have similar max heart rates. I wear a HRM during spin and have seen my averages/max creep up as I get into better shape. I'm surprised sometimes to see how hard I'm working because it feels good when I'm doing it. I frequently spend most of the class in the 70-80% range and feel pleasantly wiped out at the end. I'm not sore the next day, although it's usually a bit harder for me to match the same intensity level the next day- which I interpret as my body being in a bit of a recovery mode. I also know that if I'm tired or haven't eaten well, getting my HR up is harder. At 97%, you're in the anaerobic phase and will have trouble converting lactic acid, etc. It's extremely difficult to sustain but quite possible to hit. I think both of the other folks are right: don't focus too much on the numbers or zone, but on what level of intensity gives you good endorphins, check with your Dr and keep moving. As for the "400lbs" comment, it's a pretty cheap put down delivered as "motivation". This really isn't about what others are doing; it's about you and how hard you're willing to work. Unless you're in a competitive athletic situation and respond well to competition, comparing yourself to others is a road to frustration or cheap ego boost at someone else's expense. Ignore the silly comments.0
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