HELP!! High Heart Rate during exercise ok?

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Replies

  • MeanSophieCat
    MeanSophieCat Posts: 200 Member
    Have you changed anything else?

    Both my average and high heart rates are higher when I'm on very little sleep or when I've eaten less that day (definitely higher if I workout first thing in the morning). My heart rate is also higher during TOM. I'm no scientist, I just have 6 months of my own HRM data to go by.
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    I asked my doctor about this because it worried me as well. Explained to her that on some days doing the same exact exercise I would have a much higher heart rate and would go at moments over 200. She asked about my water intake for that day and told me to start paying attention to possible dehydration. She said when your body does not have enough fluids it makes your heart work harder. Ever since she told me that I have noticed a big difference. On days that I drink plenty of water I don't have it jumping so high.

    Just wanted to add that I am 41 so jumping to 188-200 at times worried me. That is why I asked my doctor.
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    I use an HRM (Polar FT7) when I exercise. It calculates my zones and all that for me. Recently, just this past week when I have been working out, my heart rate has been sky rocketing up to 191 BPM!! I know the whole 220 - your age to get your suggested Max HR. I am 28, so mine is 192. So, technically I am ok I guess, but that just seems so high to me?? Before this week, the highest it has ever gone is 186. What does this mean?

    What is everyone else's BPM, especially those that are around my age? Is there anything you would recommend to get this down?

    I trained for a half marathon last year and my heart rate was almost always above 180. By the way, I am 28 years old as well. I tried slowing my pace down to a crawl....but my heart rate always stayed up. I never felt tired or bad when I ran. I actually never researched more as to why my heart rate was higher than the recommended training zone. Maybe I could check to make sure my HRM is accurate.

    Also, I don't think going from 186 to 191 is skyrocketing. I noticed my heart rate would fluctuate more than that when I would stop/start concentrating on my breathing. If I really focused on breathing deeply and evenly my heart rate would slow down a bit.

    ^^^
    Same here. I noticed when I concentrate on my breathing it would come down as well.
  • teebeegeebee
    teebeegeebee Posts: 218 Member
    a couple of things

    1 are you using the hrm and seeing the figures on the gym machines - mine is always wrong - my wrist says 130 and the machine says 157, its not always accurate on the machines
    2 is the battery old or new - old ones send wierd signals
    3 the variance you are talking about is not massive its 5 so I would not worry too much

    I wish i could get mint that high, but alas I am too old these days ..... \

    my resting hrm reads 45 and my hard excercise rarely goes above 145 these days , sign of the time

    have fun
    :bigsmile:
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    It could be the machine isn't working. I have a Polar FT4 and that happens, usually the sensor isn't picking up and it will beep and screen says check heart rate monitor and then when it starts picking up again it starts in the 200s. I had them replace the sensor and it still happened so now they are sending a new strap.

    I would suggest when u hear the beeps check to see what the screen is saying because you may have a defective system or could just be the batteries. Mine were brand new so it wasn't the batteries.
  • meghan6867
    meghan6867 Posts: 388 Member
    I'm 27 and I also have a high heartrate when exercising (especially when I'm doing interval training). Often my heartrate goes over 190 and sometimes even over 200. Just pay attention to your body... if you feel light-headed or overly stressed take a break or slow down. My trainer said that some people just have a naturally occuring higher heartrate when exercising. They can push themselves... they just need to be more careful and pay attention to how they're feeling while working out.

    That being said: the theory that low blood pressure correlates with a high heartrate may be true... but then I'm just a freak of nature. My BP was super high for years, but now is holding steady at 120/80. I've still got a crazy high HR. :smile:
  • BigDave1050
    BigDave1050 Posts: 854 Member
    I had a heart rate monitor do this to me a few weeks before the battery died. Might want to check that before you get to worried about your heart rate getting high. could just be a malfunction. Also, if your around some else who has a similar HRM, you could be cross signaling (Throwing your numbers off) I had this happen as well while running with a friend who had the same type of HRM.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    It is quite normal to go above your projected highest rate, but won't help you get fitter if you do it every session. If you want to use your HRM to improve your fitness rather than just record a calorie burn, you should have different goals for different sessions. The simplest thing to do is add in a long, slow exercise session at no more than 65% of your max, which will be super-slow the first few times but you'll find you get faster and faster over time without exceeding this relatively slow rate.

    You might also find the estimated calculation is using a simplified calculation. If it didn't take into your account your resting heart rate averaged out over a few days, you might want to look into finding that out, so your workout of based as a percentage of your working heart rate, not absolute.

    It's also worth finding out your true max by having a warm-up and then repeating 30-second intervals of doing your hardest exercise as fast as you can - for runners this would be running up a hill, for instance.

    If you want to know more, "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" is a good read. You can get extracts and calculations online if you Google it.
  • fiferize
    fiferize Posts: 141
    do you know what your rate should be during your excercise? It's different for everyone. You should have a cardiologist office do a treadmill test on you and tell you what your excercise heart rate should be. That way you won't be concerned when it happens. Good luck!
  • BlairCottier
    BlairCottier Posts: 171 Member


    I have a nascent theory that low blood pressure correlates to higher heart rate than "standard" when exercising, but I have nowhere near enough data or science to be sure.
    Interesting! My blood pressure is extremely low, and my heart rate when exercising is often pretty high; I'd been wondering the same thing myself.

    Well add me to that list! I have pretty low blood pressure...that is very interesting... I love researching theories, I will check this out :)
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    (British accent) Mine goes to eleven...

    LOL! I always appreciate a good Spinal Tap reference.
  • tararocks
    tararocks Posts: 287 Member
    i didn't read everyones responses and Imay not know what I am talking about, but mine occcasionally (per my HRM) also exceeds my max, which should be about 187, it gets up to 191, 192, however it is very short lived, usually when i am doing some type of circuit training, it happens for a few seconds and as soon as i change to a different exercise it drops back down, since it is not continuously throughout my workout, i dont think too much about it.
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
    A completely different thought, could it be the battery? My HRM acts very strange when the battery is low.

    I was thinking the same thing. My HRM skyrocketed to 200 bpm when the battery was low. Replace the battery and see if that helps.
  • BlairCottier
    BlairCottier Posts: 171 Member
    Have you changed anything else?

    Both my average and high heart rates are higher when I'm on very little sleep or when I've eaten less that day (definitely higher if I workout first thing in the morning). My heart rate is also higher during TOM. I'm no scientist, I just have 6 months of my own HRM data to go by.

    Hmmm... This actually was during TOM too.... Ok. So sounds like due to the fact that I have naturally low blood pressure and TOM came to visit, it made my Max higher, maybe I was dehydrated too. At least that is what I am going with, lol. So glad I posted this!!! Thanks so much everyone, I feel a lot better. I was freaking myself out for nothing. That is why I love MFP!!
  • davidcdnemorton
    davidcdnemorton Posts: 2
    everyones HR is unique the 220 minus age is usualy wrong. some people are like diesel motors that hit max at 170 or so others i've known could hit 240 even in late 30s. for a given percieved level of exertion i wouldnt expect it to come down in fact the fitter you get the more likely you are of seeing an even higher figure as you are able to recruit more muscle fibres and therefore stress yuor system.

    for training its more useful to know your aerobic threshold. this is the zone at which you begin to hit the maximum oxygen uptake you can sustain for a reasonable period (20-30 min) a 20 min run or bike ride at the best you can do should give you an average that will be very close to this threshold. training above that level is only really needed for high intensity workouts and for specialist skills such as sprinting.
  • BlairCottier
    BlairCottier Posts: 171 Member
    I use an HRM (Polar FT7) when I exercise. It calculates my zones and all that for me. Recently, just this past week when I have been working out, my heart rate has been sky rocketing up to 191 BPM!! I know the whole 220 - your age to get your suggested Max HR. I am 28, so mine is 192. So, technically I am ok I guess, but that just seems so high to me?? Before this week, the highest it has ever gone is 186. What does this mean?

    What is everyone else's BPM, especially those that are around my age? Is there anything you would recommend to get this down?

    I trained for a half marathon last year and my heart rate was almost always above 180. By the way, I am 28 years old as well. I tried slowing my pace down to a crawl....but my heart rate always stayed up. I never felt tired or bad when I ran. I actually never researched more as to why my heart rate was higher than the recommended training zone. Maybe I could check to make sure my HRM is accurate.

    Also, I don't think going from 186 to 191 is skyrocketing. I noticed my heart rate would fluctuate more than that when I would stop/start concentrating on my breathing. If I really focused on breathing deeply and evenly my heart rate would slow down a bit.

    ^^^
    Same here. I noticed when I concentrate on my breathing it would come down as well.

    Yes definitely correct, I have noticed that as well when I run. I will have to try to concentrate on that also, that may help.
  • KatrinaWilke
    KatrinaWilke Posts: 372 Member


    I have a nascent theory that low blood pressure correlates to higher heart rate than "standard" when exercising, but I have nowhere near enough data or science to be sure.
    Interesting! My blood pressure is extremely low, and my heart rate when exercising is often pretty high; I'd been wondering the same thing myself.

    Well add me to that list! I have pretty low blood pressure...that is very interesting... I love researching theories, I will check this out :)

    Let me know what you find!! I have always heard it is bad to have a low blood pressure and high heart rate............but I haven't done any research on it.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I go over my supposed maximum all the time too. If you're really concerned about it, I'd check with your doctor.

    ^^ This, The expense of a trip to the doctor is well worth the peace of mind you'll get hearing it from a professional. If you are really that concerned, I doubt a bunch of strangers in an internet forum are going to set your mind at ease. You know your body better than we do. Do what you feel you have to take care of it. I, for one, would prefer the input of a doctor when it comes to the condition of my heart.
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    Hey there. I wouldn't worry too much about it. My HRM reads over 200 often, which is beyond my projected max. Obviously, do not sustain long periods of time pushing your heart to that level. Your body will tell you when you slow down, and as long as you listen to it, you'll be fine.
    Or you kill over from it. Yeah no worries..right 85% of max is plenty to get the burn until your heart muscle strengthens. As you muscle grows it will take much longer and much more intensity to reach the 85%. Keep up the good work.
  • BlairCottier
    BlairCottier Posts: 171 Member
    I go over my supposed maximum all the time too. If you're really concerned about it, I'd check with your doctor.

    ^^ This, The expense of a trip to the doctor is well worth the peace of mind you'll get hearing it from a professional. If you are really that concerned, I doubt a bunch of strangers in an internet forum are going to set your mind at ease. You know your body better than we do. Do what you feel you have to take care of it. I, for one, would prefer the input of a doctor when it comes to the condition of my heart.

    I should also add that I am anemic as well, so after doing some research on this, I really think the anemia had a lot to do with it. My heart already has to work harder to get blood pumping, and the spike occurred during TOM which makes a lot of sense to me, I already have to take extra iron supplements during that time as it is. That may be TMI for some, but o-well, lol. That along with low blood pressure and possible dehydration looks like the culprit. Thanks again for all the comments!!

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