THR experts help me please! I'm comfortable above my THR

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SilverPanther86
SilverPanther86 Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so so some background information to begin with. I'm a 26yr old healthy, mildly athletic male. I used to be 6'1" 150lbs however determined to put on some mass I reduced many of my physical activities such as flatland bmx, jogging, lifting, etc and increased my calorie intake for about a year and a half. I managed to get my weight up to 193 and fairly happy with where I'm at so I'm starting to add jogging back into my current exercise routine of weight lifting 3 times a week. Deciding I wanted to have as much information at my disposal as possible I purchased a heart rate monitor to gauge how effective my jogging speed is and try to stay within my THR (Target Heart Range). Using the Karvonen Formula its estimated that a 60-80% THR for me is 144-169. So I hopped on the treadmill today first time using the heart rate monitor and gave it a go. Getting up to my "comfortable" pace where i can maintain a good jog for about 45 min and feel pretty exhausted afterwards my heart rate was up around 178-180! I went ahead and lowered my pace down to a slower jog to get my heart rate down hovering right around the 169-171 area. It seamed a little slow but I still worked up a sweat. Even being a bit leery about the readings from the monitor I double checked my pulse with two fingers to the neck and it seemed to be pretty well on target.

So I guess here's my question since I'm a little new at taking in this newly acquired data. Am I better off staying in this 169bpm range since that's where the upper limit of my THR falls. Or should I maintain my comfortable pace at around 180bpm? I'm assuming the more I start jogging again I'll be able to maintain the faster jogging pace with a lower bpm but whats the best method of getting to such results?

Thanks for any insight into the matter!

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  • SilverPanther86
    SilverPanther86 Posts: 6
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    Anyone?
  • jennifer8989
    jennifer8989 Posts: 59 Member
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    I have this exact problem i weigh in at 187 im just getting back to a gym routine and leading an active lifestyle problem is i only feel like im getting a killer workout at 180-199 bpm . just getting on the elliptical my heart shoots to the 150 's within the first few minutes im stuck as well and don't know if i should listen to my body or go by science ? any professionals out there willing to help us out or anyone's advice ?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    THR is an "estimation". People's fitness levels will dictate what heart rate is good for them. My max heart rate according to Karvonen formula is 171. I EASILY can stay in that range for quite some time especially doing HIIT training. If you're comfortable at a higher heart rate, then do it (be sure to check family history of heart problems first though).

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    I have this exact problem i weigh in at 187 im just getting back to a gym routine and leading an active lifestyle problem is i only feel like im getting a killer workout at 180-199 bpm . just getting on the elliptical my heart shoots to the 150 's within the first few minutes im stuck as well and don't know if i should listen to my body or go by science ? any professionals out there willing to help us out or anyone's advice ?
    If you struggle at 150, then don't go above it. There is no "rule" that you have to attain the heart rate mentioned on a machine.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jennifer8989
    jennifer8989 Posts: 59 Member
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    I don't struggle at the 150's i feel its just to low for me to get a good workout. My workouts feel best when my heart rate is at the 180-190's range. for ex. once my HR hits 200-205 my muscles tend to tense up so i slow down my pace till im in the 180's again. .im assuming it will lower once i start becoming more fit .

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