Is my heart rate too high during cardio?

ashlinmarie

I'm supposed to stay between 127 and 168 for my target heart rate, but if I do cardio more intense than a walk, it is up higher. When I run it goes up to 181 usually and stays there. I never feel weak or tired or dizzy, but I think the target zone is kind of your ideal fat burning zone...higher and you start burning lean muscle mass. Now, I may be wrong and you might want to look into it, but I think that is what I was told about it.

phjorg

I'm supposed to stay between 127 and 168 for my target heart rate, but if I do cardio more intense than a walk, it is up higher. When I run it goes up to 181 usually and stays there. I never feel weak or tired or dizzy, but I think the target zone is kind of your ideal fat burning zone...higher and you start burning lean muscle mass. Now, I may be wrong and you might want to look into it, but I think that is what I was told about it.

that is indeed wrong. if it were correct sprinters and medium distance runners would have no muscle mass. right?

astrampe

I'm supposed to stay between 127 and 168 for my target heart rate, but if I do cardio more intense than a walk, it is up higher. When I run it goes up to 181 usually and stays there. I never feel weak or tired or dizzy, but I think the target zone is kind of your ideal fat burning zone...higher and you start burning lean muscle mass. Now, I may be wrong and you might want to look into it, but I think that is what I was told about it.

that is indeed wrong. if it were correct sprinters and medium distance runners would have no muscle mass. right?

Yep....very wrong....

astrampe

If your goal in mind is to lose fat, keep your heart rate between 65-80% of your HRM. THIS IS NOT A MYTH as others before have stated. Muscles burn fat ONLY in the presence of oxygen. If you push yourself too hard or get out of breath as you workout, fat burning shuts down. This is because muscles burn two types of fuel, fat and sugar. Your body will naturally burn fat as a top priority, but once your get your heart rate too high and your body loses oxygen, your fat burning enzymes refuse to work and your body begins to burn sugar.

So all in all, it is not necessarily bad to higher your heart rate. That is what will essentially increase your cardio endurance, but if fat lose is a first priority then keep it in the 65-80% range.

There is sooo much wrong with this it is not even funny......

SarahBeth0625

I have the Polar FT4 and my average is usually 165BPM, with a max of 171-172. I burn more calories and stay above my zone (160 for me, I am 32) for most of the workout.

ETA: I do the elliptical, too... 32 minutes 7 days a week.

EmmaKarney

Push yourself as hard as you can go.

Ignore your heart rate (unless you have a heart condition as has been said already).

Get fitter.

JoanB5

I can only stay at 90% of my heart rate for a short time, then I need a rest. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is actually best for burning fat, they say...so if you can do it at this rate, you could try a HIIT schedule. You essentially pour it all out for a time period, rest, then do it again for eight cycles.

beexx006

The body has two sources of energy: stored energy (ie. fat) and not stored energy (ie. sugar). If you're working out at a really high intensity, your body goes, "hey! no time to convert that stored energy to stuff I can use, give me some energy now!" In reality, you're always burning fat and sugar/carbohydrates, but the degree to which varies.

At really high intensity, someone is more likely to burn a ratio of say, 80% sugars and 20% stored energy (fat) because the body needs energy quickly.

Conversely, at a lower intensity, the body will burn a higher ratio of the stored energy (again, fat) than the energy that is easy to get ahold of (sugars). That's why high intensity doesn't exactly=better for fat loss. But, hey, any exercise is exercise, whether it's burning off that bagel you ate this morning or last Tuesday

mikeatmichael

I think part of the confusion here is that people are comparing their exercising heart rates without knowing or comparing their max heart rates. Max heart rates vary according to age, as in the 220-age formula, but they also vary due to other factors such as general fitness level. I don't even know my max heart rate but I can use a HR monitor to target a range that is comfortable to me and that I know I can maintain for a certain amount of time.

helcart01

When I am doing intense cardio I often get up to 170, sometimes more. I am 50 and so (according to 'them') this is my max but I feel fine. The only concerning thing is the treadmill flashes up that my heartrate has reached a dangerous level and I worry that everyone else in the gym will see!

pwilfong01

Don't listen to anybody on this board. If you truely think you will burn more fat trying to stay in the old "target" range, then you are destined to be fat. It's a lazy way out/excuse for not having to push yourself. I burn around 500 calories in 20 min of HIIT training on average and I'm in phenominal shape. To tell someone they're better off walking briskly for an hour is better, just stupid. If you don't enjoy working out, than isn't that more reason to push yourself harder to get out of the gym earlier?

Azdak

Don't listen to anybody on this board. If you truely think you will burn more fat trying to stay in the old "target" range, then you are destined to be fat. It's a lazy way out/excuse for not having to push yourself. I burn around 500 calories in 20 min of HIIT training on average and I'm in phenominal shape. To tell someone they're better off walking briskly for an hour is better, just stupid. If you don't enjoy working out, than isn't that more reason to push yourself harder to get out of the gym earlier?

You aren't burning 500 cals in 20 min--I don't care how "HIITastic" you think your workout is.

CathyInNH

Are you follwing any kind of diet?:bigsmile:

meshashesha2012

If your goal in mind is to lose fat, keep your heart rate between 65-80% of your HRM. THIS IS NOT A MYTH as others before have stated. Muscles burn fat ONLY in the presence of oxygen. If you push yourself too hard or get out of breath as you workout, fat burning shuts down. This is because muscles burn two types of fuel, fat and sugar. Your body will naturally burn fat as a top priority, but once your get your heart rate too high and your body loses oxygen, your fat burning enzymes refuse to work and your body begins to burn sugar.

So all in all, it is not necessarily bad to higher your heart rate. That is what will essentially increase your cardio endurance, but if fat lose is a first priority then keep it in the 65-80% range.

There is sooo much wrong with this it is not even funny......

actually it is very funny. at least my humor enzyme is working

meshashesha2012

Don't listen to anybody on this board. If you truely think you will burn more fat trying to stay in the old "target" range, then you are destined to be fat. It's a lazy way out/excuse for not having to push yourself. I burn around 500 calories in 20 min of HIIT training on average and I'm in phenominal shape. To tell someone they're better off walking briskly for an hour is better, just stupid. If you don't enjoy working out, than isn't that more reason to push yourself harder to get out of the gym earlier?

but listen to you? aren't you on the board?


OP just go by how you feel. sometimes it's fun to get up in the high range, recover and get back up high.

like another poster mentioned, i also like keeping track of my heart rates via HRM to see how well i'm conditioning myself. it's cool to see that the same workout that had me at an 150 average BPM drops to 130 average which means i can do more

Joanne_Moniz

I recently bought a HRM that I've been using during cardio. I do 30 minutes on the Elliptical 3x a week.

While on the Elliptical, my heart rate generally falls between 150-170. Mostly around 160-165 bpm. I'm definitely sweating and exerting myself during the high points.

Using a target heart rate calculator, it said I should be only going as high as 156 bpm (80% of a maximum heart beat of 195).

Is it harmful to let my heart beat raise higher than 156? Will I get a more 'effective' workout if I stay below 156?

Thanks guys!

You will not get a more effective workout. You will just have to workout longer if you stay below the 156... You can read about the myth here... ACE, one of the most respected for advice.... http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-programs-article/2425/ACEFit-workout-advice-and-exercise-tips/

mortyfit

As many have said on here...don't worry too much about it unless you are feeling pain and pressure at the higher rates.
I'm 40, run 40-50 miles per week, always with a HRM because it helps give me a more accurate estimation of calorie burn (I love numbers and statistics, sorry, I'm a nerd). My normal "easy pace" is about 8:05/mile, at which I will generally maintain a consistent HR of 160-163 for up to ten miles. Race pace I generally stay around 170 +/- 2.

QuietBloom

The only way to calculate zones for sure, is to have your maximum heart rate tested (not a pleasant experience I am told). I know that for myself, 220 - my age is not accurate. I wear a heart rate monitor because I like to see where I am when I'm running, but go mostly by feel. I can tell if I am running at a comfortable pace, and I think that is really the most important thing. For races, I also ran by feel, but also confirmed where I was by my HRM so I wouldn't go red and flame out.

Also, the younger you are, the higher your maximum rate is. What you are describing sounds to me like higher your aerobic zone. You should be fine.

QuietBloom

Don't listen to anybody on this board. If you truely think you will burn more fat trying to stay in the old "target" range, then you are destined to be fat. It's a lazy way out/excuse for not having to push yourself. I burn around 500 calories in 20 min of HIIT training on average and I'm in phenominal shape. To tell someone they're better off walking briskly for an hour is better, just stupid. If you don't enjoy working out, than isn't that more reason to push yourself harder to get out of the gym earlier?

Whoa. Strong first post. :huh:

ldrosophila

If youre concerned maybe talk to your doctor about doing a stress test. Do you have any indication that you are causing undo stress to your heart such as light headedness, dizziness, feeling very breathless (unusually), nausea, chest or arm pain?

But for sure share the results with your doctor.