Q. about heart rates -- am I a freak??

acakeforawife · February 2010

Ok, here is something I've been wondering about. I have a pretty low resting heart rate -- about 50 bpm. But it goes very high when I do any work / exercise. Just walking around will be about 110 bpm, and when I work out it tends to go anywhere from 160-190. I'm pushing myself when I work out -- but it feels like the right amount of exertion to me, tough but not keeling-over-tough, you know?

For example, I'll run 3 miles and for the first 10 minutes or so, I stay in the 170s, then about 15 minutes I'll be in the 180s, and then the end of my run is usually in the low 190s.

I mean, I can run 3 miles so I figure I must be RELATIVELY fit, but is this heart rate normal? I've read that you shouldn't be able to sustain 180 bpm for more than 1 minute, but I can 'easily' do half an hour at this rate. (I mean, not 'easy' but you know what I mean?)

I'm pretty sure I trust the readings from my HRM, it's a Polar F6, seems reliable, and there doesn't seem to be interference (I get the same numbers in different locations, and by myself, etc., not just at the gym).

My other question is: does this affect / have any relation to my metabolism? I wonder if my TDEE is higher because my heart rate seems to increase so much from resting, so does that mean even walking around I would burn more calories? Since walking around means my heart rate is at 2x resting heart rate??

Thoughts?

(I should add, am 29, Female, 5'6", 175 lbs. Have been working out seriously for almost a year now.)

AwMyLoLo · February 2010

I hope you get some good, knowledgeable responses here. Mine runs pretty high during exercise too. I've been researching the "zones" and such but can't seem to get a clear answer...

leanmeanrunningmachine · February 2010

I had this same question for my trainer this week and she said it wasn't a real easy answer. Basically she said you need to make sure you are not pushing yourself too hard to where you are pretty much feeling like you are falling over at the end of your run and if you at all feel faint to slow down and bring your HR down. She never really gave an answer about how high is too high and how long is too long to have my HR that high. She just said to listen to my body and not to train that way every time and to mix it up a bit. So if you are doing other stuff than running each workout and your HR doesn't get that high you should probable be fine too.

gurgi22 · February 2010

I know that your max heart rate is supposed to be 220 minus your age and it should never be over 200 beats per minute. I would suggest that the best answer would be to ask your doctor since your doctor will know the most about your health and anything that may affect your heart rate.

pixietwilight · February 2010

First of all good for you too be so active that is awesome!! and no your not a freak.
I am trying to get that fit but I have a long way to go. About 1 year ago I took a stress test and The goal was that reach 180bpm for 1 min - I did and I thought I was having a heartattack!. The faster you heart beats the more it is working and the more stress it has that is why the test I took was called a "Stress Test" I would check some medical journals and consult medical adivce on that. Also make sure you are drinking plenty of water. The lack of water in your body also affects your heart. The more water , the better you heart works and it also lessen the stress on it when you work out. Lots of water is good for you heart. Good Luck and Google.

bexiesbruv · February 2010

There is a (not very accurate) formula for max heart rate and that is 220 less your age. This is subject to significant change of as much as 8-16 beats more or less. So for you 220-29 (your age) gives a result of 191.
I would suspect your maximum is higher than this because you can sustain 190 for some time, you might be working out at 95% of your maximum.
The only way to get accurate results is to do a test.
I am not qualified to school you in this but if you do a search you will find an appropriate stress test.
Word of warning, have a bucket handy if you are doing this inside on a treadmill (and doing it correctly), you will most likely puke.
2nd word of warning, CONSULT A DOCTOR before doing this and tel her/him what you propose.
Once you have your max heart rate established, you can create a work out plan that trains your body to sustain more effort over time (the training effect) You get stronger, run faster and for longer periods.
When you get to a 10km distance you can do a speed test and that will then give you very accurate training paces and heart rate zones as well. Just do a search for Vdot paces.
As far as the 50 resting heart rate is concerned, I believe this will reduce as you get fitter. Max heart rate on the other hand cannot be increased, and reduces with age.
I hope this helps a little bit
Good luck with your training!

bex

EDIT. Just read some of the other posts. A trainer SHOULD know how much time is given over to aerobic, anaerobic, threshold and other training Zones, if they do not, I would suggest finding another more competent trainer.
If you run three times a week, try to make one run longer but "easy" so no hard breathing, able to carry on a conversation. Make one workout a speed set, so perhaps 5 minutes easy followed by one hard one minute recovery (walk) then repeat for perhaps 15 minutes or so, depending on how you feel. Then one moderate run at a pace that is not easy but leaves you slightly breathless but able to keep going until the end without change. You could still hold a conversation at this pace

lt_mrcook · February 2010

If you are really worried/interested, find a university or sports medicine lab where you can do a VO2 Max test. You may be a freak, but in a very good way.

ruggierokj · February 2010

That's a lot of variability to go from a low resting heart rate of 50bpm (which is 10bpm LOWER than the range of 60-100 for the average person) to a very high exercise heart rate close to 200bpm. Having a resting heart rate under 60 is known as bradycardia (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bradycardia/DS00947) and it is normally not cause for concern. I know because it runs in my family and I have it too. My resting heart rate is typically in the low 50s, and for periods during which I increase my exercise levels significantly it is common for me to go through a period where my resting heart rate is between 40-45. My suspicions are that all is well as long as you do not experience actual symptoms. But I would definitely not rely solely on the feedback you receive on the MFP bulletin board. This is a question that you should ask your primary care doc.

Azdak · February 2010

No there is nothing wrong or even unusual about your heart rate response.

No, it doesn't mean you are burning any more calories. Heart rate has NOTHING to do with burning calories, except as an indicator of your percentage of VO2 max, or aerobic intensity. But it is a *relative* indicator (i.g. the *percentage* of max), not an *absolute* indicator (i.e. the actual heart rate number).

Example:

Two individuals who weigh the same are taking an exercise class. Both have the same VO2 max and both are working at 70% of their VO2 max. While exercising at this intensity, one has a heart rate of 185 and the other has a heart rate of 145 (they are not the same age). Both will be burning calories at the same rate.

mhsrnmz · February 2010

I may be a freak too. I just got my Polar F11 HRM and took the fitness test twice. Both times it put me at elite at 60 and 61. Now I'm not a couch potato but I can't be in that good of shape. I am 5' 9" 173# 40 yo female and run 6-10 miles per week. Even at a very comfortable pace my HR is > 160 and to get it below 145 to keep the darn thing from beeping I have to walk.

bexiesbruv · February 2010

Quote - Even at a very comfortable pace my HR is > 160 and to get it below 145 to keep the darn thing from beeping I have to walk.

I think this is referred to as heart rate drift, As you get fitter it drifts up less.
What you are doing, that is, slowing to a walk is perfect to get max benefit for training your body to do more, over a longer period, more efficiently. At least, thats my understanding of it anyhooo.
Perhaps Azdak can throw some more light on this for us?

Azdak · February 2010

Here is the basic issue/problem:

Max heart rates have a fairly wide range of "normal"--anywhere from 10-30 beats/min above a number calculated by one of those equations.

HRM manufacturers are reluctant to mention this because if they would appear to be recommending that someone work above a heart rate calculated by one of the "accepted" methods, they would risk liability if someone suffered an incident.

So they use the most basic vanilla equations and recommendations when giving you instructions on how to set up your HRM --which means that about 30% of users are going to see an actual HR response that is out of whack with the recommendations in the manual.

What to do?

Basically, I just tell people to exercise at their normal level and pace and just observe the numbers for awhile. Go ahead and calculate the training HRs based on the formulas, but don't let that rule you. Do your workout, and compare the HR you see with your feelings of perceived exertion.

If it *feels* easy, and you can keep it up for 30-60 minutes, then it almost certainly *is* easy, regardless of what the HRM says. Especially if you are younger and have no medical issues. There is no reason to stop or slow down your preferred exercise. Eventually, you will learn 'your" easy, medium and hard heart rates and then you can use your HRM better to help focus your efforts.

Cardiovascular drift refers to the increase in heart rate that occurs over a longer, continuous aerobic workout, even with no increase in workload. It occurs because, at the workout progresses, your heart pumps less blood w/each beat, so it must beat a little faster to maintain cardiac output.

Azdak · February 2010

I may be a freak too. I just got my Polar F11 HRM and took the fitness test twice. Both times it put me at elite at 60 and 61. Now I'm not a couch potato but I can't be in that good of shape. I am 5' 9" 173# 40 yo female and run 6-10 miles per week. Even at a very comfortable pace my HR is > 160 and to get it below 145 to keep the darn thing from beeping I have to walk.

Polar uses resting heart rate to calculate that number. They claim that their algorithms are like 75%-85% accurate, but I have trouble buying it. So, if your resting heart rate is low, it will put you at a very high level, no matter what the reason for the low HR is.

Sometimes a low resting HR is associated with a high fitness level, but not always.

mhsrnmz · February 2010

Thank you for your input Azdak. I am still on a steep learning curve with my new toy, lol. I have been running for almost 3 years and I know that before that time my resting heart rate was @ 76 so it is lower now that I am more fit. I just still have quite a way to go.

I plan to figure out Polar's OwnZone feature on the F11 to get a more accurate HR range for running and if that doesn't help I can set the limits to basic which gives a broader target range. Thanks again.

Polar uses resting heart rate to calculate that number. They claim that their algorithms are like 75%-85% accurate, but I have trouble buying it. So, if your resting heart rate is low, it will put you at a very high level, no matter what the reason for the low HR is.

Sometimes a low resting HR is associated with a high fitness level, but not always.

Q. about heart rates -- am I a freak??

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