heart rate too high?

meadowsmummy
meadowsmummy Posts: 108
in Fitness and Exercise
I purchase a Polar HRM last week. I have been wearing it from time to time while not excercizing and my heartrate is never below 100bpm.
I am going to discuss this with my dr next week was just wonder if anyone else has an elevated heart rate.
Yesturday i participate in a 5k run (i was only able to complete 3k and most of it was walking as i felt like i was pushing myself to hard - it also was 38 degrees C) i looked down at my monitor and my heart rate was 190 bpm i am a 28 year old female and i read your max is 220-your age which would put me at 192 however this seems really high.
Also the Polar watch shows you your burn zone - the entire time i was above my zone and heard that this can almost be as bad as it being too low.
Can anyone provide any insight?

Replies

  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    firstly, 220-age is an average - to get to that, they took max heart rates from people which were above and below the number.

    you'll find your overall heart rate will go lower as you get more exercise. mine used to be 115 just getting ready for a run, now its about 95...

    also, heat and dehydration mess with your heart rate, so a 38C walk/run will not be a typical measurement.
  • meadowsmummy
    meadowsmummy Posts: 108
    So my heart isnt going to explode at 190?
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    My heart rate consistently hits 190 during my workouts and it has not exploded yet. :)

    Your resting heart rate will decrease as your cardiovascular fitness increases and you will also have to work harder to hit certain rates.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    My resting heart rate used to be fairly high when I smoked and was not very active.
    Running sends my heart rate up to around 168-170 for the duration, about 90-94% of my max, especially in the heat.
    Same with the elliptical.
    However, my resting heart rate is now around 55-60.
  • sw0301
    sw0301 Posts: 46 Member
    We are the same age. Recommended max HR is 192 I think. It isn't uncommon for me to hit my max.

    One big thing I noticed that I affects it is my breathing, you've got to keep it under control and it will steady your HR.
    Also, like morkiemama said, you'll notice that your average HR lowers as your fitness level increases. :)

    I don't necessarily see your heart "exploding", unless you have other issues. However, I have passed out a couple of times due to my HR being too high. Be sure not to let your heart rate drop too quickly! That's when most people get dizzy & want to just stop, but keep moving and slowly lower your pace.
  • meadowsmummy
    meadowsmummy Posts: 108
    Thanks for all the info. I know i am out of shape so my body is working harder.
    Also are the calories burned with the HRM are more accurate then other methods right? i am aware that right now out of shape i am going to be burning more and as i get it shape i will have to work harder to get the same calorie burn. But the numbers seems pretty high but also with a fast heart rate it makes sense that they are.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    I purchase a Polar HRM last week. I have been wearing it from time to time while not excercizing and my heartrate is never below 100bpm.
    I am going to discuss this with my dr next week was just wonder if anyone else has an elevated heart rate.
    Yesturday i participate in a 5k run (i was only able to complete 3k and most of it was walking as i felt like i was pushing myself to hard - it also was 38 degrees C) i looked down at my monitor and my heart rate was 190 bpm i am a 28 year old female and i read your max is 220-your age which would put me at 192 however this seems really high.
    Also the Polar watch shows you your burn zone - the entire time i was above my zone and heard that this can almost be as bad as it being too low.
    Can anyone provide any insight?

    The 220-your age has been shown to have little basis in reality. Many times.

    Don't worry about your max HR - you can't "hurt" your heart (well, there's research that shows it's possible to do so…maybe) and don't sweat 190. I'm 56 years old an have a max HR of 191.

    What is very important - well, what's important to runners and some of us obsess over it - is heart rate training ranges

    If you're running shorter races (1 mile, 3k, 5k) you spend time running in heart rate zones that are different than 10k which is different than the Half mary (21k) which is different than the Marathon which is different from Ultras.

    A few minutes with Google and "training heart rate ranges for endurance runners", or somesuch, is time well spent.

    Regarding HRM accuracy - some quick thoughts here are here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ATT949

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