Going over your Max Heart Rate?

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Chokis
Chokis Posts: 131
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it bad to go over your max heart rate during exercise? Let's say, mine is 189, and sometimes I read 192 during very intense exercise (my HRM starts beeping).

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  • ttippie2000
    ttippie2000 Posts: 412 Member
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    By definition it's not that you have exceeded your MAX heart rate. You have found your current MAX heart rate. That is a good thing. My heart rate adjusts accordingly when I hit a new MAX threshold.
  • andyhat1027
    andyhat1027 Posts: 9
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    max HR is supposed to signify the highest HR that your body could have an sustain for a short duration without severe problems.

    That having been said, I'm guessing you haven't had yours measured with a cardio stress test. If you have and you are certain that your individual maxHR is 189, then I would say that could be concerning.

    In general, those numbers are a generic guideline. Some people can sustain slightly higher, others lower. I'm in my mid twenties now but used to read 190+ on the HR as well. Remember that there is also the potential for rounding errors on the part of the HR monitor. 189 to 192 is ~1.5% difference and data sample rates could account for the variations.

    As a suggestion, I would say back it down a little. Unless you are sprinting or really competing at the highest levels, there is likely little to be gained from pushing yourself that hard. Back it down to the 180s and you'll still get that anaerobic burn you are looking for.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    your hrm is just guessing at what your max hr is. and all that happens is you get winded really quick and will slow down, whether you want to or not. there aren't a bunch of people in the ER because their heart exploded when they ran too fast.
  • Tessyloowhoo
    Tessyloowhoo Posts: 504
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    To make you feel better I used to have a heart arrhythmia (corrected through surgery) that went up to around 300bpm when i was resting and I didn't explode. Now i max out at 220 when doing HIIT.
    I am still alive and my cardiologist told me to keep doing cardio!

    Edit: If it does go above say 200 at rest go to the emergency room!
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Nope. I've exceeded my "max" (calculated) HR by around 13-14 BPM numerous times (during HIIT).
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
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    Your "max" heart rate is usually (if my memory serves) your maxHR-20%.
    In short, don't worry about going over and beeping, but it's probably not wise to stay there for too long.
  • Chokis
    Chokis Posts: 131
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    Thanks, guys.
    Yes, I did do the stress test as described in the HRM guide, and I added whatever number it told me to add.
    I guess you are right, 189 and 192 are not too far away from each other, so maybe I underesitamed my max heart rate when calculating it with the guide. Should I then adjust it on my HRM? Because I had to do it manually, obviously. Should I now consider 192 as my max heart rate at this moment? As I get fit, is it supposed to be higher or the opposite lower?
  • Chokis
    Chokis Posts: 131
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    Your "max" heart rate is usually (if my memory serves) your maxHR-20%.
    In short, don't worry about going over and beeping, but it's probably not wise to stay there for too long.

    No, MaxHR-20% is the zone where you should be staying, so I set it to 172. And it starts beeping after it goes over 172. I don't stay there for too long, maybe 1-2 minutes and then it goes down.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Thanks, guys.
    Yes, I did do the stress test as described in the HRM guide, and I added whatever number it told me to add.
    I guess you are right, 189 and 192 are not too far away from each other, so maybe I underesitamed my max heart rate when calculating it with the guide. Should I then adjust it on my HRM? Because I had to do it manually, obviously. Should I now consider 192 as my max heart rate at this moment? As I get fit, is it supposed to be higher or the opposite lower?

    You're overthinking it. Just work out. Max heart rate is basically irrelevant other than a neat random factoid.
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Unless you have been tested, your max hr is a theoretical number. Everyone's is different.
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
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    My resting heartrate is 36!!!
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
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    To make you feel better I used to have a heart arrhythmia (corrected through surgery) that went up to around 300bpm when i was resting and I didn't explode. Now i max out at 220 when doing HIIT.
    I am still alive and my cardiologist told me to keep doing cardio!

    Edit: If it does go above say 200 at rest go to the emergency room!

    Dayum! What kind of surgery did you have? No pacemaker? I cant imagine a hr that high when resting. Glad youre ok.

    BTW If that is your dog in your profile pics and you shaved the poor thing like that, you should be horse whipped! JK LOL Too funny.

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