Working out at maximum HR?

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stefanyjoy
stefanyjoy Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!

So I'm just starting to get back in the swing of things after a couple years of letting myself gain weight and get seriously out of shape. I pulled out my old favorite DVDs, blew the dust off them and got to work this week. Let me remind you that I am SERIOUSLY out of shape...

I wear a Polar HR monitor. My max heart rate is 190 (220-my age) but when I do the DVDs, it can send me soaring into the 190s and I completely hit a wall and can't keep up. I try to recover until I can slide back into the 180s or 170s and continue. It's very frustrating hitting this wall and not being able to keep up with reps or entire circuits in the DVD. Jillian Michaels is saying "if you need to rest, don't rest for more than five seconds." My HR is still freaking climbing after five seconds....

I definitely can't stay into my "target" range at all because I am so easily huffing and puffing.

I'm wondering if I'm doing myself more harm than good? Am I even helping myself to lose weight & get in better shape? Can I just continue with this cycle exercising/rest to 170s or do I need to start out doing something slower?

In full disclosure, I am getting married in March and trying to shed at least 15 more lbs before the wedding, so I don't mind doing work, but I don't want to hurt myself in the process.

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Slow down!
    Build up slowly. Pick something you can do - you clearly aren't ready for this right now.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Dial it back, do something slower.

    The weight loss comes as a result of a caloric deficit, as to fitness focus on building your aerobic base. If you're that out of shape you may want to start off with walking and lower intensity exercises and work your way up.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I think it will just frustrate you if you are that high in heart rate. If you really want to do the video (rather than something else), can you follow the "newbie"? Usually these videos have people doing 3 levels of difficulty and you can choose who to follow. If your HR gets to high, try doing the moves at half tempo rather than stopping and starting. Each time you do it, you should be able to do more.

    My other 2c, and of course take it or leave it, is to NOT try to lose 15lbs by the wedding. This is an amazing and special time in your life, with a lot of change and stress as well. Unless you are already living together and are having a super simple wedding, you don't need the additional stress of not fitting in your dress or needing last minute alterations, being hangry, etc. Don't make him or her not want to marry you. They love you for who you are.
  • fattymcrunnerpants
    fattymcrunnerpants Posts: 311 Member
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    I'm horrible. I constantly go into anaerobic HR as well. I try to think of it more as a slow build up instead of a "gotta be intense right this instant". Something that has helped me a lot is doing interval work outs instead of a constant pace. It builds up and then you go down then builds up and down. I've been able to increase my endurance a lot more that way than a consistent intensity.
  • Will210
    Will210 Posts: 201 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Slow down!
    Build up slowly. Pick something you can do - you clearly aren't ready for this right now.

    Yeah. The 190 HR is extreme. Are you taking any meds like blood pressure and/or thyroid?
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
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    Please slow down! Find a work out that keeps you in your target heart rate and work up to more intense exercise over time. Jillian Michaels can shut it, seriously don't listen to her she is the worst.
  • nm2bsc
    nm2bsc Posts: 111 Member
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    You will get there. But work up to it. You'll be amazed at the things your body is capable of. Just keeping your HR at about 140 - 160 for 20 minutes or so is a pretty good work out. Don't worry about keeping pace.
    If stepping in place keeps it at 150 then do just that for now.
  • starryphoenix
    starryphoenix Posts: 381 Member
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    I never let myself go above 175 and if I do I slow down. Cardio is good, but if your HR goes too high it can have serious negative consequences. Your heart is kind of important. :smile: lol.
  • stefanyjoy
    stefanyjoy Posts: 7 Member
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    lilawolf wrote: »

    My other 2c, and of course take it or leave it, is to NOT try to lose 15lbs by the wedding. This is an amazing and special time in your life, with a lot of change and stress as well. Unless you are already living together and are having a super simple wedding, you don't need the additional stress of not fitting in your dress or needing last minute alterations, being hangry, etc. Don't make him or her not want to marry you. They love you for who you are.

    Thanks for your reply, we are indeed having a small ceremony with just family present, so not a whole lot of stress there! Thank goodness!
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    While slowing down is probably fine, your actual max HR is probably quite a bit higher than the estimate. Mine certainly is. My max should be around 179, but my actual max is around 200. It's actually gone higher than that, in a high heat environment, but going over 200 made me feel bad. I frequently get spikes into the 180s for high effort stuff and feel absolutely fine. When running, my average is usually in the mid 160's but is relatively easy and I can still hold an entire conversation. So, it's all relative.

    But, since you're feeling ill, you definitely need to slow down and listen to what your body is telling you.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    stefanyjoy wrote: »
    lilawolf wrote: »

    My other 2c, and of course take it or leave it, is to NOT try to lose 15lbs by the wedding. This is an amazing and special time in your life, with a lot of change and stress as well. Unless you are already living together and are having a super simple wedding, you don't need the additional stress of not fitting in your dress or needing last minute alterations, being hangry, etc. Don't make him or her not want to marry you. They love you for who you are.

    Thanks for your reply, we are indeed having a small ceremony with just family present, so not a whole lot of stress there! Thank goodness!

    Good choice! I never did understand the whole "planning for a year/bridezilla/spend a million billion dollars" stuff. I had 4 people at my beach wedding, then threw a party for 70. Amazing, low stress, and no debt to start our lives together! Anyway, congrats, and I hope you have a great one :)
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    omma_to_3 wrote: »
    While slowing down is probably fine, your actual max HR is probably quite a bit higher than the estimate. Mine certainly is. My max should be around 179, but my actual max is around 200. It's actually gone higher than that, in a high heat environment, but going over 200 made me feel bad. I frequently get spikes into the 180s for high effort stuff and feel absolutely fine. When running, my average is usually in the mid 160's but is relatively easy and I can still hold an entire conversation. So, it's all relative.

    But, since you're feeling ill, you definitely need to slow down and listen to what your body is telling you.

    Agreed that the 220-age formula is seriously lacking. I'm almost 50 and I can easily get into the 180s when I'm exercising, and that's not even at max effort. That said, if it's too much for you, slow down.
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
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    If you want to use HR as a control for you training, do a Lactate Threshold Heart Rate test. You are just guessing otherwise.

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