Always had a high BPM on HR monitors. Why?

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TehLaughingDog
TehLaughingDog Posts: 200 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys,
So I know nobody on here is a doctor (or I'm sure SOMEBODY is but probably not commenting on here or not my doctor) but I'm looking for some leads on why my heart rate is always and has always been high to ask my doctor about. Or if I even should go to them.

I forgot about it until I threw my HR monitor on my fiancée and seeing them have a normal rate and struggling around 170. Normally I push 200 if not exceed it regularly with exercise of which I feel no pain and can just keep chugging along. I usually slow myself around 200 though cause I don't like pushing it since I know it's not good. 190 is generally a good area for me and I never stay below the 170s when working out. My blood pressure I've always been told is excellent too.

This has been like this waaay before I gained weight and even when I was in great condition, active in sports, running long distances, and training daily with a high school cardio/weight coach. As far back as I remember even into elementary school I have had a high BPM on HR monitors. I always explode past target heart rate zones shooting easily into the 200+ even if I try to keep it down (which it only stays in the 130s-150s at a walk even when I was in great condition).

Any one experience similar or any personal trainers out there want to give their input? Thanks!

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,439 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Ignore heart rates. The equation 220-age is rubbish. It's a statistical average and not more than that.

    Let me tell you this: I once joined a spinning class of fairly fit people for determining the maximum heart rate. The trainer said before that this equation is rubbish and we should ignore it. To make a point he projected the calculate maximum heart rate of each participant on the screen together with everyone's live heart rate. After the max hr attempt it became clear that of the 20 people
    3 were within 5% of the calculated maximum hr
    14 were between 5-10% higher or lower
    3 were more than 10% higher or lower

    My maximum HR should be around 178 at the moment according to this equation. Guess what: I can still talk with a heart rate of over 180 and I figure the max is currently at around 210, maybe even a bit higher.

    Without doing any proper maximum heart rate tests I can tell from myself that if I cannot utter a single word anymore then I'm within about 90% of my max HR. This is not the best place to be for improving cardiovascular endurance. Other than that just train as you like, make sure your training is challenging (you don't get good at mountain hiking from climbing the same small stair case every day), ignore the numbers but shake things up a bit: have days where you go faster but shorter, and days where you go slower but longer. But always keep it challenging for the planned duration and try to improve on both duration and speed in due time.
  • drachfit
    drachfit Posts: 217 Member
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    What is your resting heart rate? What is the highest HR you have ever seen on the monitor (max HR)?

    Lastly, is this a chest straponitor? I wouldn't trust a wrist based one, for certain people they are not accurate.

    It could just be you have a naturally high max heart rate. That's totally fine. It's not dangerous to work out at a high heart rate unless you have some kind of medical condition. If your max HR is 220, then 190 is 86%, and 86% is definitely hard work if you were to maintain it over 20 minutes but it's not your limit.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    The standard of error for max heart rate prediction equations is in the 8-12 bpm range. That suggests that a HRmax 30 beats above the age-predicted number is still "normal".

    OTOH, there are some people with congenital abnormal electric pathways in the heart for whom the tachycardia is not "normal". When sustained exercise heart rates (not max heart rate) start getting into the 200 and above range, that is sometimes cause for concern.

    So chances are, your heart rate response, while comparatively elevated, is not a problem, especially in the absence of symptoms. Symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, or sudden spikes of HR into the 210 or above range would definitely be a reason to recommend medical follow up.
  • Jeepygirl
    Jeepygirl Posts: 23 Member
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    I have a ridiculously high heart rate even at rest. I'm in the 90s at rest, walking pushes me into the 130s and I can push into the 200s with a run. I am stuck on a 30 day event monitor to figure out why I hit 250 on a run a couple of weeks ago. But for me, it's not really a huge deal and I typically barely even notice the high heart rate. With that said, I have a congenital heart defect that was corrected a couple of years ago with surgery and it's not really unusual for my heart rate to do wacky things. It's always been high and will probably continue to be high for the rest of my life.

    I don't think it would hurt to discuss with your Dr. especially if you have a high resting heart rate, but if no symptoms, it may not be that big of a deal.
  • fitdaisygrrl
    fitdaisygrrl Posts: 139 Member
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    I have no useful advice other than- me too! I've always wondered this and never really had an answer. Just kind of ignored HR monitors and paid attention to how I felt (ie: basing my difficulty of workout based on my ability to speak and my breath).
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    Mine is high when I workout hard, but low at resting. I stopped worrying about it. I feel healthy and my blood pressure is low. Sometimes we worry to much about things that might not matter. Talk to your doctor if you need reassurance that you are healthy.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    There is alot of variance in the human race. I've hit 200+ numerous times myself. My resting is only 50-55 though. So whatever.

    Unless you're taking tons of stims (caffeine, etc) then I wouldn't sweat it if you're not having any adverse side effects.
  • PlantBasedRnr
    PlantBasedRnr Posts: 129 Member
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    Azdak wrote: »
    The standard of error for max heart rate prediction equations is in the 8-12 bpm range. That suggests that a HRmax 30 beats above the age-predicted number is still "normal".

    OTOH, there are some people with congenital abnormal electric pathways in the heart for whom the tachycardia is not "normal". When sustained exercise heart rates (not max heart rate) start getting into the 200 and above range, that is sometimes cause for concern.

    So chances are, your heart rate response, while comparatively elevated, is not a problem, especially in the absence of symptoms. Symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, or sudden spikes of HR into the 210 or above range would definitely be a reason to recommend medical follow up.

    ^^^ Listen to this guy - he knows what he is talking about... he has posted pretty much an encyclopedia of information on here about HRM.

  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Azdak wrote: »
    The standard of error for max heart rate prediction equations is in the 8-12 bpm range. That suggests that a HRmax 30 beats above the age-predicted number is still "normal".

    OTOH, there are some people with congenital abnormal electric pathways in the heart for whom the tachycardia is not "normal". When sustained exercise heart rates (not max heart rate) start getting into the 200 and above range, that is sometimes cause for concern.

    So chances are, your heart rate response, while comparatively elevated, is not a problem, especially in the absence of symptoms. Symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, or sudden spikes of HR into the 210 or above range would definitely be a reason to recommend medical follow up.

    You might want to define 'sustained'.

    I can keep 200+ going for 5-ish min and I don't have issues with tachycardia, just a high max HR. Some might consider that sustained, but I don't think that is what is meant by the criteria or that I'm unusual among those with similar high max HR.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I was referring more to steady-state pace than max effort. The general idea is that if you are spiking really high, or going into a 200-210 heart rate at submax levels of effort, in general, that starts to attract attention, even if asymptomatic.

    I wasn't suggesting a medical emergency nor a need for acute care nor that the OP stop exercising. But there is an area between "ignore it, it's perfectly normal" and "OMG you're gonna die" and those heart rates are moving into that area where it should at least be considered. I don't think that's alarmist, and if it sounded like that, then I appreciate the opportunity to clarify.

    In your case it sounds like you don't have a question and that you have observed a steady, consistent, asymptomatic response, so I would respond differently in your situation.


  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited March 2016
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    If you have a high resting heart rate as well, it can't hurt to talk to your doctor about it. There's such a variety of reasons that one can have an elevated heart rate, some of which are benign, and others which are not, that it's worth having the conversation.

    If even walking pushes you into the 130-150s when otherwise in great condition, you should probably talk to your doctor and have an ECG. Just knowing the heart rate tells nothing about where and how the heart beat originates.

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