Max hart rate and going past it? 40+ age

helocat wrote: »

So at 45 I see my max hart rate is 175bpm. (Using 220- my age of 45)

So working out on my stationary bike I peek out and start hitting 185 at times in the work out. (Paloton trainer so I am following an instructor/class).

Is this detrimental?

Fitness wise I am 6' and 231lbs male just getting back into riding and any kind of fitness.

Then we know your max heart rate is at least 185.

The formulas used to calculate max heart rate are just estimates. The only way to know for sure is to test yourself. I can still hit 185 as well and I am 47.

Assuming your heart is healthy, hitting your max for a few minutes is not dangerous. I've held my HR over 180 for many minutes in races (when there's money involved ).

The question is how often do you want to hit such a high HR. While doing it once it a while is not a big deal, it is also not a good way to train.

If you are in decent health then suggest you do a max HR test if you are curious. Otherwise it's not really something to worry about unless you get some negative symptoms. If you are in a class environment your true max HR s is going to be higher than that.

I did some self tests on a Concept2 and my max HR was slightly higher than the estimate but the most accurate one was during a VO2 max test in a sport science lab, only 11bpm higher than the estimate.
But that was true maximal effort to complete exhaustion.

On the other hand my brother could exceed 200bpm well into his fifties.
220 - age is a very rough estimate.

helocat wrote: »

So at 45 I see my max hart rate is 175bpm. (Using 220- my age of 45)

So working out on my stationary bike I peek out and start hitting 185 at times in the work out. (Paloton trainer so I am following an instructor/class).

Is this detrimental?

Fitness wise I am 6' and 231lbs male just getting back into riding and any kind of fitness.

What type of heart rate monitor did you use?

If you are going to use heart rate for training (which is probably best), you should...

1. Use an accurate heart rate monitor.
2. Know what your true max heart rate is.
3. Know your heart rate zones.

I'm 59 so according to the 220 - age formula, my max heart rate should be 161. I had a stress test done when I was 57 and my max heart rate turned out to be 163 on that test, so I guess in my case the formula is accurate.

I use a chest strap heart rate monitor, and they are probably the most accurate ones to use. The optical monitors are notorious for spiking and dropping at times, and should probably not be used to determine max heart rate.

I use 5 zones, and use percent of max heart rate as follows.

1. 50% - 59% (60 - 96 bpm)
2. 60% - 69% (97 - 112 bpm)
3. 70% - 79% (113- 128bpm)
4. 80% - 89% (129- 144bpm)
5. 90% - 100% (145- 161bpm)

You can also use percent of heart rate reserve. To determine your heart rate reserve you take your max heart rate and minus you resting heart rate from that. Then you calculate the percent of that and add your resting heart rate back to it.

220 - age = max heart rate - resting heart rate = heart rate reserve * percent you want to train at = percent of heart rate reserve + resting heart rate = percent to train.

So if I wanted to train at 50% of my HRR, it would be...

220 - 59 = 161 - 60 = 101 * .5 = 50.5 + 60 = 111 (rounded off). Using this will allow you to train at higher BPM in each zone up to your max heart rate, and as your fitness level improves, you can start training this way to get a better training effect.

If I used HRR my zones would look like this...

1. 50% - 59% (111 - 120 bpm)
2. 60% - 69% (121 - 130 bpm)
3. 70% - 79% (131 - 140 bpm)
4. 80% - 89% (141 - 150 bpm)
5. 90% - 100% (151 - 161 bpm)

To use this affectively you should use an accurate HRM, and know what your true MHR is, and to use HRR, you should know what your resting heart rate is.

Here are some guidelines about the training zones that may be helpful...

Exercising below 60% of your maximum heart rate is relatively easy on your system. When it comes
to fitness training, intensity this low is significant mainly in restorative training and improving your basic fitness when you are just beginning to exercise, or after a long break. Everyday exercise – walking, climbing stairs, cycling, etc. – is usually performed within this intensity zone.

Exercising at 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate improves your basic fitness level effectively.
Exercising at this intensity feels easy, but workouts with a long duration can have a very high
Training Effect. The majority of cardiovascular conditioning training should be performed within this zone. Improving basic fitness builds a foundation for other exercise and prepares your system for more energetic activity. Long duration workouts at this zone consume a lot of energy, especially from your body’s stored fat.

Exercising at 70% to 80% of your maximum heart rate begins to be quite energetic and feels like
pretty hard going. It will improve your ability to move quickly and economically. In this zone, lactic
acid begins to form in your system, but your body is still able to completely flush it out. You should train at this
intensity at most a couple of times per week, as it puts your body under a lot of stress.

Exercising at 80% to 90% of your maximum heart rate will prepare your system for competition type
events and high speeds. Workouts in this zone can be performed either at constant speed or as
interval training (combinations of shorter training phases with intermittent breaks). High-intensity training develops your fitness level quickly and effectively, but done too often or at too high intensity it may lead to overtraining, which may force you to take a long break from your training program.

When your heart rate during a workout reaches 90% to 100% of the maximum, the training will
feel extremely hard. Lactic acid will build up in your system much faster than it can be removed, and
you will be forced to stop after a few dozen minutes at most. Athletes include these maximum-intensity workouts in their training program in a very controlled manner; fitness enthusiasts do not require them at all.


Hope this helps.

sijomial wrote: »

If you are in decent health then suggest you do a max HR test if you are curious.

Do you get this done at the doctors, a gym? Where would someone do it?

Thanks

It's a baseline estimate. If one is fitter, they can go above it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I am 50 and during my summer rides I will be up there. If you were not sucking wind and feeling completely gassed by this it is highly likely your MaxHR is higher. The times I likely have approached it was going up long hills and trying to accelerate where my HR goes much higher that what would be considered MaxHR based on the 220-age formula.

I'm 60 and will hit 180 riding hills or running intervals.

The 220-age has no real basis in science and was derived originally as a maxHR for recovering heart attack patients.

cmtristani wrote: »

Sued0nim wrote: »

Did you die?

My new favorite quote of the day

now going to worry slightly until the op gets back to us on that one

BrianSharpe wrote: »

I'm 60 and will hit 180 riding hills or running intervals.

The 220-age has no real basis in science and was derived originally as a maxHR for recovering heart attack patients.

The problem with the "220-age" is not that it is not based in science--regardless of how it was derived, it is still in the ballpark compared to other, more extensively researched prediction formulae (one example: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109700010548?via=ihub).

The shortcoming for all HRmax prediction equations lies in the inherent variety in human beings. All HRmax predictions have a fairly high standard deviation (7-12 beats/min). So you are going to have a fairly decent percentage of the population that can have a true HRmax 15-30 beats above or below that number. That's going to be true for ANY prediction equation that I know, whether it's the one reference in the article I cited or the ACSM or anywhere.

Like a lot of general assessment tools, HRmax prediction equations are ballpark estimates, not precise lab measurements. People should always refine any predicted number with real-life observations. You know that all too well--the problem is that the general medical, health, and fitness media promotes the most basic information, and it ends up confusing many people.
Although, quite frankly, I would be reluctant to tell anyone 60 or older to just go ahead and ignore it while on a public forum like this.

helocat wrote: »

So at 45 I see my max hart rate is 175bpm. (Using 220- my age of 45)

So working out on my stationary bike I peek out and start hitting 185 at times in the work out.

Clearly, your max heart rate isn't 175.

This is a good example of why one-size-fits-all formulas for something as highly individual as heart rate makes so little sense.