Anyone else get a super high heart rate when they exercise?

Verity1111
Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
edited November 18 in Fitness and Exercise
I find it sad I am so out of shape my HR average was over 170 for a half hr on the elliptical (average meaning it went higher...and I took a break) and my resting is 63bpm. I had it on a pretty low setting (4?) and I was pouring sweat. Tell me I'm not the only person who's really out of shape. Lol. I think being in a wheelchair for months messed up my body. lol.
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Replies

  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
    edited May 2017
    Eh, when I started paying attention to heart rate (also on the elliptical), I'd usually average in the 180s. The highest I ever saw it go was 205 (not average). Over time (a year or so), my average went down into the 170s. Then I started running and went back into the 180s. :)
  • jmb6739
    jmb6739 Posts: 225 Member
    My heart rate is super high, just naturally. My Zone 2 starts at 152, and zone 3 starts at 172, so I always have a high heart rate when exercising! My resting heart rate is nice and low too, go figure.
  • gerla_k
    gerla_k Posts: 495 Member
    My resting hr is 61 and when I do Insanity it's usually around 170-180.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited May 2017
    I associate it with me being a cow lol I feel like God I'm so out of shape I'm only 27 and it makes me feel insecure for some reason. I really wish I would be able to do more. On the upside I have improved from where I started months ago at 225. I could barely walk ten to fifteen minutes without severe pain in my Frankenankle and I've walked 25000+ steps in a day a couple times recently... So I am proud of my progress, I just ache to be able to keep up with the gym bunnies (bunnies sounds better than rats)
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    When I look back at my HR when I first started running it's shocking. Keep at it, maybe slow down a little but keep at it and you'll find that as your fitness improves your HR will start to drop (on the weekend I had a slow run - 7;00 min / km or so - and my average HR was 127, 5 years ago it would have been in the high 150s).

    I takes time to get out of shape and it takes time, patience and perseverance to get back into shape. You'll amaze yourself with what you can do if you stick with it.

    Thank you so much. That honestly was the kind of thing I needed to hear. I feel so upset at myself but I also know it was partially out of my control as I was badly injured and it takes time to recover...I just hate that I need to. Thank you very much. :)
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Heart rate is a very individual thing and varies widely from person to person regardless of their level of fitness. You and I could be doing the same exercise at the same intensity side by side and your heart rate may be higher than mine or mine may be higher than yours and that still doesn't tell the whole story of which of us has a higher level of fitness. All that you should be concerned with is how your own numbers move over time. There are essentially three indicators that you are gaining cardiovascular fitness:

    1. Your resting heart rate will get lower over time (on average, not necessarily from day to day).

    2. You heart rate will get lower, on average, doing the same activity at the same intensity. You will notice that you can go faster or longer as you become conditioned (pretty obvious).

    3. The amount of time that it takes for your heart rate to come back down to a normal level after you stop your activity will decrease (also known as recovery time). A good way to measure this is to do intervals. Go at an easy effort and get a baseline heart rate. Increase your level to drive your heart rate up for 1 minute, then return to your easy level. Monitor the time it takes for your heart rate to return to that baseline level. This amount of time will decrease as you gain fitness.

    As @BrianSharpe said, stick with it and you will be amazed at the progress you will make!
  • mirelaavdich
    mirelaavdich Posts: 41 Member
    Your hart rate will improve. The image on the bottom is when I just started C25K program in March and the top image is this past Saturday, running a 5K.
    88jnapg0rju3.jpg

  • djfenn
    djfenn Posts: 2 Member
    You're not alone. I feel like I'm the most out of shape guy at the gym. But at least I'm not the most out of shape guy on the couch! My heart rate gets high (for me 155-160) I can only maintain that for short bursts. I do interval training on the machines and 2 days a week with trainer. I don't want it to get easier , I just want to become more capable....
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    djfenn wrote: »
    You're not alone. I feel like I'm the most out of shape guy at the gym. But at least I'm not the most out of shape guy on the couch! My heart rate gets high (for me 155-160) I can only maintain that for short bursts. I do interval training on the machines and 2 days a week with trainer. I don't want it to get easier , I just want to become more capable....

    Same! I wanted so badly to do 30 minutes without stopping on the elliptical and while I did only stop for like 30 seconds to drink water I felt like I could faint at any second lol... Id like to be able to do it without risking death. haha. I laugh, but I mean it.
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
    When I train with my trainer I get up to 180bpm, can't talk, double over getting my breath back between rounds. After 4 weeks I'm still like that but I can fit in an extra round. So I don't feel fitter and it still kills me but I can achieve more in the same time.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    170 isn't "super high". That is probably average. I have a friend who exercises with a heart rate over 200. I was convinced there must be something wrong with his HRM when he told me, but he says no. As for a resting heart rate in the sixties, that is pretty much average as well.
  • kayeroze
    kayeroze Posts: 146 Member
    A high heart rate depends on age (younger = higher). For me, if I'm doing something like cardio and I'm pushed to the higher end of my heart rate range (160-185), I know that it's an intense workout and I'm going to feel the burn. If I continue to do the activity and it decreases to a more manageable level at the high points (140-155), it tells me it's time for me to amp it up again. The ranger depend on the person and the activity (e.g. weight lifting will have a lower heart rate range than cardio usually)

    Resting bpm decreases over time with increased activity.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Many of us here started very unfit and out of shape. Start off doing whatever you can do, and keep improving in small steps week by week. Keep a log of what you do so you can see your progress in a few months.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Thanks for all the input everyone. It just really bothers me. I do have a log of it all because I have a FitBit and it tends to be accurate for me.
  • Freischuetz
    Freischuetz Posts: 147 Member
    edited May 2017
    actually there are two types of heart rate people have. normal pulser and high pulser.

    take a look at my avatar, my max puls is 208 and i done competitions with avg rate above 185 and more.

    until you are at full health, nothing is wrong with you!

  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    One of my bike routes around town is a loop of about 35 miles. I stop after about 15 of them and get a coffee sometimes, then drink it on a bench with a fantastic view of Mount Rainier coming up from behind Lake Washington. You can always tell from the HR chart whether I stopped for coffee or not.

    Moved away from there about 6.5 years ago. That's one view we cannot mimic down here in Georgia. I don't miss the weather up there, but I do miss the view (and my sports teams of course).
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    actually there are two types of heart rate people have. normal pulser and high pulser.

    take a look at my avatar, my max puls is 208 and i done competitions with avg rate above 185 and more.

    until you are at full health, nothing is wrong with you!

    Not being at full health is what's wrong and what's bothering me Lol.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    is that from a chest strap or from the hand electrodes... and are you always on the same machine(home/favorite) or is this across several machines(gym) ... some gym equipment has been abused and doesn't even remotely reflect actual HR.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    is that from a chest strap or from the hand electrodes... and are you always on the same machine(home/favorite) or is this across several machines(gym) ... some gym equipment has been abused and doesn't even remotely reflect actual HR.

    Machine + Fitbit show about the same thing. So hand and FitBit. And Fitbit matches my Dr when I go for check ups so I think it's accurate.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I find it sad I am so out of shape my HR average was over 170 for a half hr on the elliptical (average meaning it went higher...and I took a break) and my resting is 63bpm. I had it on a pretty low setting (4?) and I was pouring sweat. Tell me I'm not the only person who's really out of shape. Lol. I think being in a wheelchair for months messed up my body. lol.

    The RHR of 63 is pretty reasonable, particularly given your weight. A functional HR of 170 for 30 minutes isn't particularly unusual, or something to be worried about at your age.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    is that from a chest strap or from the hand electrodes... and are you always on the same machine(home/favorite) or is this across several machines(gym) ... some gym equipment has been abused and doesn't even remotely reflect actual HR.

    Machine + Fitbit show about the same thing. So hand and FitBit. And Fitbit matches my Dr when I go for check ups so I think it's accurate.

    It might be accurate in the ~70 bpm band when you're sitting down at the doctor's office and not at all accurate around ~170 bpm when you're doing intense exercise. That tends to be the pattern with Fitbit and some other wrist-based heart rate sensors.
  • AFGP11
    AFGP11 Posts: 142 Member
    When I first started running a few months ago my heart rate would get up to 177bpm. It has dropped considerably since then, even when I do sprinting work. I was a bit worried as well, but that was just my cardiovascular system getting the workout IT needs to fuel me in the future as I get into better shape. It now also take a lot longer during my run for my heart rate to creep up. As you gain more endurance, it should go down a bit. If it doesn't, a trip to your GP can't hurt.
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).

    What's a functional HR supposed to be?!
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I find it sad I am so out of shape my HR average was over 170 for a half hr on the elliptical (average meaning it went higher...and I took a break) and my resting is 63bpm. I had it on a pretty low setting (4?) and I was pouring sweat. Tell me I'm not the only person who's really out of shape. Lol. I think being in a wheelchair for months messed up my body. lol.

    The RHR of 63 is pretty reasonable, particularly given your weight. A functional HR of 170 for 30 minutes isn't particularly unusual, or something to be worried about at your age.

    Maybe it's because I was a lot healthier before so now it makes me feel like I went so far backwards.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited May 2017
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    is that from a chest strap or from the hand electrodes... and are you always on the same machine(home/favorite) or is this across several machines(gym) ... some gym equipment has been abused and doesn't even remotely reflect actual HR.

    Machine + Fitbit show about the same thing. So hand and FitBit. And Fitbit matches my Dr when I go for check ups so I think it's accurate.

    It might be accurate in the ~70 bpm band when you're sitting down at the doctor's office and not at all accurate around ~170 bpm when you're doing intense exercise. That tends to be the pattern with Fitbit and some other wrist-based heart rate sensors.

    The sensor on the FitBit and the machine show the same. And the Dr ran a HR test on me recently where I stood sat and did activity for a certain # of minutes and FitBit and hers varied if at all by 2-3 points. Then again the Dr does want me on a 24hr HR monitor because of all this.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    AFGP11 wrote: »
    When I first started running a few months ago my heart rate would get up to 177bpm. It has dropped considerably since then, even when I do sprinting work. I was a bit worried as well, but that was just my cardiovascular system getting the workout IT needs to fuel me in the future as I get into better shape. It now also take a lot longer during my run for my heart rate to creep up. As you gain more endurance, it should go down a bit. If it doesn't, a trip to your GP can't hurt.

    I did go. My medical card is temporarily stopped for a few weeks but I am supposed to wear a HR monitor for 24hrs . And thank you for the encouragement!
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited May 2017
    DamieBird wrote: »
    I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).

    What's a functional HR supposed to be?!

    IDK but when I used a HR chart it said 170-190 is very intense (80-90% max) should be where Im having trouble taking deep breaths etc and I almost pass out half the time. I push myself a bit too hard. But I am not even on a high level... that's what I mean. Not sure about the cool down stuff. Ill need to check my HR after I rest. I havent done that.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    DamieBird wrote: »
    I didn't think that 170 was all that high? I'm nearly a decade older that you, and that's about where I am on a workout, but I can maintain in the low 170s for 30 minutes or so. I'm not carrying on conversations or anything and it's steady effort, but I'm not gasping for breath or pushing so hard that I need to take breaks in the middle. It feels like a nice, strong pace for me, and I can recover back down to around 100 in the five minute cool down and back down to full resting HR of low 60s in another 15 or so minutes (not sure exactly, but definitely by the time that I pack up my stuff and leave the gym after my workout).

    What's a functional HR supposed to be?!

    Depends on the individual and their max HR, threshold HR and resting HR. Threshold HR and resting HR are the ones that may change with fitness. Max HR decreases with age, but how much is not absolute. Some decrease sharply, some very gradually.

    There's a lot of variation, so the average HRs that are suggested to delineate the zones and are based on age don't work well for a fair number of people. For some they're too high, others they're too low. Impossible to know where you fall without testing it yourself. It's why I prefer to rely on perceived effort rather than HR. I record HR, but just out of curiosity.
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