Naturally high heart rate?

I'm 36. my resting HR is usually around 60-65. But when I workout, my HR is ALWAYS over 165. When I run, it is always over 180....and frequently hits 190+. But, my HR is back down to 130 or lower within 3-4 minutes.

My HR has always been that way - both at my heaviest and at my fittest....the only thing that has changed is my recovery time (at my heaviest, it would be almost 10 minutes to get back to 130....at my fittest, 3-4 minutes. If I tried to stay within my "zones" per the 220 minus age calc, I would never be able to do more than walking. The thing is that all of those HR calcs are based on averages of the population. That means that there are people out there with lower max HRs and higher max HRs.

It is much better, IMO, to go by perceived exertion. When I first started working out, I would feel like I was going to die (aka "max exertion" or "red zone") when my HR hit 185....but now, I can easily carry on a conversation at a HR of 185 (depending on the day, it could be "yellow zone" or "orange zone"). Now, my HR needs to hit 195 or higher (and yes it has...I've seen it hit 205) for me to feel like I'm in the "red zone". I never get lightheaded or dizzy when my HR gets that high (unless I'm sick)....and although I'm definitely breathing hard, I can still talk.

I guess I'm your opposite; my resting heart rate is 54, which is below average. I haven't been diagnosed with bradycardia (which surprises some nurses since my BP is low as well)... just palpitations from anemia. :laugh:
When I'm really getting a workout, though, I'm between 165-192.

My resting is usually between 90-100. My bp is always low, too - 90/60 range.

When I work out I can get to 150s in about a minute, and if I don't exert much I can stay there easily. When I push hard, I will get to 180ish, and I've been as high as 199, which is well above my calculated max.

I saw a cardiologist recently when a medication I was on had me over 110 resting (I'm off it now and back to "normal"). My EKG, stress test, PFT, and xrays were normal, so the cardiologist said to just go by how I feel. Around 185 I start to feel pretty bad, so that's usually where I will take a break until I'm back to 150s.

No matter how often I work out, though, I have never had a RHR below the 90s.

My resting HR is upper 60s-low 70s (when sitting) and HR during exercise is around 170-180. Low blood pressure. I have almost no cardio fitness lol. That being said, my dad discovered he had a congenital heart defect when he was in his 50s because his heart rate and blood pressure started doing wonky things. Might be worth just a quick mention to the doc just so it's on record.

Wow, just noticed how old this thread is haha.

Yeah, see a doctor.I have heart problems and arrythmias from a medical condition. without meds, my hr while exercising is 200+.

WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »

I have this as well. Have demanded my doc check me out but after an EKG that was fine, he refused to check any further. My true resting pulse (I wear an Alta HR) varies from 81 to 87. It has not improved from 5 days per week exercise that lasts about 3 or more hours per day.

When just relaxing around the house and watching TV.... it's around 98 to 100 BPM. I'm also frustrated by how all health tests are based on this because I don't know any of my true stats. And I was only slightly overweight when I started here and am now 144lbs and 5'7. Zero change. I wish there were options for people like us to find our real health info and cardio zones because I exercise under the assumption I should be more careful despite never having a lower HR and being in good shape for 33 years (minus the 2 I was overweight).

Aggggh. It's a constant frustration for me, but too.

As long as your heart is heathy, and after you have a very solid level of base fitness (as you indicate you do), you can test to estimate your HRmax, your VO2max, and your training zones.

If you're still concerned about your cardiac health after your doctor's cursory evaluation, seek out a sports-medicine clinic to test you (some universities have them, large hospitals may). Some offer this kind of fitness evaluation to the public at a package price.

If you've been fully cleared as heart-healthy, there are various tests you can do on your own or with a friend to assist (to record data, for example.). You'll find plenty of info on the web: Look for sources that are trusted clinics, mainstream exercise physiology associations, or the like, of course, rather than just some random self-designated personal training "expert".

I've read enough about this to know that these self-tests exist, but haven't researched carefully enough to make specific recommendations (I was max tested by a coach, so I have a reasonable handle on my training zones, therefore haven't needed to pin down the preferred self-test methods).

I'd never encourage anyone to test before achieving a decent level of base fitness (kind of pointless, IMO), and absolutely never encourage someone to test unless they have confirmation of heart health beforehand.

For someone trying to build base fitness, RPE (rate of perceived exertion) is an entirely adequate guide to training intensity (lots of info available about that, too). Frankly, I suspect anyone at a sub-elite level can use RPE to train quite effectively . . . but further data geekery is Fun.

I've had a high resting heart rate since I was in high school. I think I noticed it was around 90 bpm, and it has stayed around there (90-100) bpm since them. I'm now 41. I've been to multiple doctors and cardiologists just because I wanted to be sure I was ok, and apparently I am. So at this point I am not too concerned anymore.