maxHR high or low: advantages?

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yirara
yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
There are people with a naturally low maxHR. I can still run fairly relaxed with an HR of 180, while this rubbish 220-age equation tells me I should not even be able get that high ;)

Anyway, I wonder if there are any advantages or disadvantages of either. Do people with a low maxHR have more efficient hearts or might they run out of air quicker? I read that some sporterd like Armstrong have a very high maxHR. So I guess he's not at a disadvantage. Or are there other compensatory mechanisms that make neither good or bad? Note: I'm not taking about a tachicardic attack (been there, done that), but just natural HR ranges.

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  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    I don’t believe there’s an advantage or disadvantage but I’m merely mouthing off. Other measures provide better clues.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    pierinifitness wrote: »
    I don’t believe there’s an advantage or disadvantage but I’m merely mouthing off. Other measures provide better clues.

    I don't think there are. But a faster heartbeat pumps blood around quicker, unless this is offset by a smaller/less efficient heart volume (doubt this is the case with processional sporters) or oxygen absorption. So I'm basically curious.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    It’s a genetic difference with no significance whatsoever. The significant metric is cardiac output—the actual volume of blood pumped per minute. Whether that is accomplished with a higher heart rate and lower stroke volume or vice versa is not meaningful.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    My guess it that it is meaningless. If it was important I would think we would be hearing about it from coaches and from commentators at endurance events (like major marathons). The only time I've seen anything about HR was while watching the Tour de France and it was just mentioned how close they were to max (not that the rider's max was better or worse then competitors)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    To be honest most people don't even know what their max HR is. Even among recreational athletes.

    Mine is somewhere from 185 to 195.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    To be honest most people don't even know what their max HR is. Even among recreational athletes.

    Mine is somewhere from 185 to 195.

    Mine is probably around 205, though I've not determined it for years. Last time I was fit enough to do so I got to 207, and the truth was probably a bit more than that.

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