heart rate while doing cardio

n_unocero · January 2012

i have a HRM that i wear during workouts (duh). when i run/bike/elliptical my heart rate is almost always in the 170's. I can run for 40 mins and sustain a 170+ hr no problem. i was looking at a website that says anything over 160 is anaerobic and shouldn't be done for long periods of time and is not beneficial for weight loss. i've heard this same thing from my bf who has his NASM certificate.

my problem here is that i don't feel i am working AT ALL if my HR is below 170. I can breathe normally, talk, even sing the song that's on my ipod, and when i don't feel like i've worked as hard as i can i get a lil depressed.

So i guess my question is this...should i keep up my workouts with a high HR and feel accomplished or should i bring it down a notch to get my HR out of the anaerobic zone?

n_unocero · January 2012

thanks everyone for being so helpful!

dobenjam · January 2012

thanks everyone for being so helpful!

LOL, I would guess no one knows b/c there are no posts. I don't know the answer to this quesiton but would love to.

I wear a HRM and have found that my HR has decreased doing the same workouts. I'm training for a 5k and never really used the HRM to determine anything but see how hard my body is working. I don't back off if it goes up but I also don't let it get too low.

I know it doesn't answer your question and i'm not entirelly sure if I'm doing it correctly, but I'm seeing progress and weight loss. I also run in the morning before breakfast so maybe that helps.

TourThePast · January 2012

i was looking at a website that says anything over 160 is anaerobic and shouldn't be done for long periods of time and is not beneficial for weight loss. i've heard this same thing from my bf who has his NASM certificate.

Maximum heart rate is dependent on age and fitness level.

There is no single figure that is recommended for everyone.

If you want a better answer than is available from charts, you can get your VO2 Max tested.

EDITED FOR SPELLING

nickscutie · January 2012

I think you get different benefits - a lower (but still elevated) heart rate will do more to burn fat, a higher heart rate is where you are increasing your fitness level.

I use a Polar HRM that has a fitness program. You do a fitness test to establish your VO2 Max and then it sets goals for you and lays out what your zone 1, 2, and 3 heart rates should be. Then you can figure out what is the best range for you to try to stay in when you are working out.

brittbergh · January 2012

and how are you supposed to keep your heart rate down to burn more fat? I have that problem, my heart rates is always in the 180s when Im doing anything, even body pump!

TourThePast · January 2012

how are you supposed to keep your heart rate down to burn more fat?

You're not.

Keeping your heart rate down to the suggested levels for your age and fitness levels is to protect your health, especially when you are new to training.

The "fat burning zone" is a misnomer, if you work harder, you will burn more fat.

closedacct · January 2012

http://www.amazon.com/Lactate-Threshold-Training-Peter-Janssen/dp/0736037551#_

See the link above. Former runner here but now certifiably fat. The above book will clear up any lore that you have heard and will help you put your HRM to good use.

EDIT: Hmmm. No hyper on the link, so just cut/paste in a new tab in your browswer.

n_unocero · January 2012

The "fat burning zone" is a misnomer, if you work harder, you will burn more fat.

Thank you for this!

TrainingWithTonya · January 2012

The zones are really for heart health. If you work too close to your max heart rate, you risk a heart attack. But as you increase your fitness level, your max heart rate actually increases. And the way to improve your heart health / fitness level is to work in the higher zones. A beginner would be recommended to stay in the lower end of the zones so that they don't risk a heart attack but as fitness improves going higher becomes safer.

As for the whole fat burning thing, you do burn a higher % of calories from fat stores at a lower intensity. While you are sitting at your computer reading this, 80% of the calories you are burning for maintenance of your normal bodily functions is from fat. The simplest formula for calorie needs is 1 calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour, so a 100 kilogram (220 pound) person would burn 2400 calories per day or 100 calories per hour. So sitting around for an hour you burn approximately 80 calories from fat and 20 calories from carbs. When you increase your intensity to the "fat burning zone" you're actually burning more like 50 percent from carbs and 50 percent from fat. But you're also burning more calories. So, if you burn 200 calories in an hour doing a lower intensity workout, then you burn 100 calories from carbs and 100 calories from fat. As your intensity increases, you burn more calories and the percentage from fat decreases while the percentage from carbs and protein increases. So when you go over the fat burning zone and become anaerobic, then you are burning 75% from carbs, 5% from protein, and 20% from fat. But if you burn 600 calories in that same hour, then you've burned 450 calories from carbs, 30 calories from protein, and 120 calories from fat. So, in the overall scheme of things you can burn more calories and more calories from fat if you can maintain a higher intensity workout. The problem is that most people can't maintain a high intensity workout the entire time they are exercising, so what you will burn overall will depend on your fitness level. Beginners won't be able to maintain that intensity for very long so they will be better off doing a lower intensity workout and getting the larger % of fat burning so that they can improve their fitness level to be able to handle more intense exercise for longer periods of time. More advanced people will also increase the % of fat being burned at a higher intensity so that they will be getting an even better fat burn during their intense workouts. Without knowing more about you from lab tests, I can't say how much you are specifically burning from what sources, but just know that anaerobic exercise doesn't stop your fat burning and may actually increase it.

min_lyn · January 2012

I am so glad you asked that question because I came to this topic specifically to find the answer to the same question. I also feel like if I don't REALLY push myself that it wasn't a good workout. Evidently I've been pushing it too hard and I need to tone it down a little. Thanks for your post.

musicphreak · January 2012

The zones are really for heart health. If you work too close to your max heart rate, you risk a heart attack.

Source?

TrainingWithTonya · January 2012

The zones are really for heart health. If you work too close to your max heart rate, you risk a heart attack.

Source?

Several of my classes, textbooks, and research reading assignments as I have completed my Bachelors of Science in Exercise Physiology. But here's one you can read without being in a position to purchase peer reviewed journals or textbooks or have to spend an arm and a leg on a college education.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/exercise/pulsethr.aspx

And FYI, the Cleveland Clinic is one of the most well respected programs for cardiac rehabilitation in the world, so while not a peer reviewed source, I would consider this a much more reliable source then a yahoo article or someone's blog.

rockerbabyy · January 2012

when im doing carido at the gym, im usually around 160-170. supposedly my max is 193. i feel if i go lower im not really working hard enough. the trainer i met with told me i should stick to around 120 or something and the elliptical kept thinking i had stopped moving

so i said screw it and just did my normal pace.

tabbychiro · January 2012

I also have a high heart rate. It amazes me that people run and their heart rates only go up to 120. I don't worry about it though. I just exercise by feel.

heart rate while doing cardio

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