Heart Rate Too High?

Goosiesnougs · January 2012

Let me start off by saying I am very fit. I work out for about 2-3 hours a day. I have a Polar HRM that I LOVE!
I was on the stairmill this A.M. before my muscle class and my trainer/friend was next to me and she noticed my heartrate was MUCH
higher than hers. At one point mine hit 178 while hers was 135 (her level was higher than mine too)
My resting heartrate first thing in the morning is normal; about 66 bpm. She took my pulse and said there seemed to be an extra "beat" that the HRM was picking up (yes, yes, I will see a dr just in case!) She's not a nurse, but still got me thinking!
Anyway, if my HRM is picking up extra beats is the calorie burn that it shows accurate? Or am I racking up extra calories thinking I can eat them and it's just thinking I worked harder than I did.
The trainer told me that if my HR was up that high there would be NO WAY I'd be able to chat with her. I'm one of those people that never shuts up though :ohwell: While I was climbing I definitely felt like I was working hard. My treadmill reads the same thing in the A.M. as the HRM shows, as do the machines at the gym, so it's not the monitor. When I use the treadmill for intervals it spikes during the run and back down again when I walk.
I'm just wondering if this is normal? I'm 5'7.5" and 130 lbs and like I said really physically fit (IMHO) 34 years old and female
Does anyone have this same problem with their heartrates hitting an "abnormal" high?
Thanks in advance for any info. you guys have for me!

Sigma28 · January 2012

Is there an abnormal? I think that is different for every person. Even Lance Armstrong is noted to have a high maximum heart rate of 201. You're not alone. I aim for around 175 at my peak HIIT workouts (note that this isn't sustained for a long period of time), but my resting heart rate is higher--70's maybe? If I even sneezed it'd probably be in the 80's. At an HR of 135, I think that's warm up pace for me.

As far as the extra "beat", if you're having arrhythmia (meaning your heart beats in an irregular or abnormal rhythm), that's something to be concerned about. I'm glad to hear you're going to see your PCP just in case. Good luck!

yarmiah · January 2012

What's a healthy HR will vary from person to person.

I'm a 42 year old female, 153lbs and the fittest I've ever been in my life. Just went to give blood sat
and my blood pressure was 100/70 and resting pulse was 66. When I'm working out cardio, my
peak is about 173 and my trainer dosnt like it to get below 150.

That being said, I have also experienced something similiar to your "extra" heart beat. I could feel my
heart stop and then start back up with that extra beat or 2. (this was all before I started working out).
I ended up going to the ER, seeing a cardiologist, getting an EKG . . the whole works, and was diagnosed
with a relatively harmless condition called PVC - Premature Ventricular Contractions. All of the tests
showed that my heart was healthy, but for some reason (they blamed it on caffeine and stress) my heart,
for lack of a better word was "misfiring". They monitored me for a while and did not have to put me on
any meds like beta blockers and I was told this was a pretty common condition. I can tell you from personal
experience, it can feel quite scary- you think you are having a heart attack or that you heart will not start
back up when it skips.

I had PVC's for about 6 months and gradually it just went away. And since losing the weight in 2010 and
continuing to work out and be healthy, I have yet to experience the condition again, but if I do, I know what
it is and that I'm not going to die of a heart attack.

Go get checked out! I'm sure it will be just fine! Best of Luck!

abigailm83 · January 2012

I had this same convo with my trainer on Tuesday. However am not in shape (yet) but I go very hard in my cardio. At the end of my warm up my trainer wanted to see what my heat rate was and it was 5 beats over my max heart rate. My target is 155-173 and my max is 190. He told me that if it gets that high not to slow down but stop completely. I never really thought about it before because I guess I had it in my head that the harder I worked out the better. After being told all this I finished my cardio and was able to keep my heart rate in my target zone or just a little above. I was really surprised to find out that keeping my heart rate in check I didn't even get winded. So it doesn't surprise me that you can carry on a convo while having you heart rate up since your in much better shape than I. Don't know what to tell you on the extra heart beat but this might be something I should look into also cuz I've been asked by two different doctors if I have a heart murmur and now that I think about it one of them said it almost sounded like I had an extra beat in there. Glad I saw your post,

nicholjenny · January 2012

I am a heart patient... double mechanical valve replacement in November 2010. I occasionally have skipped heartbeats (palpitations). I'm not a doctor but I have been told that there is no need to freak out unless it doesn't stop on its own. However, you should definitely mention it to your doctor to get it checked out. You may want to ask the staff how the machine calculates calories burned. It may just use your weight, speed, and incline.

My current issue is that my heart rate during intense cardio runs about 175-179. I'm 40 years old and 144lbs. I can't seem to make progress such as gaining speed and distance during running. I plan to ask my cardiologist how to bring my "working" heart rate down to an 80% range without giving up the calorie burn. Hoping to get an answer that works.

DopeItUp · January 2012

I wouldn't sweat it, she probably just wasn't working out that hard. I usually sustain at least 160, upwards of 170 when I work out too. 135 is like a fast walk or a slow jog for me. Upper 190s during HIIT easily. I think last time i measured my resting rate it was 66 or 67 too so we're fairly similar (except I'm roughly twice your size).

Rodneymc4 · January 2012

To answer your question

"if my HRM is picking up extra beats is the calorie burn that it shows accurate?"

It's accurate if your heart is actually beating as fast as the monitor claims. KiloCals are units of energy... the more times your heart beats the more energy you use. There are other factors but if your heart is actually pumping 178 times per minute than yes you are using more energy --Kcals or calories.

rubybeach · January 2012

I have a high heart rate as well...... I attribute it to my asthma, but I try and slow down when it gets really high.

Heart Rate Too High?

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