How to figure out your Maximum Heart Rate?

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LilacDreamer
LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just bought a Polar FT7 and as a 27 year old female, it tried to tell me my maximum heart rate was 193....but i felt like it was too high so i lowered it to like 160 something (165 i think).

WHat exactly does MHR mean...is it the maximum your heart will go before you enter the anaerobic zone, or is it the maximum your heart will beat/pump before you die?

How do i figure out what my MHR is?

does having it set at 165-ish mess with the calorie calculations on the Polar FT7? i want it to be as accurate as possible.

Age: 27
Height: about 5'7
Weight: 254
Female

Replies

  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    bump :)
  • BigDaddy822
    BigDaddy822 Posts: 99
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    A easy way to is to take 220 and subtract your age.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    A easy way to is to take 220 and subtract your age.


    that comes out to the number polar gave me...193...i wasnt sure if that was too high...does that have an effect on how my calorie burn is displayed on the hrm? because i dont want to be inaccurate...i just figured 165 seemed okay.
  • Amairee
    Amairee Posts: 71 Member
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    I use the same Polar unit and (as a 22 year old woman) get 198 as a maximum. And that works well for me. Again it is a maximum, so it will send out a little beep if/when you reach it, but it shouldn't be treated as a goal. I don't know what kind of exercise or intense cardio routines you do, but I've found I typically huddle in the 180s once I really get going. Every so often I'll hit my maximum and know I need to tone it down a bit.
  • getalife9353
    getalife9353 Posts: 100 Member
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    There are a number of formulas that can be used to calculate your theoretical maximum heart rate.

    HRmax = 220 – age (what polar uses)
    HRmax = 206.3 − (0.711 × age)
    HRmax = 217 − (0.85 × age)
    HRmax = 208 − (0.7 × age)

    All of these are based on statistical models that may or may not apply to you. Many people say that the formula that polar uses (220 – age) is the most inaccurate.

    The only really accurate way is to have a fitness test done.

    Please keep in mind that this is your max heart rate. This is not a heart rate that you should try to achieve in exercise. If you find yourself over 95% of HRmax you should back off a little on your intensity. You will not die the moment you hit your HRmax, but it may feel like it if you try to keep it at that rate, and you are definitely putting major stress on your heart which could have severe, undesirable results.
    When I startted using a HR monitor several years ago (Polar F7) and was cycling, I found myself at 118% of what it showed as my HRmax. I adjusted the HRmax to this number. I have since seen it display 99% on one bicycle ride, when I indeed was going all out.

    I would encourage you to do some research (internet search) on training with a HR monitor. This is a very valuable tool, with much more to offer then just tracking calories.

    To answer your question concerning calorie burn, I do believe it will have an effect, but I do not know by how much.

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