Your Heart Rate is Too Fast---Slow Down Now

bethelcheryl
bethelcheryl Posts: 199 Member
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
The title of my post is the warning the elliptical machine at the gym gives me when I bother to check. I generally hold the handles so my fingers aren't touching the sensors so I don't have a heart rate measure. But sometimes I'm curious, so this afternoon I tested it a few times during my 30 minute workout. My heart rate was 145-147 during the middle of my workout. After cooling down for one minute, it was 121.

Am I overexerting myself? I thought the whole idea was to work hard, sweat a lot and burn off some calories.
I feel good after my workouts. I don't want to slow down. According to that machine I burned off 251 calories. According to MFP, I burned more, but I go by the machine. Do they set the machine to give warning like that on the off chance I will have a heart attack and sue the gym or the elliptical company? Do all the machines do that?

Replies

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    It's hard to imagine why they would feel compelled to give so strong a message unless you were doing some type of 'fat burn" program or it somehow thought you were working at 100+% of your estimated max heart rate.

    This is not typical of major equipment brands -- what brand and model is this elliptical?

    PS: ignore the message--you are fine.
  • chasity09
    chasity09 Posts: 18
    i sum times think the same thing when iam just sitting around my heart rate is like 55-65 but when i work out like today it was 165. humm now iam off to do some research!!
  • kathleen2001
    kathleen2001 Posts: 154
    Bump for later!
  • TheNewDoug
    TheNewDoug Posts: 56
    Shouldn't be even close to 90% of your max hr if you entered everything in there and are really 41. You may have selected a fat burning mode which wants you to keep your hr in a certain "zone". There is a theory that you burn more fat at a slower speed. I don't know the specifics though. Also, many of those reading units are gyms are broke or not accurate,.
  • kaizen31
    kaizen31 Posts: 74 Member
    Sounds like a normal exercise rate to me! Use an online calculator to find the max heart rate for your age/gender/etc. If you had a history of cardiac issues or you were feeling chest pain/arm pain/extreme fatigue, then I would be more concerned.
  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
    I agree, it was set to the wrong mode. I am supposed to get to 150-160
  • minkakross
    minkakross Posts: 687 Member
    talk to your doctor, I have a naturally high heart rate and my fitness trainer was freaking out when she took my pulse during warm up and nearly had a heart attack of her own while I was in full work out mode. I tried to reassure her that I have had a cardiac stress test and while it was noted I have a naturally high heart rate at rest or while exerting myself I'm not in any danger of falling over dead. The machines don't account for individual variability they just have a number they try to make all their users fit within, unless you feel like you're straining I would worry but if you have faintness, trouble breathing, chest pain or can feel skipped beats or other heart abnormalities I would ask my primary care doctor for a check up and maybe a referral just to make sure you're not putting yourself at risk.
  • LovesGG
    LovesGG Posts: 241 Member
    If it's one of those machines that ask you for your age and weight, they're just warning you based on your "maximum predicted heart rate."
  • djthom
    djthom Posts: 651 Member
    I'm 51 and use the elliptical all the time. My heart rate while working out is usually between 125-150. I've even gone up to 160 without any problem. If you feel okay I wouldn't worry about it. If on the other hand you get dizzy, lightheaded or experience any pain, STOP!
  • bethelcheryl
    bethelcheryl Posts: 199 Member
    I just checked my resting pulse and it's 76.
  • bethelcheryl
    bethelcheryl Posts: 199 Member
    Shouldn't be even close to 90% of your max hr if you entered everything in there and are really 41. You may have selected a fat burning mode which wants you to keep your hr in a certain "zone". There is a theory that you burn more fat at a slower speed. I don't know the specifics though. Also, many of those reading units are gyms are broke or not accurate,.

    Aha! I do set it to the "fat burn" mode. When I first started at that gym, I just selected the program that sounded the best to me. Obviously didn't put much thought into it. I don't think the machine is broken. The gym is relatively new.

    Thanks for the info :)
  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    Please understand that I am learning, too, but I had this same question and I read the following information that I think is helpful. I hope you do, too.

    Regarding Work-Out Intensity... where should you be?

    Zone 1:
    The Healthy Heart Zone where you exercise at 50% to 60% of your maximum heart rate. This is the easiest zone within which to exercise and ideal for those who are just beginning. At this level the intensity is low, you can talk easily, it is easy to maintain, the risk of injury is low and it is beneficial for overall health. It burns a high percentage of fat, but a small number of total calories.

    Zone 2
    The Fitness Zone where you exercise at 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. The benefits of this zone are the same as the first with the addition that it provides more cardiorespiratory benefits and you burn more calories.

    Zone 3:
    The Aerobic Zone where you exercise at 70% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. In this zone, your cardiovascular and respiratory capacity will greatly improve, you will burn fat and more total calories for less time compared with the lower zones.

    Zone 4:
    The Threshold or Anaerobic Zone, where you exercise at 80% to 90% of your maximum heart rate. This is the zone for improving fitness and performance. It burns a low percentage of fat, but many more calories.

    There is a lot more information published by Bandolier, an independent journal about evidence-based healthcare, written by Oxford scientists, at this webpage:

    http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/hliving/startoex.html

    I only shared the part about work-out intensity, but there is MUCH more to it than that. As I am so big and out of shape, I am trying to stay in Zone 1 with forays into Zone 2 once in a while for extra calorie burn. It should be something you study and decide on for your own fitness level, I think.

    Hope that is helpful!
  • TheNewDoug
    TheNewDoug Posts: 56
    Lots of debate on the fat burning zone as well.Your max hr should be 181.
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    talk to your doctor, I have a naturally high heart rate and my fitness trainer was freaking out when she took my pulse during warm up and nearly had a heart attack of her own while I was in full work out mode. I tried to reassure her that I have had a cardiac stress test and while it was noted I have a naturally high heart rate at rest or while exerting myself I'm not in any danger of falling over dead. The machines don't account for individual variability they just have a number they try to make all their users fit within, unless you feel like you're straining I would worry but if you have faintness, trouble breathing, chest pain or can feel skipped beats or other heart abnormalities I would ask my primary care doctor for a check up and maybe a referral just to make sure you're not putting yourself at risk.

    I just had a similar conversation with my PCP (I work with him, so it's easy to ask questions on the fly). My resting hear rate is on the high side (usually 85-95 bpm). And I take a calcium channel blocker because of this (I've had to be cardioverted in the ER once due to a heart rate of 250+). At any rate, I asked him 1) how can I know what my max heart rate is and 2) if I can't figure out my max heart rate, how do I calulate 90% of that to make sure I'm "in the zone." He said basically I can't. He said he would recommend slowing down if I get up around 170 and consider 180 to be my max. My HRM says my zone should be 113-148. I often go up to 155-160 and I get the beep beep that I'm not in my zone. I just ignore it.
  • TheNewDoug
    TheNewDoug Posts: 56
    If you are really concerned about it and want to keep track of calories burned a lot more accurately, purchase a heart rate monitor with a chest strap. The brand Polar makes some really nice ones.
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
    My elliptical workouts are between 95-105% my alleged max heart-rate for typically 40-70 mins. Unless you're having chest pains or have a history of cardiac disease that doesn't sound like you're overdoing it. Change the machine's settings so it doesn't bug you. Of course work up slowly.
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    when i first started doing spin classes and was alot fatter, i would easy get up to over 170 and was telling my PT that, thinking that i was close to heart attack. and she said she can easily get up over that heart rate... she is alot younger than me, admittedly.

    but now i've lost a heap of weight, and am alot fitter, i struggle to get my heart rate over 145.
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
    increase the resistance and/or speed. Your HR will go up higher guaranteed.
  • RunDottyRun
    RunDottyRun Posts: 95
    My HR when working out is always between 150-190.
  • Mompanda4
    Mompanda4 Posts: 869 Member
    Bump
  • Caerith
    Caerith Posts: 15
    Are you staying hydrated?

    About a year ago, I checked into the hospital with a resting heartrate of 160. Granted, I was checking in because my appendix had ruptured, but when they took my vitals they thought the machine was broken and had to re-check with fingers and a clock. My blood pressure was perfect, my body weight within acceptable bounds, and I have nerves of steel so it wasn't stress or pain causing my pulse to race. I was, predictably, dehydrated. (For three days before I checked in, I thought it was just food poisoning and I wasn't able to keep anything down, so this is less than surprising.)

    Since then, whenever I go too long without water, when I sweat too much or whatever, my heart starts pounding. I'm really bad at drinking enough water, so it happens more than I'd like to admit.

    YMMV, of course, but there's no harm in drinking more water.
  • bethelcheryl
    bethelcheryl Posts: 199 Member
    That is interesting. I'm bad at drinking water too, and once or twice when I had a nasty stomach virus my pulse started to race. When I first started working out, I would get headaches. I figured out that it was because I wasn't drinking anything before working out. I make sure I do that now. But I still should probably drink more water.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Your max heart rate is 220-your age eg mine would be 201 and then 75% of that is what you should be working towards but can go higher usually as high as 90% if doing really, really intense bootcamp etc
  • TheNewDoug
    TheNewDoug Posts: 56
    The more fit you get, the harder it will be to get your heart rate up.
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
    That is interesting. I'm bad at drinking water too, and once or twice when I had a nasty stomach virus my pulse started to race. When I first started working out, I would get headaches. I figured out that it was because I wasn't drinking anything before working out. I make sure I do that now. But I still should probably drink more water.

    Your pulse would be unusually high if you were dehydrated or your electrolytes were out of balance. The things is, though, your pulse wasn't extremely high according to your report even for your age. You should always be well hydrated but the problem is the machine's settings not your pulse.

    I don't really understand comments here that the more fit you are the harder it is to get your pulse high. It's one of those things that manages to be both true and baloney. Yes if you do exactly the same workout over time you will acclimate to it and your pulse & breathing will decrease. But how do you manage to do that? I don't know about anyone else but as I improve I set higher goals for myself. Why would I keep the goals I had when I was de-conditioned if I'm now exercising regularly & more fit? You're not going to get any benefit from phoning it in. Therefore as you acclimate you should be increasing intensity & duration or at least changing the routine. Therefore as you get more fit, if you are training properly, you will be more comfortably raising your pulse higher and can do it longer doing much harder work. You should also find as you get more fit that your resting pulse lowers, your recovery is quicker & more complete between workouts, and also that your pulse returns to resting much quicker after exertion.
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