Heart rate ?

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Nyranee
Nyranee Posts: 57
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello All,

I recently started going to the gym and mainly walk or do some yoga classes. I am still very unfit but start seing that my heart rate isn't that high with walking now that I do this the thirt week. However I am really insecure with monitoring my heart rate as I just don't know what would be the maximum peaks I can have when I include some jogging in my walking routine.

Currently within a few seconds my heart rate goes up to around 160 and I then slow down again to around 130. I would like to know what would be ok to reach in such an interval ? 160 or 170 or even higher ?

I would like to gain some endurance and just a stronger heart with walking / jogging intervalls, and maybe one day I can jogg for a longer time.

Thanks for your advise.

Nyra
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Replies

  • georgie_lou
    georgie_lou Posts: 224 Member
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    My heart rate does that...When I do interval training (running and walking on a treadmill mainly) it spikes often. I'm told this will decrease the fitter I get
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    But how much peaking is aceptable, not dangerous ?

    I would like to increase the jogging time but currently I slow once I reach that high... not sure if I should push it and increase the heart rate further?
  • georgie_lou
    georgie_lou Posts: 224 Member
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    Mine jumps from 90 to 140 om a matter of a minute. Apparently this is ok. I wondered about it as you are and asked sa trainer at the gym
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    you see that sounds normal for me.

    I am around 128 when I walk 5.3 and once I run around 6.5 it jumps to 160+ so I slow down after few seconds.
  • Kirkajuice
    Kirkajuice Posts: 311 Member
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    If I work hard, mine goes to around 184, but I never keep it there for long and it just goes back down again within a minute.
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    Ok so I guess I will try to push a bit more and see how I feel then and how fast it slows back to normal after.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Mine is always really high, usually between 170 and 180 when doing intensive cardio and it will stay up there for the duration but I recover really quickly afterwards and it comes straight down when I stop. It's just the way I've always been. Everyone is different so it's what's 'normal' for you that counts.
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    Thank you this makes me feel more normal. I will give it a brave try and push a bit longer :)
  • georgie_lou
    georgie_lou Posts: 224 Member
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    If you feel lightheaded or faint or like you're gonna vomit slow down lol
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    Will definetly slow down then :laugh: Iam over careful when it comes to this, guess that's why I am so scared to play with the heart rate.

    I will let you know how it goes after the gym tonight.
  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
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    I think that before anything serious happens your normally will pass out or faint. It's sort of like the body's way of getting itself back to normal. It can be very scary and really embarrassing but, often times not serious. That being said, you certainly don't want that to happen!! I usually like to work out at about double my resting rate. (which means I usually work out at 140, give or take 5-10 is just fine for me) It doesn't tax me too much and I still sweat a good amount :)
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    I so not want to faint !

    Will try to push it by time and not go over 170 spikes and then I see how I go with this.

    Should be able to tell tonight how it felt.

    Thank you all for your advise.
  • paulwgun
    paulwgun Posts: 439 Member
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    Your MHR is around 189 BPM

    226 - your age 37 = 189

    for men its 220 - age

    My max is 171 and im hitting 164/165 in an intense spin class
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Your MHR is around 189 BPM

    226 - your age 37 = 189

    for men its 220 - age

    Yup, these numbers are a good guide to start with. Unless you have any medical concerns (in which case you should see your doctor) don't worry too much until you get up near the maximum range. Be aware of how your body is responding and slow down if you feel faint etc, but don't go slower just because of what the numbers say, be guided by your body and what you can do.

    Also, be aware that these numbers are very rubbery - your maximum may in fact be quite a bit higher of lower - you'll know when you get to a point that you can't continue! (According to this formula my max heart rate should be 181, but my heart rate monitor has recorded numbers over 200 enough times to make me think that it's not an error.)
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
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    I does stabilize a lot as you get fitter; overall the healthy heart rate depends on your age and general frame (for humans there's not that much variance but for example an elephant's resting heart rate is 28 and a mouse's 500 beats per minute); so basicaly a teenager will have a faster heart rate than a fully grown person.

    Anyways, when I first started working out I was really out of shape, I'd get up to 180-185 and stay there which supposedly isn't that healthy but it didn't feel any differentfrom 170 and I felt like I could still push myself. Now though, it generally stays between 160 to 180 even when I'm really really pushing (intervals).
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    Your MHR is around 189 BPM

    226 - your age 37 = 189

    for men its 220 - age

    My max is 171 and im hitting 164/165 in an intense spin class

    Great THANK you ! That's the information I was looking for.
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    Your MHR is around 189 BPM

    226 - your age 37 = 189

    for men its 220 - age

    Yup, these numbers are a good guide to start with. Unless you have any medical concerns (in which case you should see your doctor) don't worry too much until you get up near the maximum range. Be aware of how your body is responding and slow down if you feel faint etc, but don't go slower just because of what the numbers say, be guided by your body and what you can do.

    Also, be aware that these numbers are very rubbery - your maximum may in fact be quite a bit higher of lower - you'll know when you get to a point that you can't continue! (According to this formula my max heart rate should be 181, but my heart rate monitor has recorded numbers over 200 enough times to make me think that it's not an error.)

    Thank you very much for this detailed response. I will need to learn to listen to my body needs. Guess I didn't listen so long nad that's what caused my overweight and undermovement. That's why I need some numbers to reassure I am not risking anything.

    I will try today to push to a higher range and weill record how I feel and how long I lasted etc.
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    I does stabilize a lot as you get fitter; overall the healthy heart rate depends on your age and general frame (for humans there's not that much variance but for example an elephant's resting heart rate is 28 and a mouse's 500 beats per minute); so basicaly a teenager will have a faster heart rate than a fully grown person.

    Anyways, when I first started working out I was really out of shape, I'd get up to 180-185 and stay there which supposedly isn't that healthy but it didn't feel any differentfrom 170 and I felt like I could still push myself. Now though, it generally stays between 160 to 180 even when I'm really really pushing (intervals).

    That sounds like your body learned to perform in that range. How long did it approx take you to have a healthier range permanently?
  • handle123
    handle123 Posts: 62
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    great post i asked the same question yesterday. mine peaked at 192 bpm on Sunday at the gym, i was doing interval training on the cross trainer this is the highest its ever gone that ive noticed.

    Ive bought a heart rate monitor so i can track it a bit better.
  • mutineer33
    mutineer33 Posts: 3
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    Hi -- actually this is my first time posting -- although I have been on this site since April. I am a huge believer in heart rate based fitness.

    I would not worry too much about individual one or two second spikes too much as monitors can sometimes make an inaccurate read -- better to trust your body.

    What you want to do is find your "comfort zone" for sustainable exercises. This is a rate where you are likely sweating profusely and breathing hard enough that you find it difficult but not impossible to hold a conversation. It may take a week or two to find that zone if first starting out because your fitness level is poor and ANY exercise is going to be challenging; but, fight through it and your body will figure it out and adapt.

    Typically the maximum heart rate is 220 - your age. So say if you are age 40, your maximum target heart rate would be 180 (220-40)

    I am assuming you are not a triathlete or something but rather an average person trying to lose weight. In this case, and VERY IMPORTANTLY, this should NOT be your target hear rate for weight loss as it is unlikely to be sustainable nor for that matter even healthy in some cases.

    Typically what you want is to be exercising consistently with a "zone" that is 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate and sustain your rate within that zone for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, and longer if you can. So for a 40 year old this would be a range of 108 to 126. Where possible you can push your rate up to 80% of maximum for 5 to 10 minutes (if you can) so maybe up to 144 in shorter bursts.

    I personally try to do one hour of cardio at 65% to 70% but mix in one or two 5 minute challenges to bump it up to 80% -- sort of like jogging but adding some sprints to your jog.

    There are several excellent heart rate monitors out there and i would recommend them as heart rate monitoring is also an excellent predictor of calories being burned.

    These are just indicators only so you need to listen to your body.

    I am pretty knowledgeable about fitness having dropped 25kg (about 55 pounds) over the past year but I am not a health or fitness pro. Of course you should get your heart checked by your doctor before doing anything to intense.

    Good Luck!

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