Max HR ??? is 200+ very bad?

Bill-e

I go to the gym every few days, at least twice a week. But until now I've just done free weights and a bit of cycling.
I was on the cross trainer the last few weeks, doing the cross county mode. My heart rate went to 199 after about 10 mins just when I was the the highest points of resistance. At times it went to 66. I think that the monitor does go past 200 and starts back at 65...

I play squash every so often and recently put on a polar heart rate monitor. After a really intense game it looked down and it was at 207bpm...

My question: Is this very bad? or is it good to push it out a bit? I'm 6'3" and 18stone...

rinnin

I wouldnt take any medical advice from someone on Boards.ie but the following is just what I think. If worried - see your GP.

Well if you were under 20 years old and an elite athelete I'd say 199 would be expected if you were going full out working in the anaerobic zone.
Generally your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) is 220 - age.
Heres a calculator and some advice:
http://tinyurl.com/2laq8j

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = the maximum heart rate a person can achieve during maximal exertion
Generally: 220 - age = MHR
Target Heart Rate:
50-60% of MHR = maintain healthy heart
60-70% of MHR = lose weight / burn fat
70-80% of MHR = increase stamina / Aerobic zone
80-90% of MHR = performance training / Anaerobic zone
e.g. A 50 year old would have a MHR of 220 - 50 = 170bpm
170 x 70% = 119bpm

A lot of those hand grip heart monitors can be dodgy though & best to get your pulse manually in 15 secs & multiply by 4.
Hope this helps

EileenG

I suspect that the machine you were using to measure your heart rate was crap.

If you were really doing 200bpm, then you'd be absolutely going flat out, breathing like a freight train and sweating buckets. You'd probably hit 200 if you were being chased by a knife wielding maniac, not if you are doing cardio in a gym. And you are not likely to go from 200 to 66.

Next time, take your own pulse and time it yourself. There's a big artery just behind the windpipe under your chin that's easy to find and track your pulse. One in your groin as well, but you are likely to get odd looks if you check that one in the gym.

Khannie

I've hit 197 before while wearing a monitor. Different people have different max heart rates. Could be that the monitor was crap too. I wouldn't be overly concerned about it myself. If you are, see your doctor.