Max Heart rate?

sharky86

Can someone please tellhow to measure MHR? each formula I use I get a different answer? Is there a practical way to do this?

Currently I am on week 4 of the couch to 5k programme and my heart rates goes from around 140 - 170bpm,Is thisabout right? I am looking to kick start fat burning along with increasing my fitness level and lung cap.

I'm a 24year old male

Khannie

Anything that attempts to measure your MHR but doesn't involve actually moving = rubbish. I have a book upstairs that has a few ways of estimating it based on activity without actually hitting it. I'll try to dig it out for you.

140-170 is a reasonable range for light to moderate exercise (I'm assuming that's what you're getting currently?).

sharky86

Well during the first two weeks of the progam I was hitting 180 - 185 during the runs and dropping down to 140 while walking.I'm putting this down to been seriously unfit and now I'm only ever hitting the 175 during the last minute or so or the last run and dropping down to 130 during the walks.

Sign of fitness starting to improve?? I've gone from feeling that my legs could carry on and my lungs not been able for it to my lungs been ok, getting into a rhytem and my legs not been able to continue. Which is a good thing I quess.

Any help would be great.

Thanks Khannie

Khannie

sharky86 wrote: »

Sign of fitness starting to improve??

Yep. Definitely.

sharky86 wrote: »

I've gone from feeling that my legs could carry on and my lungs not been able for it to my lungs been ok, getting into a rhytem and my legs not been able to continue. Which is a good thing I quess.

That's another good sign. In another while you'll find you can just press on almost indefinitely. When you reach that level if you want to bump your fitness further you'll want to improve your pace to increase the heart rate (imagine that! ).

There are a couple of ways of using the HRM. I'll generally pick a target heart rate and try to maintain it. I'll see the times for a specific run drop and know that I'm getting fitter.

sharky86

thanks khannie, I'm going to finish out this program and hopefully have a set 5k route by then. I will start doing this at this stage hopefully.

if you happen to come accross the name of that book I would be very interested, always up for a good read.

EileenG

Another useful sign of increased fitness is your heart rate dropping from high to low quickly. Fit people can be belting along with heart rate at 90-05% of max, and when they take a break, it returns to normal in a minute or two.

Khannie

sharky86 wrote: »

if you happen to come accross the name of that book I would be very interested, always up for a good read.

This is it. A good but not a brilliant read.

sharky86

thanking you folks,

sharky86

Damn!! Ended up back drinking and smoking for the last few days! well smoking mostly and tried to runagainand all the benefits I could feel beforehand were comletely ruinedin the space of 4 days!! That stuff really is bad for you

fcukhu

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate

This might help, or if you Google it, there are others. Be careful, when I was getting back to fitness, I was exercising at a heart rate WAY above my max without realising it. I just spotted an old chart on a gym wall that put me wise...

Don't overdo it!

EileenG

If you are able to work out at a heart rate higher than than your "official" max, and you are not clutching your chest and needing an oxygen tent, then you are fine. That number is an estimate, nothing more. My max is supposed to be 175bpm (200 - my age), but I've often gone 190, and I know that wasn't my true max. With the right incentive, I could have gone higher.

Khannie

fcukhu wrote: »

I was exercising at a heart rate WAY above my max without realising it. I just spotted an old chart on a gym wall that put me wise...

You can't go beyond your max. It's your max like. The chart on the gym wall is only a guideline and you should treat it as such. The only way to really work out your MHR is to measure it (or estimate it through measurement of some kind).

lynnemc

max heart rate is calculated
220 - your age = max heart rate

EileenG

lynnemc wrote: »

max heart rate is calculated
220 - your age = max heart rate

That's an estimate. If it were accurate, I've gone at 110% of my max, and I didn't even drop down dead. If you are fit, you can go a lot higher than 220-age.

lynnemc

no **** Sherlock

flywheel

EileenG wrote: »

That's an estimate. If it were accurate, I've gone at 110% of my max, and I didn't even drop down dead. If you are fit, you can go a lot higher than 220-age.

the standard deviation can be up to 20 beats plus and minus depending on the person, some people can have a max. heart rate lower than the 220-age result...

Khannie

lynnemc wrote: »

max heart rate is calculated
220 - your age = max heart rate

No, max heart rate is not calculated. It varies by person and the only way to know it is to measure it.

What you have above is a (crude) way of estimating it. That's all.

Mellor

lynnemc wrote: »

no **** Sherlock

so why did you bring up a redundant point?

flywheel wrote: »

the standard deviation can be up to 20 beats plus and minus depending on the person, some people can have a max. heart rate lower than the 220-age result...

Which only makes the 200-age estimate even less accurate.

I'd say for me that estimate is pretty close. Just from figures I have hit. Never tested my max though