Have a heart! (rate query)

bad2dabone

So I think i'm a bit unusual in the heart department, I've got a resting heart rate of 66 at the moment. when I was 25/26 and was fit it was 54 and my max using the innacurate 220 - age formula was apparently 195/194. Now at 33 my Max is supposidly 187bpms.
However why I say I'm unusual is I'm very comfortable (i.e not out of breath or feeling like i'm putting any effort in) at 140 - 150 bpm or 74% - 80% mhr. When I was fit I cycled a monster climb in Italy on a holiday and I've seen my heart beat at 202 (which is scary to see!) and I've seen the heart at 200 bpm (again when I was fit) on wingate road in howth.
Now I'm older last week I backed off when my heart beat hit 183 as I was trying to beat a friend up Howth hill as I don't fancy the ticker giving up on me.
I'd just like to know does anyone else see those kind of numbers?
Would those high BPMS concern anyone?
And how would I get a proper accurate reading of my max, without dying trying to test it out!?

Cork24

I have a polar heart Rate,

my Rest is 56 taken first thing in the Morning is the best time to get your Resting Heart Rate.

my Max Heart Rate should be around 194 but i can easy hit well over 210 going hard on the bike,

Spinning Classes i could go up to 215 and Avg at about 187. thats around 91% from Max.

I wouldn't worry about you Hitting your Max on Training,

Just make Sure when are recovering time on the bike your Heart rate can fall back down to around 150 or your Normal Heart Rate..

And when you are finished that your heart is around 110.. If you start getting Headaches and have a high heart rate when resting i would get Worried

bad2dabone

cool, thanks, it returns to normal pretty quickly after a hard effort. I also find that if I slow my breathing and focus on it it slows very quickly too.
Grand, I'm not a freak so!

Cork24

bad2dabone wrote: »

cool, thanks, it returns to normal pretty quickly after a hard effort. I also find that if I slow my breathing and focus on it it slows very quickly too.
Grand, I'm not a freak so!

Lol no,

I was freaking out before when I first got my polar so I ask my brother who's an EMT about heart rates and told me that if i get headaches, my heart rate is staying high, and pains then i should be worried,

But if your doing cardio at 80% your heart would be well used to that type of work out,

Raymzor

there is a lot of internet commentary on this area. your max HR can vary between sports. here is one suggested method of identifying ur max hr-warm up for 15 mins at least. climb a hill increasing ur effort steadily every minute. after 5mins get off bike and measure or record ur hr. this is ur max hr!

Dubba

I regularly see my HR readings go over 200bmp and I'm in my mid 30s but then I don't trust my Garmin 500 as a HRM. The whole 220 - your age thing is supposed to just a general estimate, or so I've heard and that its quite normal to be 20% + or - this figure. Also I wouldn't worry about pushing too hard, as far as I know it not even possible to hit your real max HR without passing out.

bad2dabone

Cool, I think I had it in my head that if I hit the max I'd just drop dead - foolish!

deandean

My abs max heartrate has been 175-180 for about 15 years now, I find I am a big sprocket & long crank arm type!

I have discussed with my GP who says fcuk the heartrate, and go enjoy yourself on yer bike.

blorg

I'm mid thirties and my max is 204. I can average a few BPM over what the formula predicts for my max over a period of an hour. It is just a rule of thumb, nothing more.

fixie fox

bad2dabone wrote: »

And how would I get a proper accurate reading of my max, without dying trying to test it out!?

This type of forum is the wrong place for this type of advice (with no disrespect to board members - it's just a general comment about about looking for this kind of serious advice on any on-line forum).

Also, your question is based on two variable. Firstly, the 220 minus your age guideline is next to useless. Secondly, the high readings could be the fault of interference or whatever (e.g. loose chest strap) - they don't mean that your hear was actually beating that fast.

One way to find out is to take your chances and race - racing will usually find near enough to your max. Again, depending on your equipment, you may get interference, but if you try hard enough you will get consistent max results

Beasty

fixie fox wrote: »

This type of forum is the wrong place for this type of advice (with no disrespect to board members - it's just a general comment about about looking for this kind of serious advice on any on-line forum).

fixie fox wrote: »

One way to find out is to take your chances and race - racing will usually find near enough to your max. Again, depending on your equipment, you may get interference, but if you try hard enough you will get consistent max results

OP, although fixie fox suggests you should not take "advice" such as his own, you can get a pretty good idea as to what your maximum is by looking at what you can get to when you are really pushing it. You don't need to race - I've been at or near maximum going up hills. You do need to be properly warmed up first though, and you don't need to pass out attempting it

However, like all strenuous sports, it's worth checking with your doctor first before attempting to push yourself to or near the limit, if only for the reassurance you have no underlying medical conditions that could cause problems.

FWIW (and that's not a lot) the max HR I've seen is about 17 more than the 220-age formula produces - I reckon my actual max is a few bpm beyond that