Heart rate HELP!!!

bobjimmy

Hi i got one of those polar heart rate monitors as a christmas present. When using this i found that when im running my heart rate exceeds 190. I thought it might have just been a glitch but when i was running on a treadmill in the gym which gave my heart rate it also exceeded 190
Im 20 which would give my heart rate a max of 200 wouldnt it? I would be fairly athletic playing hurling and football and am in relatively good shape. Am i just unfit or could there be an underlying condition. Thanks In Advance

Oryx

The 220 minus your age thing is only a guide, there can be variation in individuals. The only way to know your max hr is to do an actual test. There are some simple ones you can do alone, some need help of another person to track your hr as you do the test, or you can go to a testing lab and get a whole range of tests done.

Once you know your max (and resting) rate, you can work out your optimum training zones, which is where the monitor becomes useful.

bobjimmy

Oryx wrote: »

The 220 minus your age thing is only a guide, there can be variation in individuals. The only way to know your max hr is to do an actual test. There are some simple ones you can do alone, some need help of another person to track your hr as you do the test, or you can go to a testing lab and get a whole range of tests done.

Once you know your max (and resting) rate, you can work out your optimum training zones, which is where the monitor becomes useful.

Thanks. Does 190 sound like a high heart rate to you ?

Oryx

bobjimmy wrote: »

Thanks. Does 190 sound like a high heart rate to you ?

How did you feel at that hr? I don't know if it's high for you, were all different. My max for running is 185, for instance. (Cycling is lower).

TommyKnocker

I am not sure what you mean by "When using this i found that when im running my heart rate exceeds 190."

At what point in your run is your heart rate hitting 190?

Is it 5 minutes into a easy run @ 10/12 min mile pace or at the end of a race pace 10K or during HIIT/sprint sessions?

How long dose your hr remain at this rate? is it for a couple of minutes at the end of a long/hard session or is itfor most of the run?

220 - age is a generic test and everybody is different, so this may be inaccurate for some people. But at the same time you should only be hitting close to your max hr under intense stress, it should not be the norm.

IMHO you should really discuss this with a trained medical professional who could run tests or refer you for testing, so you know if all is ok.

I have NO medical training what so ever, but in answer to you question, yes, I would consider a hr of 190 high, but normal if it occurs at the end of a race while sprinting for the line to get a time or at the end of hard speed sessions. If I found my hr this high when not pushing close to my limit, then I would be speaking to my GP.

bobjimmy

TommyKnocker wrote: »

I am not sure what you mean by "When using this i found that when im running my heart rate exceeds 190."

At what point in your run is your heart rate hitting 190?

Is it 5 minutes into a easy run @ 10/12 min mile pace or at the end of a race pace 10K or during HIIT/sprint sessions?

How long dose your hr remain at this rate? is it for a couple of minutes at the end of a long/hard session or is itfor most of the run?

220 - age is a generic test and everybody is different, so this may be inaccurate for some people. But at the same time you should only be hitting close to your max hr under intense stress, it should not be the norm.

IMHO you should really discuss this with a trained medical professional who could run tests or refer you for testing, so you know if all is ok.

I have NO medical training what so ever, but in answer to you question, yes, I would consider a hr of 190 high, but normal if it occurs at the end of a race while sprinting for the line to get a time or at the end of hard speed sessions. If I found my hr this high when not pushing close to my limit, then I would be speaking to my GP.

Im doing sprint training in order to increase my speed.

My first training using a polar heart monitor consisted of a 14m sprint out and back to the start. Then continuing at the same pace out 21m nd back. This continued out to 45m and 65m.

Next using the treadmill i had it set to 17km/h doing a 5 min run.

During my first run throughout my heart rate seemed to stay around 190

And as for the treadmill i can only take the heart rate at the end of the run!

menoscemo

bobjimmy wrote: »

Im doing sprint training in order to increase my speed.

My first training using a polar heart monitor consisted of a 14m sprint out and back to the start. Then continuing at the same pace out 21m nd back. This continued out to 45m and 65m.

Next using the treadmill i had it set to 17km/h doing a 5 min run.

During my first run throughout my heart rate seemed to stay around 190

And as for the treadmill i can only take the heart rate at the end of the run!

If you are getting the HR of 190+ during sprints and/or very fast 5 minute runs then it is probably close enough to your Max assuming you are going all out.
There is no harm in getting up close to your Max HR if you are speed training like the above. If you think it is too high then the simple solution is to go a bit slower.

Rower2

You never really said how you were feeling at 190?