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I recently purchased a new heart rate moniter and it confirmed what I'd suspected for a while; when exercising at anything more than an extremely moderate pace, my heart rate goes above the 85% range of my maximum and stays there. I have considerable drop in the first minute after ceasing exercise, (as much as 45 beats per minute). My question is: am I doing harm by regularly and repeatedly exercising in the "performance zone" of 85%+?
I've actually been able to take my heart rate above what it calculates my maximum heart rate to be.
A few stats for some background:
39 years old, 6'2" 195 lbs. Resting heart rate:42 beats per minute. I do 3 different cardio workouts, 1 is a sprint workout for about 15 minutes, one is a combination run (2-3 miles) bike 10-30 kms and run 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 miles and the third is a long slow distance run of at least 6 miles at 10 minutes per mile.
I find I have to work hard to keep my heart rate below the 85% range even when doing 10 minute miles. In my shorter runs I run at about a 6:40 and am able to run a sub 6 minute mile. I also use weight training and am ramping up the on bike workouts as the weather warms up.
I'm training for bike race season, both road and mountain and duathlons but I'm wondering if I should be emphasizing the "fitness zone" of 65-85% more than the "performance zone" of 85% plus.
While I appreciate all responses, I would actually only like to hear from well qualified persons, I dont mean to be rude, but I can speculate just fine on my own and would like serious answers from people trained, qualified and experienced in high performance training. THanks, no disrespect intended
Honestly, I don't know about the effects of exceeding 85% consistently. I remember during a cardiac stress test (on a treadmill), they were trying to get my heart to >90% but that was under controlled settings and for just 30 minutes or so.
I would wonder about blood pressure. Maybe monitor your resting BP and contrast that against the readings as you're doing 80-85%. Then I'd probably check it out with a doctor just to be sure.
firedudecndn, I am a Sports Scientist by qualification. I will try my best to briefly answer your question based on my available knowledge.
Your maximum was calculated based on what criteria or method? 220-age?
Maximum HR can be very subjective and it differs from individual to individual, you maybe someone with a higher maximum HR. So you may not be doing your personal 85% level.
Training-wise, you have to work at lower intensities and high intensities. Variation will do your body good as it needs to rest too.
Bottom-line is if you don't feel giddy or discomfort while working out, I don't think you should worry too much.
Not sure if the respondents understood your worry here....If you are saying that when you work at what seems like a very moderate/light effort and your heart rate is very high, I would think that is cause for concern indeed! But if you are comfortable with exercising at higher heart rates, and you are in good shape compared to average, then maybe you just have a smaller heart that needs to pump a little faster...
As for exceeding the "maximum", I have done that too using the heart rate monitor I bought from Go-Mango Fitness Equipment (shameless plug). The charts are just a general guide and nobody should expect to conform perfectly to it.
Of course, the best thing to do would be mention it to your doctor if you are very concerned...
you say after training your hr drops very fast,thats a good thing it means you are a fit guy,some guys can walk and get there hr to 85% others have to run hard for the same i wouldnt worry about it as sam said "Bottom-line is if you don't feel giddy or discomfort while working out, I don't think you should worry too much."
Hi,
I'm a qualified fitness instructor, have a sports degree and have had a heart condition for years so have obviously learnt quite a lot about cardiac issues and exercise over the years.
As a respondent said I get the feeling you've used the mathematical formula to calculate your MHR? Most modern heart rate monitors have built in tests in them now to calculate your MHR, or Own Index with HRs at different levels of workout, so check if yours does. If not there are simple practical tests you can do to calculate it. It could simply be that what you believe to be training at 85% is only 65%.
MHRs vary greatly between individuals and with fitness as we know but you do say your RHR returns very quickly and is good so if you have been training for a while this simply means you are fit!
There is no point panickng about the perceived high work load until you are certain that is what it is, and if you are only a few beats over what you thought again this shouldn't be cause for concern. I would only get it checked with docs if you have any accompanying symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness or sickness. If you do have a natural higher heart rate it really just is a matter of listening to your body and reviewing your training progress. As already said variety is the spice of life to ensure total fitness too
I'm 32 and my RHR when fit is around 43-45 but my maximum heart rate can go as high as 250 as I have electrical problems in my ticker. My cardiologist even had it at 280-290 during tests! But I do get other symptoms such as chest pains, pain in the jaw, down the arm and pass out if not careful. It is controllable but restricts certain activities so I'm now getting a 2nd operation and maybe a pacemaker in so I can get back to normal at long last. I train religiously with a HR monitor and do try to remain fit, it just means I look like one of those sad joggers in pain as can't really run fast as my HR goes mad!
Let us know how you get on as this area is a great interest of mine
How is the race season coming along? I've been racing mountain, road and cyclocross for quite a while now. Although I didn't use one much in the past, I found a simple HR monitor to help with workouts. I would be really curious to hear how you do at your first bike race, especially if it is of longer duration. Why? Well, because recently there is some conflicting advice as to the best method to training for cycling and based on what I am reading here you sort of fall in the more recent theories. Basically some folks argue that more frequent high-intensity training can actually be more beneficial (for cycling) than starting a season with long, slow workouts and moving up to higher intensity stuff as you want to reach peak fitness. In the cycling circles almost everyone will agree that you should have a 'base' period of 8-12 weeks where you are mostly riding at easy levels. You than start to build in intensity until you reach race shape.
The reason so many believe in building base miles is so your body can acclimate to a race that lasts for 2-3-4-5 hours. That being said, there are many out there who believe this is unnecessary (to a point as I think every cyclist agrees you need to ride at least as long as you race) and that if you simply do intensity you can crank during even the longest races.
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