Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
Max heart rate
![[Deleted User]](https://w8.vanillicon.com/8fc2ca94f0dcaac2933c6fdcde474f09_100.png)
Can someone help me...
I'm forty years old with a resting H-R of 47, however my max is either 166 or 160 (more of that later). Now, I'm worried cause this seems awfully low. It should be around 180, shouldn't it...So, first point, should I read anything signigficant into the low max. I'm I less fit than I thought...is my heart knackered (God forbid)?
Second point, the two max readings differ because I wore my HRM in a gym and the treadmill I was on gave the higher reading (automatically reading the transmitter, I assume) and my watch gave the 160. So which should I believe in terms of working out my percentages at which to run...
Any suggestions, please. I'm confused!
I'm forty years old with a resting H-R of 47, however my max is either 166 or 160 (more of that later). Now, I'm worried cause this seems awfully low. It should be around 180, shouldn't it...So, first point, should I read anything signigficant into the low max. I'm I less fit than I thought...is my heart knackered (God forbid)?
Second point, the two max readings differ because I wore my HRM in a gym and the treadmill I was on gave the higher reading (automatically reading the transmitter, I assume) and my watch gave the 160. So which should I believe in terms of working out my percentages at which to run...
Any suggestions, please. I'm confused!
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
The resting HR is the best indicator for fitness.
And are you sure you went up to the max anyway? Was it a test you were doing - or just so cream-crackered you thought you were going to pass out?
PS Put my mind at rest about having a weird upper limit though...Cheers!
If you've seen 166, then 166 is your max unless you can force it higher. I don't use treadies and doubt you can get your real max on them, but I could be wrong.
This is how I got mine. Find a hill that's reasonably steep and about 300 yards long. Warm up with a couple of miles of gentle jogging. Then run up the hill to the top at a steady, not breakneck, pace. Jog down to the bottom and do it again immediately. Do five ascents, so that by the fourth you can only just make it to the top and on the fifth you give up near the top in a panting, lathered sweaty heap.
You should hit your max on the fourth or fifth ascent.
Thanks a bunch for that. I'm going to try your method and see what happens. Thanks.
I've just brought my second HRM but it's such a long time ago that I've used the first I cannot remember my max hr.
The way Muttley desribes how to get max hr is the same way I did before & plan to do again.
Your heart must be pretty well developed to have a resting rate of 42 !
William - sounds like you weren't on the Treadie long enough to see your max.
I got mine tested on a bike, and it was a good 15 min warm up, and then increasing the resistance every 2 minutes until I just couldn't take it any longer, and felt like my heart would explode !
You need to be well rested to get this, and after taking it, leave it a couple of weeks if you feel you weren't 100% flat out, before taking it again. It's very very strenuous.
My MHR is of course just 101.
I'd do anything to avoid running up a hill 5 times!
And is your max HR supposed to be high or low? (biology was never my best subject... and I really can't work out whether it's good or bad if your heart can beat really fast)
I reckon the best would be to have a low RHR, as that'd mean you have a big efficient heart, but also a really high Max, as you would then be able to pump the blood around quicker ????
You can develop your heart through exercise, but I guess genetics play a big part too ?
But if your resting HR is going down, it's a good indicator of increasing fitness levels - mine's down from 60 to 49 so far.
[struts proudly and really rather fitly actually in search of a knee to bite]
And if I can't understand the instructions that come with the HRM, I don't have a hope in hell of understanding a book on the subject.
I bought the HRM in January, I think, but haven't used it yet as I haven't figured out how to. I tried setting the max rate using the 220 formula, but I clearly did sth wrong as it started beeping alarmingly as I walked down the stairs. Unless I'm that unfit, which I don't believe. When I used a Polar HRM at the gym, the 'resting HR' (in as much as any HR could be described as 'resting' after a day's work) was about 43, and I managed to get it up to 200 going flat out on the treadie before I fell off the back, so I'd guess I'd be looking for similar numbers on my own HRM. In which case 220-age is clearly out!!
Don't suppose anyone else has a Timex Ironman 100-lap, do they? And if they do, do they live near me? ;-)
If genetics have anything to do with it, I might as well give up now...
In the book I have these are the points related to max hr:-
"It is genetically determined.
It varies greatly among people of the same age.
It is NOT an indicator for athletic ability.
It's about the same for men and women.
It cannot increase with training, but can decrease from a sedentary lifestyle.
It is sport-specific.
It is affected by some drugs such as beta blockers.
It remains fairly constant in fit individuals."
I also read that the smaller the heart the higher the max hr (genetics)because of less total blood volume?!
There's quite a few folks on here with low heart rates like mine.
My pal who I used to train with aged 43 has a resting heart rate of 36!
I on the other hand will look farward to killing myself on some hill's!!!!! ;-)
BT, I wouldn't kill yourself, otherwise your heart will stop, and that won't be very useful for giving a max HR... :-)
:-)
Still ran out of time last night to take a detailed look, I'll give it ago on my run tonight & see what happens.
It's an easy week so does'nt matter what happens!!!
I didn't know I had!
Anyway, used it this morning - didn't get as far as using the zones, as I don't really know about those, but kept an eye on the HR throughout the 5m run. All I can say is that my heart rate goes up a hell of a lot (from 130s to 160s) when I start thinking about work, and up again when I think about breakfast...
Now considering wearing the HRM to work...
so where can I find out about HR zones? And what should I be running at? I now suspect I'm not running as fast/hard as I should be (but then, my boyfriend would have said that anyway :-( ). My HR was around 115-120 just walking around and getting dressed, then stayed mainly in the 130s and 140s running. Even when I belted it the last stretch home, I only got it to 158, which, considering thoughts of work got it up to 168, is probably not good.
For a max heart rate of about 200bpm
1. fat burning zone: 50%-60% max hr
100-120 beats per min
2. healthy heart zone: 60%-70% max hr
120-140 bpm
3. aerobic zone: 70%-80% max hr
140-160 bpm
4. anaerobic threshold zone: 80%-90% max hr
160-180 bpm
5. red line zone: 90%-100% max hr
180-200 bpm
Snail, you don't need zone 1. ;-)
aerobic zone is the place to start
& it's sounds like going to work is your speed work!!!!!!!!!
All I have to do now is work out mine :-)
Glad I put in an anaerobic performance at work... I think they should pay me extra for that!