Heart rate

Mark Lawfull

Hello, I'm almost 42 and I feel fairly fit at the moment. I have started looking at my heart rate lately after I had a medical and my resting heart was 50. When looking at my Garmin I have noticed that now and then, when training really hard it pops over 200. Is this normal or should I take it easier? I seem to recover pretty quickly 

cougie

Unless you do a max heart rate test - nobody knows what's normal.



Without a max test - theres no point using the HRM.

Fido2Dogs

Also you can get heart rate spikes related to connectivity issues with the HRM strap.

So you feel fine. You have had a medical and don't mention any problems. The probability is that you *are* fine ....

plazzy

Give your strap a quick lick, and let it warm up before going out; otherwise the first five mins look like you're beating like a hummingbird. Scary..

Lets face it, they make GPS's, not heart rate monitors...

VDOT52

The new generation optical hr/pulse meters do away with all the spikes and confusion. So if you want to train by HR that is the way to go.



The Scosche is very very good. The Mio is not great due to signal loss.

Shazmo

Mark, I get this happening too. I read an article on here ages ago saying that extreme variations in HR could be an indicator of being super fit - or at the very least, it's not a thing to be concerned about.

I  see if i can find it and post.

Shazmo

I also meant to say, the article was writen by a medical expert, rather than forum opinion.

seren nos

mine is often over 200 in a 5k race.infact doesnt seem to come down below,.....but i qam older than you  

cougie

I think first of all you need to know if its a genuine 200 reading.



If you see the HR creeping up slowly to it then it sounds genuine.



If say you're at 180 and then it goes up to 200 then it will be interference or bad contact on the transmitter.



If it is genuine - then you'll have a higher than average HR. High figures don't indicate anything other than you have a high HR.

seren nos

it definitely doesnt indicate you are fit or unfit or that you hava a problem with your heart.

Mine might mean I have too much static inside me giving high readings whenever i exercise  

 

Mark Lawfull

Blimey thanks for the quick responses everyone! I'm much happier now I can look forward to reaching my birthday 

 

RicF

My record was 273 bpm.

Something to do with high voltage electrical cables.

 

cougie

That'll teach you to look where you're treading !

PhilPub

RicF wrote (see)

My record was 273 bpm.

Something to do with high voltage electrical cables.

 

I had no idea.  I'm not shaking your hand again!

BertieBean

I am 72 and started running at 66 after an active but not too demanding lifestyle before. I now do 5ks at 27mins and 10ks at 56 and run every week 2 or 3 times so I am pretty fit. I got a heart rate monitor which shows I typically average 150 -155 bpm. Whenever I read articles about heart rates for oldies like me it says I shouldnt go over 140 but I am not pushing myself very hard so I don't understand this. My rest heart rate is about 52-55 so am I OK?