Heart rate training

Hi Folks,

I am new to Runners World, so I thought I would post this question to hopefully a knowledgeable person.

I did a max hr test yesterday 2x3 mins, with the first 3 mins hard, then 2 min jog then the second all out!  I actually could not run any harder as I was overcome with lactic, was actually slowing down dramatically!

Anyway my resting hr got as low as 36 last week, but my max was only 165.  Can anyone tell me why my max is so low?  I am 47 years old and consider myself very fit.

Thank you

Julie

Comments

  • Your max is what your max is.



    I'm not sure 2 x 3 mins would give you a proper max hr - it usually takes more reps.

    Did you have a nice long warm up ?



    Have you raced any 5 or 10ks ? You might get a better feel for Max HR there.
  • Hi there,

    I did a bit of research on what would be the best way to test hr and most of the results say this.  Maybe it is wrong, yes done a few 5-10k in my timeimage

    I have hill reps tommorow with the club and I am pretty much dead after that.  I will see if there is any difference in my hr during this. 

    Thanks for the reply.

    Julie

  • If you feel that you didnt go absolutely flat out then its wise to retest.

    If you did get close to your max though - its best leaving it a week to recover.



    Were you doing it on tired legs perhaps ? They seem to have given in before the rest of the body ?
  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭

    It doesn't matter whether your MHR is high or low. It's just a measure of your MHR. Some people have big hearts that beat slowly and some have small hearts that beat quickly.

    If your RHR is 36 it suggets to me that you have a very big heart that beats slowly.

    Use 165 as your max for now. Monitor it and wear your HRM in a 10k race. See what it says then.

    It took me about 3 years of racing to find mine.

  • Joe VolcanoJoe Volcano ✭✭✭

    In my experience you are far more likely to hit MHR doing hill reps than anything involving running (or even racing) on the flat. But don't worry about the actual value of your mhr once you have it nailed. Mine is currently about 162 and has dropped quite a few beats this year but I'm running faster than I have for ages.

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