since going to the gym because I injured myself with an otb into a tree, iv'e noticed an heart rate warning on all the equipment I use even though I am no where near out of breath and can easily go harder, today I went for a run and got out of breath and pushed it a bit my average was 154 with it peaking at 171, I seem to hit my max 163 pretty easily, is it because i'm getting over the hill a bit and if I do go over my max hr will it kill me or will it get stronger, never bothered about it before I saw the warnings ta mart

Very broadly speaking your max hr would be in the region of 220 minus your age.
Your max sustainable he about 60-80% of that.
I think the important part you picked out was your perceived level of effort was low.
From the info you give I don't think you've got any particular worries unless your heart rhythm was irregular.
Was the gym equipment alarm set by someone aiming to train in a particular hr zone? 170bpm isn't really very high.
This isn't a consultation and I'm not a doctor but I do have 20 years experience ICU nursing in the RAF and NHS

If you've just started training or just had a big op don't trying finding your max heart rate just yet. If you're otherwise OK do a ramp test and see what you do actually max out at. Have the gym set it at 170bpm to stop their clientele dropping like flies?

lune ranger wrote:Very broadly speaking your max hr would be in the region of 220 minus your age.
Your max sustainable he about 60-80% of that.
I think the important part you picked out was your perceived level of effort was low.
From the info you give I don't think you've got any particular worries unless your heart rhythm was irregular.
Was the gym equipment alarm set by someone aiming to train in a particular hr zone? 170bpm isn't really very high.
This isn't a consultation and I'm not a doctor but I do have 20 years experience ICU nursing in the RAF and NHS

lune 220-57=163 just wondering if going above this figure regularly is good or bad always been fit and try to maintain it, thought it might be my biological clock saying slow down,

paramart wrote:

lune ranger wrote:Very broadly speaking your max hr would be in the region of 220 minus your age.
Your max sustainable he about 60-80% of that.
I think the important part you picked out was your perceived level of effort was low.
From the info you give I don't think you've got any particular worries unless your heart rhythm was irregular.
Was the gym equipment alarm set by someone aiming to train in a particular hr zone? 170bpm isn't really very high.
This isn't a consultation and I'm not a doctor but I do have 20 years experience ICU nursing in the RAF and NHS

lune 220-57=163 just wondering if going above this figure regularly is good or bad always been fit and try to maintain it, thought it might be my biological clock saying slow down,

This calculation is an average of all people. Do not assume it gives you a correct Cavour.

I know a 57 year old with a max of 220 and a 22 year old with a max of 168. Both are top age group performers.

Ver broadly speaking...

The actual number depends on a number of factors. Genetics, sex, previous training, present condition, time of day, body temperature, did you just drink coffee etc etc.
If you felt ok then you are probably ok.
If you are worried have a feel of your pulse. If it is regular then you are almost certain ok. Any history of heart disease in you or your family? See your GP.
I personally find training to hr hard. I go quite high, feel fine and can sustain it for an age. Any attempt to stick in an 'endurance' zone quickly falls by the wayside.

Mart off the calculation mine should be 173 max , because of family history ( dad having 4 heart attacks before 40) and having high BP due to genetics doc told me to try and keep my max at around 150bpm ,can't manage to do it and I'm still here as long as you've no pains or head aches after I wouldn't worry too much ,it's a bit strange as my resting heart rate is normally around 48-53 BPM but I'm on all kinds of meds to keep things ticking

As above - the 220-age thing is basically bollocks. I'm 60 so would top out at 160bpm. I can comfortably exceed that for long periods with no duress.

I can comfortably exceed that for long periods with no duress.

The very simplistic explanation I was given re heart rate max and zones was that it is the average not the max that is important. (caveat)
I regularly exceeded 'max' on hills but at the end of a ride the average would be a very acceptable figure.
What you need to find out is how many times you can exceed mhr, how long long you can stay there and what is the recovery time?

The more time you spend 'training' in lower zones the more effort you can put in for longer and still be in your zone but it is different for each person.
At 71 I still use the zone settings calculated several years ago even though I am too ill to ride a bike at present and probably reach mhr just walking into town and back.

thanks for the replies, mariner I know someone who trained using lower heart rates, he said it was difficult to keep within the limits allocated, he was exceptionally fit and I remember him saying he found it hard to hit his max hr after it.

Hey up Mart
I was told that 220 - age is a guide for ‘average’ people
Like you i could regularly exceed this when excercising but told not to worry as if you train and heart is in good shape then this rule is a load of cobblers. Your training your heart to beat faster and more efficiently! so can be higher than the rule

I don’t really bother tracking it now - i kinda know my levels and how much effort i need to put in
Do plan rest days too - your body will tell you when it needs a break or a day off

Bestter still, just ditch the HR monitor - it’s probably causing you all kinda stress

Interestingly, when I was fat and unfit I could sustain heart rates in the 180s for a comical amount of time. I have multi hour Strava rides where my average HR was 170+

5 years later, I wouldn't be able to sustain heart rates in the 170s without falling to bits, but what I can achieve with sub 160 is far in excess of what I was previously doing on 180.

As for worrying about it. As long as you don't suddenly find yourself in the 200+ range or feeling like your heart is skipping beats... don't. I regularly hit my max heart rate and I'm not dead yet.

Mart wrote:Hey up Mart
Just ditch the HR monitor - it’s probably causing you all kinda stress

Pretty sensible advice for the majority of the population I'd say.
Go on how you feel - perceived level of exertion if you are being posh - Go ride, enjoy it, ride further or faster as you're able. If you are dropping your pace (or onto your knees) ten minutes into an hours ride then you need to slow down and it 's pretty irrelevant what number your hrm is telling you.

The 220-age formula, like most of the other generic formulae, is bobbins. By that reckoning my MHR should be 161. I can ride at 177bpm for about five minutes so even that is nowhere near my true MHR.

The only way to determine your MHR is via a ramp test but they are pretty nasty things to do properly.

For what we do I wouldn't worry about HR, generally you want to stay below the aerobic threshold which equates to around 70% MHR but if you can chat but not sing then that's about the level of effort.

At the other end of the scale my resting HR is pretty low. When I was having my pre-op they put me on an ECG to check for heart irregularities. The machine suddenly started screeching like a banshee. The nurse comes over and looks at the output, turns a dial or two and says: "Don't worry, it thinks you are dead!". On the way in to theatre the anaesthetist specifically told the staff not to worry about my still very low heart rate.

That's common with cyclists, and great fun for freaking out inexperienced medical staff.

Richard G wrote:That's common with cyclists, and great fun for freaking out inexperienced medical staff.

My rested resting heart rate is about 42

Has been known to get interesting looks.

Miguel Indurain's was 28bpm according to legend

Asposium wrote:My rested resting heart rate is about 42

Has been known to get interesting looks.

Well, it is the answer after all.

Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know of a cheapo wrist computer heart rate monitoring fitbit type thing that can set off an alarm when you hit a threshold bpm?

ootini wrote:Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know of a cheapo wrist computer heart rate monitoring fitbit type thing that can set off an alarm when you hit a threshold bpm?

I use to use Polar HRMs when I was running. Don't know what their cheapest model would be with threshold alarms. Check out dcrainmaker - he reviews pretty much every GPS/HRM/powermeter going.

Wrist mounted hr is sporadic at best.

Not very good for dynamic intervals where hr is up and down alot as the lag is large.

Good for rough idea of where you were all day but not great at sport.