Heart range

[anonymous-user]

I've just started back at the gym, basically do an hour plus on cross trainer because I enjoy over everything thing else. Pretty overweight but fitness is getting there.

What I shocked my was max heart rate was 193 my resting is usually 66ish. I'm 41 is this something to be concerned about?

[Carlososos]

The Spruce Goose said:

I've just started back at the gym, basically do an hour plus on cross trainer because I enjoy over everything thing else. Pretty overweight but fitness is getting there.

What I shocked my was max heart rate was 193 my resting is usually 66ish. I'm 41 is this something to be concerned about?

Great work. I used to do hour long slogs on the big step machine until my hip ankle and knee decided they were going to start clicking so went over to the cycle as I weigh a heftyish mid 90kg (I’m 36).
I’m no doctor so if it feels strange get someone to check but seems fine to me. Normally max hr is 220 minus your age so 179 for you but I suspect you were going balls deep pushing yourself? Could be a dodgy hr monitor but if concerned get it checked.

[Exige46]

220 minus age is a very rough guide, it varies from individual to individual. If you were able to do the whole hour at that I would perhaps be a little concerned, but as a max I wouldn't be concerned. Only through doing similar workouts over a period of time will you work out what is normal for you.

[Animal]

The Spruce Goose said:

I've just started back at the gym, basically do an hour plus on cross trainer because I enjoy over everything thing else. Pretty overweight but fitness is getting there.

What I shocked my was max heart rate was 193 my resting is usually 66ish. I'm 41 is this something to be concerned about?

No, what was your average? How did you feel at the end of the hour? Perhaps you started faster than usual? Do you think you could have held a simple conversation with someone whilst exercising (indicative of being in Zone 2)?

[LimaDelta]

The Spruce Goose said:

I've just started back at the gym, basically do an hour plus on cross trainer because I enjoy over everything thing else. Pretty overweight but fitness is getting there.

What I shocked my was max heart rate was 193 my resting is usually 66ish. I'm 41 is this something to be concerned about?

I'm 42. My resting is about 50, and I regularly run over 200 doing KB snatches. I maxed out at 229 in January this year. The 220-age is a guide, not a redline. I think I have small lungs, so my heart beats quicker to compensate, or that could be bks.

Are you using a watch or a chest strap? Watches vary in accuracy, proper sports ones (Polar etc.) are ok, but a chest strap is the best way to measure properly.

[anonymous-user]

just the machine really, i've always pushed myself for bursts then slow back down. my average was 144 i think.

[Ashfordian]

The Spruce Goose said:

I've just started back at the gym, basically do an hour plus on cross trainer because I enjoy over everything thing else. Pretty overweight but fitness is getting there.

What I shocked my was max heart rate was 193 my resting is usually 66ish. I'm 41 is this something to be concerned about?

Sounds like it is not your first go on a cross trainer so have you seen close to this max number previously?

Did at any point you feel like stopping as this HR number is likely to have felt like that?

You do need a certain level of fitness to be able to attain your max HR. An untrained person will not have the conditioning to hit their max HR. Only you will know if you are at that level of conditioning.

Personally, it sounds a distorted reading but your previous numbers will give you an indication of this.

[gregs656]

I think heart rate is only useful if you plot it over a period of time or have a system which does the maths for you.

One point from one cross trainer session isn’t going to tell you much at all.

[Chicken Chaser]

My mates 51 and still hit 185 the other day climbing a hill on his bike.

[Glade]

I am 38 and I regularly get my HR into the low 190s in a hard spin class or running sprints on a treadmill. Has always been the same since my 20's on 3 different HR monitors.

I don't think it's a problem in itself, but I guess everyone's body is in a different situation and other factors may mean it's not a good thing to over do it.

Also I find my HR is low or to the top end. I find it hard to maintain an "easy range" feels like I am not doing anything. Gentle cycle or slow jog. As soon as an break into a run or put the resistance up on a bike my HR jumps up.

I have been trying to dial the bikes in to sit at threshold for extended period. David lloyd Cyclone clases are good for this as they are all based off setting your FTP and dialling the resistance in around that.

This is a "Blaze" class from this week:

Edited by Glade on Saturday 14th August 22:15

Edited by Glade on Saturday 14th August 22:22

[mcelliott]

Sounds perfectly normal to me, mine is 38 resting and about 183 max, the fitter you become the lower your resting HR.

[Roger Irrelevant]

Exige46 said:

220 minus age is a very rough guide, it varies from individual to individual.

This this this. 220-age is only supposed to be a good approximation of the average heart rate for a group of people of that age. There will always be large variations within the group, and actually the approximation isn't that good. Saying that 'a 41 year old should have a heart rate of (220-41=) 179' makes about as much sense as saying a 41 year old should be 179cm tall.

[ORD]

mcelliott said:

Sounds perfectly normal to me, mine is 38 resting and about 183 max, the fitter you become the lower your resting HR.

Wow. You're a specimen, Marcus!

[mcelliott]

ORD said:

mcelliott said:

Sounds perfectly normal to me, mine is 38 resting and about 183 max, the fitter you become the lower your resting HR.

Wow. You're a specimen, Marcus!

Thats what the girls say

My mum has a very low resting HR so it's probs a genetic trait, it was recorded at the local heart and chest clinic which also seen the lowest resting HR of 28 I think which still stands as a world record on a guy that's lives locally to me, must be the sea air!

[millen]

Interesting! Mine tends to go very spikey when exceeding my threshold, then takes quite a while to settle down into regular ups and downs. For unknown reasons, the Garmin print omitted the hrs - so 37.20 means 1.37.20, next is 2.17.57 point.



GP put me on a 24-hr ECG device 18 months ago, but evidently I didn't push enough to trigger the spikes. I'm over 65 btw.

[oddball1313]

Mine has been creeping up a bit when going uphil on the bike over the last 3 months. Considering getting a checkup although it does seem to tie in a bit with getting the vaccine but soon as the gradient hits 6/7% (which isn’t that big a deal) it rockets straight up to 180. Not sure whats going on TBH, feel fine and did 77 miles yesterday but noticed my climbing is definiting suffering with the high heart rate and i assume cardio system not running as well as it should as a consequence (48 so 180 is pushing it, hit 184 briefly yesterday)

[GilletteFan]

Heart rate will continue to climb:

the longer you workout at the same effort

the harder you push within the same time

the faster your pace over the same distance

I wouldn't be too concerned unless you have a baseline comparison and a few more data points/ workouts.

At your age, I probably would recommend not needing to exceed 180 bpm.

[crankedup5]

MOTO GP riders often have a heart rate of around 180 but it does vary wildly from about 120 upwards. And the rate swings around on each competitor during a lap. Exertion and stress I suppose.

[ORD]

I remember being one of several not very sensible teenagers who decided to see how high we could get our heart rates on an ergo. We had been told 205 or so was the safe limit. I think one of the lads hit 230-something.

[Smitters]

Some people are diesels, some people are VTEC. Yes age and fitness affect the upper and lower bounds, but everyone is different, so in a sense unless the machine was saying thirty something or two hundred and something, we've no idea!

I would say the following though: Firstly, don't use hand contact on a machine - it's likely not that accurate. Best bet if you're genuinely interested is a chest strap, which seems to provide the most consistent readings. This could link to a gym machine, depending on what your gym has, or link to a watch for a bit more flexibility.

Secondly, to find your actual maximal HR is a horrible, horrible thing to do. it could also be potentially dangerous if you're untrained. Unless you have good reason to, I would just estimate it based on an easier set test. Doing this will allow you to train in a way that is sustainable, rather than doing what 99% of men do, which is go balls out until injury, then consume galactic quantities of crap food while recovering.

There's nothing wrong with pushing hard, just don't do it every day and every training session.


This was surprisingly accurate for me: https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/hrmax

This is a list of submax tests a person who is poorly or only moderately fit can undertake to lower the risks associated with the extreme exertion and mental stress of a maxHR test: https://www.howtobefit.com/determine-maximum-heart...

Edited by Smitters on Monday 13th September 13:31