Heart rate maximums

[Jonno34]

Hi, 

I am 55 and consider myself to be reasonable fit.  A little over weight but heading in the right direction.  My BMI is 29 but fat mass is dropping.  I exercise regularly, normally 5 days per week with Gym on 4 days consisting of 1 hour on treadmill and stairclimber (30 mins each) and 1 hour on weights working on muscle groups. Been doing this for about months but was pretty unfit and fat prior to that.  I am comfortable running 5 km and do so in around 34mins at a speed I could hold a conversation at. I do find however that when I am doing these runs I end up in the peak section of heart rate.  This mornings was average of 165 bpm but peaked higher.  With the exception of 2 straights where I up the pace a bit I do not feel I am pushing myself.  

So the question is, do I need to slow down and get my heart rate down?  Any considered input would be appreciated.  I have also included a standard gym session for comparison. 

This mornings run:-

This is a typical Gym session :-

[Dominique]

If you train smartly and are able to recover from all your training (2 hours 5 days a week of formal workouts is quite a lot), your cardio fitness should improve over time. You should see that, among other things, via your RHR and the cardio fitness score calculated by Fitbit. If you’re dropping weight at the same time, this will further help (easier fight against gravity). Make sure you don’t overtrain.

[Jonno34]

My RHR is 58-61 and my fitness score if 43, supposedly very good for a man of my age.

Is it bad to do 35mins in peak?

How would I know if I am overtraining?

[PA_Ridge]

First, I'm no expert... I'm not even "knowledgeable" when it comes to these things, but try not to rely on your RHR and VO2 Max as a solid diagnosis of your health. Cardiologists have said that it's common for patients with known heart disease to have a resting heart rate in the 50s. Not that it has anything to do with you, I'm just saying don't use those numbers, absent a general wellness check by your doctor, as a green light to go all out, all the time. I like your ambition, but it's probably not wise to spend that much time in peak zones without the proper training and conditioning. Aim for maintaining cardio zones (50%-75% of max HR). I like a good hour long walk/jog at 4 mph to keep my HR in the cardio range. If you want to do sprint bursts during your cardio, look into some interval training. It's usually recommended that you burst up to peak for 30 seconds to 1:00 and then drop back down to a brisk walk to cool off for a couple of minutes before bursting again. I know it feels great when those endorphins hit and you start feeling all tingly, and there's a good song playing, and you're in the groove, but try to be safe. Hope this helps. 

Phil

[emili]

As a runner, I think staying in peak for that long is an indication that you are going too hard for longer than you should. You should be alternating between cardio and peak. If you can hold a conversation during said run and when you stop you are not panting and your HR comes down quickly, then I would say you are OK, but like Dominique, I can only site my own experience and my own reading as the basis for my input. Have a talk with your doctor and if they give you a thumbs up... run... run like you mean it. 

[checking]

First thing I'd do is check it with a chest strap. The run looks to me like you're picking up a lot of run cadence not HR. The gym trace looks reasonable. Problem with optical HR detection is that the harder you exercise, that includes regular motion, the less reliable the readings. I'd point out that for your age your (conservatively) calculated Max HR  (220-age) is 165. I doubt you average you calculated max for 40+ minutes. Even if your real max is a bit higher, it would still be highly anaerobic, hardly "conversational".

No chest strap device - try wearing a 5" black elastic tennis sweatband over your device - holds it place better and helps keep out extraneous external light. You can't see it while you are running, but might get more reasonable results.

[Jonno34]

Thanks for the messages so far.  I ran yesterday and slowed right down from 6.45mins/Km to 7.45mins/km with no improvement, if anything slightly worse.  Sent a whattsapp to my Cardiologist so waiting to hear back at the mo.  Going to have a go with a chest strap and also a second device, see where it goes. 

[Jonno34]

Checked with a chest strap and the first Km was about 30bpm out then it seemed to settle.  Overall for the run was better.  Looking at the strap there is a mark which suggests I have got it on tighter which may make it better than before but still a bit bonkers in the first KM!

[PA_Ridge]

That's good to hear. I'm looking into getting a strap as well. I want to compare my interval HR against what the wristbit says. Have you heard back from the cardiologist yet?

Watching your heart rate do crazy things after years of not taking care of one's body can be a scary thing. I say that as a quitting smoker and former heavy drinker. My thyroid went hyper in 2017, and my heart rate went through the roof. Getting up and walking would put me in cardio territory. The thoughts that went through my mind before I knew it was the thyroid... I honestly started to wonder how much longer I had with my kids and if I'd get to see my daughter graduate HS, much less marry.

Keep hounding him. The peace of mind that comes from a formal evaluation is tremendous.