High Heart Rate?

[Zubiedoo]

Hi,

I have been trying to monitor my HR with the Surge and feel a bit unsure about the best intensity during exercise.

My resting HR ranges from 58-62 which I think is ok. But, during exercise it increases very easily. I can be on an eleptical machine doing 7mph for 5 minutes with no resistence and shoot up to 170bpm. I feel fine and can go on for 30 minutes but my HR is too high I am told.

What can I do to improve this? And when people say to do HIIT, it really doesn't take much to get my HR racing, but the intensity doesn't "feel" high. I guess I'm just a bit lost here.

[shipo]

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@Zubiedoo wrote:

Hi,

I have been trying to monitor my HR with the Surge and feel a bit unsure about the best intensity during exercise.

My resting HR ranges from 58-62 which I think is ok. But, during exercise it increases very easily. I can be on an eleptical machine doing 7mph for 5 minutes with no resistence and shoot up to 170bpm. I feel fine and can go on for 30 minutes but my HR is too high I am told.

What can I do to improve this? And when people say to do HIIT, it really doesn't take much to get my HR racing, but the intensity doesn't "feel" high. I guess I'm just a bit lost here.

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Two comments:

1. The folks telling you your heart rate is too high are relying on the 220-Age formula, a formula which is horribly inaccurate for many folks, myself included.  By definition, if you can sustain that heart rate for 30 minutes, the formula is incorrect for you and you should ignore folks telling you otherwise.
2. As you continue to improve your level of conditioning your heart rate will drop for any given level of output, that said, if you push yourself to your same relative level of output, your heart rate will most likely jump right back up to the 170 zone.

FWIW, I'm 59, the 220-Age formula predicts my Maximum heart rate is 161 and yet I can easily push myself during a long run to the point where my heart rate gets up into the 170s.  The thing about Maximum heart rate, it is more of a genetic thing than anything else, other folks on the other end of the spectrum will not even be able to get their heart rates anywhere near the predicted maximum level.

[bcalvanese]

You may want to get a stress test done to determine your max heart rate, then you can set custom zones in your fitbit to project the correct zones for your MHR.

Also, how do you feel when you are at that level?

[emili]

hi @Zubiedoo.. two things to consider for you- how you feel during and after and if your doctor is concerned. You have incredible data in front of you to have a conversation with your doctor about your heart rate. If you feel good during and after activity, your heart rate drops back down quickly, you are not overly out of breath and there isn't tightness or pain, you are probably OK. But the only person who can confirm that for you is your doctor. He will also consider your overall health, age, fitness level and medications. Make a phone call..

[Zubiedoo]

Thanks for your reply. It's not that I am concerned about reaching an abitrary HR. It is that my HR shoots up too easily. You mention conditioning and that is what I'm trying to work on. It's just that I'm not sure what is the most efficient way to do this. HIIT? Circuit training? Holding it steady at ~170 on an elleptical machine?

I can sustain ~170 for 30 minutes and keep going, but my foot gets numb and I get bored 🙂

I'm 38 and feel like I should do much better than this. It's really frustrating.

[Zubiedoo]

Yeah I'm not too concerned with the exact number. The forumula has me at 182. I've hit 190 before and while I did feel funny and slowed down, it wasn't the end of the world. When I'm at 175+ I do feel like I'm working very hard but I can keep going with good music. What's involved in a stress test? Can I do it myself or do I have to go to a specialist?

[Nora58]

@Zubiedoo Please make a call to your doctor. He can schedule a stress test for you and check you over  to make sure you are in good shape. The foot numbness and feeling funny should be mentioned to him and when they occured. I think everything will be fine, maybe you are pushing it a little too much.

[Dominique]

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@Zubiedoo wrote:

What's involved in a stress test? Can I do it myself or do I have to go to a specialist?

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An effort test is typically performed on a stationary bike (ergometer) and under medical supervision. It’s quite expensive, but hey, what’s more expensive than your own life?