Never Hitting Peak Heart Rate

[Kezliegh]

Hello, I'm a 5'9 24-year-old female who can't seem to hit the "peak" zone with my heart rate. 

I've had Fitbit for a month and have "0" minutes of peak zone. 

My typical resting heart is at 57; it's low. Is this why it's hard for me to hit my peak?

I do HIIT training twice a week and run/walk a ton. I also climb about 30 floors a day. 

[Dominique]

Have you tried running uphill (for long enough)? This never fails to bring my HR into the peak zone. You could also try farmer’s walk.

I don’t believe a lowish resting HR would have an impact on the ability to reach the peak zone. FWIW, mine is also in the mid 50’s. 

[Esya]

For me biking uphill always gets it done, even though my RHR is also in the 50's.

[FriendlystNinja]

Basically, push yourself harder. You should get there doing HIIT. Don't rest or talk to anyone between exercises. I run stairs and find it hard to hit the zone as well.

Also, you can go into settings and adjust the heart rate for your zones.

[MarciM]

I too have a resting heartrate in the mid-50s and I can hit the zone during an intense aerobics workout or on my Bowflex Max (this is a crazy good workout in 15 min, heartrate up, but not a lot of steps). Running or vertical hiking rarely get my heartrate in the zone. I hope you find your sweet spot and it aligns with an activity you enjoy. 

[SunsetRunner]

@Kezliegh my resting heart rate is ( as for today ) 45BPM and I have no problem with reaching peak zone. The only thing I notice with time that it gets more effort to reach very high rates like before I could easily reach 190bpm during moderate jogging, while now it's mere 150-156 and it requires a lot more to get my heart pumping harder ( but I went all the way from being obese to fit-enough so I would expect that my heart needs to do less work now ). Nevertheless, it's not impossible and I can reach very high peak quite quick if I try hard and low RHR has nothing to do with it I guess. What is the maximum heart rate you're getting and what level of exercising you perform? Are you running out of strength and breath while doing your HIIT ( how intensive your HIIT actually is? ) and your heart stays in lower BPM? 

[Kezliegh]

My average has been 147.

How hard does your heart have to pump to reach its peak? 

The HIIT is a beginners program and I'm usually pretty done by the end of it (20mins). 

[SunsetRunner]

@Kezliegh in my case I think I reach the peak around 160 and above ( I didn't change default zones settings ). I do HIIT during running which involves for example 6 times high intensity ( as fast as I can ) 400m or very fast for 1.2km x3. This 3-4 times a week, one hour each. I can easily get me into a peak of all the peaks, although I haven't seen numbers like 190 for a long time :)If I maintain a level of effort I can stay in lower range but I never have problem with raising my HR within couple of seconds ( like when I "jump" into my 400m sprint ). Everyone is different and in here it's really hard to tell what the problem may be. Moreover, we can't even tell if there is any problem at all 🙂 If you have any questions about your heart the best person to ask them going to be your doctor 🙂

[DanielleinDC]

You're not alone. My RHR is typically in the 70s, and I find it hard to get it up there. If I do the Jessica Smith videos, I might get a minute out of 20 at peak. But then I also do it first thing in the morning when I just am not up for overly strenuous exercise.

[emili]

My RHR is in the mid 40s and I have a hard time hitting and staying in peak. I have to be in an all out run- 8 miles per hour at least in order for me to hit peak and stay for any length of time. On my normal runs which is at least 30 minutes at 7 miles per hour, I heat peak towards the end and stay there for just a short while. But... my feet, legs, knees, back, etc are done and don't care that my heart can go longer. Since I am not training or intense calorie burning, I roll with what I have.

[WavyDavey]

Hi @Kezliegh,

What kind of HIIT are you doing, and what are you using for intervals?

You may need to lower your rest time and/or increase the work time. 8 rounds of 20/10 should have you hugging and generally hating life.

[shipo]

Keep in mind the heart rate zones are based on a calculation which is HIGHLY flawed for many individuals.  The fact is, a certain percentage of the population will never be able to reach their "Peak" heart rate, others will be able to get there momentarily before they become exhausted, and still others, can not only reach the arbitrary "Peak" zone, they can sustain exercise in that zone for long durations.

Long story short, don't sweat it, if your body/heart doesn't reach Peak, no big deal, your peak just happens to be lower than what the flawed formula predicts.

[Jennki]

I had the same issue....Here's the thing. You've got to be full out running hard or jumping around during a Hiit w.o. Not only will you reach peak hr, but you can also raise it! Just train insane girl, you'll get there. I promise. I raised mine 10 bpm, it's an amazing feeling when you crush a goal. Also try an eliptical. That works for me every time. The higher the tension/pace the higher your hr. Good luck. I hope this helps. 

[jasonpiks]

cute  i like a companion to  always go for a run

[Racheldmorales]

Same exact thing with me!!! With my Apple Watch I use to hit my peak every workout!