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High Heart Rate When Training Question
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High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby Newlander » Sat May 26, 2012 6:50 pm
For instance the other day I went on a ride with a friend and I was riding along feeling it a bit but not feeling like I was going to die or anything, anyway my heart rate was around 191 for a decent bit of the ride (not a hill). Then on another part of the ride we were riding on the flats at a real cruisy pace and my hr was still in high 160's and low 170's while feeling really fresh (cardio wise).
Anyway, does any one have any advice on what sort of number I should use for my LTHR?
Any ideas/advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby am50em » Sat May 26, 2012 7:01 pm
The following links should give you some basic idea of heart rate vs age.
http://www.bodyblitz.net.au/calculators ... rate-zone/
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm
Maybe see your local GP in any case before starting strenuous exercise.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby AndrewBurns » Sat May 26, 2012 7:09 pm
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby Newlander » Sat May 26, 2012 7:13 pm
I am 20.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby toolonglegs » Sat May 26, 2012 7:20 pm
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby am50em » Sat May 26, 2012 7:34 pm
toolonglegs wrote:"As long as you are healthy ..." you will have to work out your own training zones, I have ridden with guys with HR's n the 230's. So you will have to test to find your hr zones...and then they will change day to day / hour to hour. The reason I haven't bothered with HR for so long... not really very accurate.
Maybe they need to get accurate heart rate monitors

I did have have HR of over 230 but I have since ditched the useless Garmin premium strap and now use a Garmin standard strap.
This has given consistent results without any spikes or glitches (touch wood!)
IANAC but over 230 sounds either wrong or an underlying heart condition.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby toolonglegs » Sat May 26, 2012 7:39 pm

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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby Newlander » Sat May 26, 2012 7:44 pm
toolonglegs wrote:"As long as you are healthy ..." you will have to work out your own training zones, I have ridden with guys with HR's n the 230's. So you will have to test to find your hr zones...and then they will change day to day / hour to hour. The reason I haven't bothered with HR for so long... not really very accurate.
Any particular tests you would recommend to find my hr zones?
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby am50em » Sat May 26, 2012 7:44 pm
toolonglegs wrote:Pretty sure yellow jersey wearers have accurate hr monitors
Probably

But as examples they are not really relevant to OP question.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby trailgumby » Sat May 26, 2012 7:46 pm

My late cousin would average 180s on long (25km) climbs and hit 200s in the sprints. He was early 70s.
The takeaways are that HR is a very individual thing, age is a factor over time for the individual but perhaps less so than training, and you will get a clearer idea where your LTHR threshhold is with experience. Training up for a race, tapering in the last week, and then racing will give you a clear idea of where your real limits are.
My suggestion would be to find a quiet piece of road without traffic lights, taper like you would for a race in the week before, warm up properly and do a 20 minute time trial. If in Sydney, my recommendation would be the climb eastwards from Akuna Bay to West Head.
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High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby toolonglegs » Sat May 26, 2012 8:05 pm
am50em wrote:toolonglegs wrote:Pretty sure yellow jersey wearers have accurate hr monitors
Probably![]()
But as examples they are not really relevant to OP question.
I am just making the point that peoples heart rates vary so much you need to test yourself and not go by a book or formula... I think also you need to know how your heart reacts in certain situations over a period of time before you can set your zones properly... But at the moment I am late for a race so I better go!
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby am50em » Sat May 26, 2012 8:16 pm
toolonglegs wrote:am50em wrote:toolonglegs wrote:Pretty sure yellow jersey wearers have accurate hr monitors
Probably![]()
But as examples they are not really relevant to OP question.
I am just making the point that peoples heart rates vary so much you need to test yourself and not go by a book or formula... I think also you need to know how your heart reacts in certain situations over a period of time before you can set your zones properly... But at the moment I am late for a race so I better go!
I think we are in violent agreement

The book/formula just gives a starting point.
However quoting values of over 230 without clarification that these are elite athlete with medical supervision,
is dangerous. I would suggest that anyone with HR much over 200 have a medical checkup to ensure there
is no underlying heart condition.
From a google search:
My heart rate was going over 200bpm when I exercised and I have recently been diagnosed with a abnormal pathway in my heart that causes my heart to beat extremely fast. this is safe for a while but it can cause serious stress to your heart if it happens over a long period of time. Your doctor may choose to put you on beta blockers if they think it is necessary or may send you for ablation therapy to get rid of these extra nerves. i strongly suggest you see a dctor about being referred to a cardiologist and they may send you for a stress echocardiogram which is where they put you on a treadmill and see how your heart copes under these conditions. then they will be able to see if there is a problem.
Good luck with your race!
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby PawPaw » Sat May 26, 2012 9:17 pm
Newlander wrote:Any particular tests you would recommend to find my hr zones?
Go and do a 20 minute time trial on a closed flattish loop as hard as you can. Try to maintain the same speed. Have a few practice runs over a couple of days if preferred. Then, on your test run, record your average HR for the last 5 minutes. If you cannot record the data, just remember your HR 5 mins before the end and at the end, add and divide by 2. Multiply by 0.95. This is Coggan's method for determining Anaerobic Threshold.
It's more appropriate to base your zones on AT than HRmax.
Your HR zones will be the following %s of AT (NOT HRmax)
Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1 = Recovery (<71% of AT) – uses the aerobic system
Zone 2 = Endurance (72-81% of AT) – uses the aerobic system
Zone 3 = Tempo Pace (82-91% of AT) – uses mainly aerobic system
Zone 4 = Threshold Pace ( 92-102% of AT) – uses mainly aerobic with some anaerobic system
Zone 5 = Anaerobic Pace (103-110% of AT) – covers zone where aerobic converts to the anaerobic system.
Zone 6 = Maximum aerobic capacity (Too short to record HR) – anaerobic and CP systems
Regarding high HRs, gifted athletes with healthy heart function are capable of exceeding their age matched normal HRmax significantly.
In their case, it is indicative their neural drive of cardiac function and the state of heart conductivity and muscle strength is healthy and strong.
How does one know when a high rate is a sign of a distressed heart? It is difficult to say sometimes, though you may feel distressed and short of breath because your heart is not managing to get enough oxygen to your tissue. If your HR is very high regularly, you should discuss it with your GP.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby Newlander » Sat May 26, 2012 10:02 pm
PawPaw wrote:Newlander wrote:Any particular tests you would recommend to find my hr zones?
Go and do a 20 minute time trial on a closed flattish loop as hard as you can. Try to maintain the same speed. Have a few practice runs over a couple of days if preferred. Then, on your test run, record your average HR for the last 5 minutes. If you cannot record the data, just remember your HR 5 mins before the end and at the end, add and divide by 2. Multiply by 0.95. This is Coggan's method for determining Anaerobic Threshold.
It's more appropriate to base your zones on AT than HRmax.
Your HR zones will be the following %s of AT (NOT HRmax)
Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1 = Recovery (<71% of AT) – uses the aerobic system
Zone 2 = Endurance (72-81% of AT) – uses the aerobic system
Zone 3 = Tempo Pace (82-91% of AT) – uses mainly aerobic system
Zone 4 = Threshold Pace ( 92-102% of AT) – uses mainly aerobic with some anaerobic system
Zone 5 = Anaerobic Pace (103-110% of AT) – covers zone where aerobic converts to the anaerobic system.
Zone 6 = Maximum aerobic capacity (Too short to record HR) – anaerobic and CP systems
Regarding high HRs, gifted athletes with healthy heart function are capable of exceeding their age matched normal HRmax significantly.
In their case, it is indicative their neural drive of cardiac function and the state of heart conductivity and muscle strength is healthy and strong.
How does one know when a high rate is a sign of a distressed heart? It is difficult to say sometimes, though you may feel distressed and short of breath because your heart is not managing to get enough oxygen to your tissue. If your HR is very high regularly, you should discuss it with your GP.
Thanks PawPaw. Going to go try it out on the local crit loop tomorrow.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby toolonglegs » Sun May 27, 2012 1:03 am

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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby PawPaw » Sun May 27, 2012 8:17 pm
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby balap » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:05 am
I used it today for the first time cycling to work.
My average is 152 but max 219!!! I am 48.
I didn't push hard at all and only have a couple of small climb.
Is this normal??? I am a bit worried now.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby r2160 » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:47 am
If you are worried, go see a doctor. Easier to make sure than discover when its too late. However, when did you get the high rate? I noticed when I had a polar, until I had started to sweat a little, the HR monitor always overread.
During a race, my heart rate seems pretty steady at 155-160 and I feel pretty comfortable at that, and in the all out run to the line usually peaks around 185. I am 47.
cheers
Glenn
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever" Lance Armstrong
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby PawPaw » Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:21 pm
balap wrote:I bought HRM Polar FT4.
I used it today for the first time cycling to work.
My average is 152 but max 219!!! I am 48.
I didn't push hard at all and only have a couple of small climb.
Is this normal??? I am a bit worried now.
218 is not normal for your age.
However, it is normal for HRMs to over-read when skin contact is poor, or signal strength is compromised.
To be sure, put 50ml of water in a glass, then add a half tspn of salt, and stir. rub this on between your skin and HRM just before riding.
It is the next best thing to electrode gel and litres of sweat to improve signal transduction.
If you are still consistently getting HRs over 180-190, then try a mate's HRM (and computer). If that is also high, then explain to your GP and express your concerns and desire for a stress ecg.
If you are on a fast weight loss diet, this can also cause heart rhythm disturbances. But so can a stack of other morbidities, and even moderate caffeine use.
My view is readings over 200 in average recreational athletes over 35 are either HRM artefacts or sign of tachycardic events such as atrial fibrillation.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby Redbull » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:39 pm
I got similar readings when it wasn't wet enough.
Though its not so nice sticking that thing around your chest when its frigid water out of the tap and you've just jumped out of a nice warm bed!!
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby ldrcycles » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:54 pm
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby balap » Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:18 pm
I will make sure the strap is soaking wet when I cycle home today.
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Re: High Heart Rate When Training Question
Postby balap » Tue Jul 03, 2012 8:21 pm
So I really need to wet the strap.
I was a bit worried, I didn't know it could give incorrect elevated reading like that.
Not what I call a failsafe system.
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