[B&LSMAMA]

My MHR is 190 and I have been watching it when i go to the gym. I don't really know too much about heart rate, except that i should be within 60-70%. Well as soon as I start walking on the treadmill, the rate goes to like 160 or 165 or so.....JUST WALKING. Well I got on the elliptical the other day and was on there for 3 minutes and got off and went over and got a bottle of water, got back on for another 3 minutes and my heart rate was 185...Is this normal? I got off then because it really kind of scared me, and went over and was doing weights, but i was sweating SO BAD (around my head mostly) that I just stopped, because I couldn't cool down. I figure if I'm doing 'high intensity' my heart rate should be around 165 or so, and it does that when i am just walking. Do I have this whole heart rate thingtotally wrong? and Should I be concerned about my heart rate being 185 - and being at 165 when I am walking - and especially so quickly?

Thank you for anybody's input!!

[Valerie Joy]

What is your resting heartrate?

I usually only get up to 120.

[shananigans]

The general rule of thumb I use is not to go above 90% of my MHR, which would be 171 for you. And really most of your work out should be in the more moderate range, interspersed with higher intensity making up a smaller portion of your total cardio workout for interval training. You might find this thread helpful http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78322. If you are new to aerobic exercise or haven’t done any in a long time it possible you cardio-vascular system is just a bit out of practice and you need to build it up gradually, be a little patient with yourself. It can be a wonderful motivator, seeing how exercise is benefiting your health not just your figure, especially on those days and weeks when the scale doesn’t want to cooperate.

[Sheila53]

It is kind of scary to see your HR go up that high, but it's okay. Mine used to go off the charts, but after a couple of months of just keeping at it, my HR is down doing the same activity for even longer periods of time. Once you get in better shape, your HR will decrease. I'd say keep up with the elliptical and set goals for yourself of increasing the time by 30 seconds every time you go on the machine.

[fikustrees]

you might want to recalculate your maximum. Those charts don't work for everybody. You should also check with a doc. Some people have heart conditions (like skipping beats) that throw off the monitor and don't even know they have them. These people can't use HRM the same way as people with out this disorder.

There are several books on heart rate training by Sally Edward that might help as well.

[Only Me]

How did you determine your max heart rate? If it was from a formula, it could be very off for you. How did you feel when your heart rate was at 185. If it felt like close to your maximum effort, then definitely back off. If it just felt like you were working hard, but could keep going a while, then I'd guess your max rate is higher than 190.

How much activity have you been doing on a regular basis? If not much at all, I guess it is possible that you are just out of shape. If that's the case, keep exercising and you'll probably see your heart rate start to drop for the same level of exercise within a few weeks.