What Happens if I Hit Maximum Heart Rate?
 

So I was jogging on a treadmill today, as part of Couch-to-5k. Based on my age (30), my max heart rate is 190. I used to start to feel yucky at around 180 (my chest would get sore, and I would immediately slow down). But today I was up at 185 for a few minutes and felt fine.

So.....

What happens if I hit 190? Will I like, self-destruct?? :dizzy:

Do you think it's okay to work at nearly 100% if I feel okay?

Please understand, I am not *trying* to overwork or max out or anything like that. It's just that I can't keep jogging without my HR climbing "too high".

BTW, it goes back down to a nice 120 after a couple minutes of walking. And I use a Polar HR monitor that goes around my chest, so I think it's pretty accurate.

Thanks!

If you're surpassing your max, it probably isn't, well, your max.

Max heart rate is ESTIMATED based on 224-age, but that's in NO way a set number. Max heart rate varies all the time, from factors including age, fitness level, altitude, and temperature. So no, you won't self-combust if you work at that high of a rate, and if you're comfortable doing it, go ahead (but if you can't even get any words out, you might want to slow down).

Everyone's Max HR is different. 220-age is the standard formula and that would put me at 181 but at last test mine is about 188-190. I actually know a woman about my age who's max hr is 220.

It's pretty cool, max hr is just how fast it is capable of beating. IT just wont go any faster. If you keep pushing past that point you would probably pass out as the body could no longer keep up oxygenation of the blood.

But trust me, I have done Max HR tests. It is not comfortable at all, you are NOT going to get there by accident.

I recently asked this question as I was concerned too. Every time I jog or run I'm always very close to my max heart rate which is 187 (I have a polar too). It just happens for some reason. Normally, you're supposed to hit 85% of your MHR but for me it's usually 95%-100% of my MHR. And, I don't even run fast. Maybe, once I get fitter it will get better for me.

Thanks everyone! This makes sense, actually. It's always been the case for me that perceived exertion of 8 (recommended in aerobics classes) translates to an HR over my target HR (of 80% or whatever). So I guess I just have a high idle. :)

Ennay, that's what I thought--if I hit it, I would know it!

Pintobean, I'm hoping the same thing, that if I keep running, eventually I will be able to do it without my HR going so high.

It will definitely get better - this same thing also happened to me when I started running. I also have a Polar F7 and my max was somewhere around 198 when I started running, but I got as high as 207 one time (105% or something like that!) I think I was running around 4.3 mph too! So not very fast at all!

Now that I'm more physically fit I hardly ever hit the 190s when I run. So hang in there, it will come down!

For the OP - I think you're fine. Like you I also hit my max or over my max when I began running and I haven't died yet. :)

If you are hitting that number then it isnt and never was your MAX. Your max will not change as you get fitter. If it is coming down, that only means that you are fitter and no longer working out at the same intensity level.

The absolute ONLY way to know what your true MaxHR is to get it tested.

I have hit my true max HR a few times during my police fitness exam. You won't know that it is your true max - you get almost dizzy, in a trance, and can't think straight - then you collapse and everything is a bit blurry, lol! Some people puke at that time. Either way, you aren't in any capacity to look at your HR monitor until a good 10 minutes later :)

Totally agree. As I've lost weight, my running has sped up and my heart rate has slowed down -- but both are attributable to being in better shape and the fact that I'm no longer lugging around the 36 pounds that I've recently lost.

I've also hit the wall of being close to my max HR during a fitness test. I thought for a momemt that I might pass out and die, and I could literally hear my heart beating from within. Based on how I felt, I think it would be almost impossible for one to sustain a workout for more than a few seconds at that level of exertion.

Yup. That's what it feels like. I've come close several times, but recently I have not been wearing a monitor. But I've gotten the tunnel vision and a funny taste in my mouth.

The down and dirty way to test it is to sprint all out 400 meters, recover for 30 seconds, sprint 400 meters, recover for 30 seconds, and on the 3rd 400 meters go balls out. Somewhere in that 3rd repetition of pain you will be very close to your maximum. Wear something that RECORDS hr, because you will NOT be able to see the numbers.

I've had better luck with short hill repeats rather than 400, I think 400 is too long to hit maximum

I do NOT recommend doing this by the way.

Yup, it is quite brutal. My exams were under 4 minutes. Anything more than that is too much. Only elite athletes (ie. Lance Armstrong) can do max HR for more than 5 or 10 minutes.

I think the point of the first 2 repeats is to warm you up because it might not be possible to hit your max hr the first go round. It's been about 5 years since I did mine and the thought just makes me want to hurl. Maybe I'll wear my HRM on my next 5K just for giggles.

What they all said. :)

Seriously, my max heart rate is supposed to be 187 or something based on my resting heart rate and age and such, but I regularly hit 190-195 in reasonably normal workouts, have gone as high as 209. I have little memory of that moment as I was a little dizzy at the time, and only knew about it later from looking at the downloaded HRM data. :)

Oh my, you know it had never even occurred to me that max HR could be different depending on the people... silly, silly me. XD And I was starting to think that my heart was a crappy little thing, because it goes to 170 or so when I'm "casually" running (slower than that, and I might as well be walking).

Now that might be the reason why. I had calculated that, based on the formula, 85% was about 161-162, and I was trying not to go above that. Of course I was getting bored while running... Bah. I guess I can go above that as long as I don't feel sick, then.

I surely went *way* above that when I took that RPM class two hours ago, that is. :lol:

I just have a silly rebock watch type heart rate and my resting {sitting calm} is about 55 and when I am full out doing P90X plyo I can only get it to say 145???????I know it must be higher by my panting? By the time I put my fingers on the spots my heart rate has slowed SOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrating!
I do exercise alot but I would think I could get a higher reading

Well devadiva, my resting HR is 70-80, so maybe if you start with a higher HR, you get a higher workout HR. I read a target/max HR formula somewhere that instead of using 220-age, used resting HR plus some number. I guess max is more variable than the little charts would have you think, and it sounds like it's hard to measure, so maybe resting HR is a better starting point.

I must be the only one here who doesn't use a HR monitor. I USED to, but I found that I was "working too hard" -- getting a high reading, but I was still feeling great!

So I just used to go on perceived exertion, especially during speed training...

I WAS going to post that if you go over your max heart rate, your HEART EXPLODES!!! :rofl:

Kira

LOL Kira you should've seen me on the treadmill, watching that number creep up like it was nearing the red "DO NOT EXCEED!!!!" line from some overheating sci-fi device. :)

I don't use a HR either.

You musta read my mind, I was gonna post about heart explosion too :o :rofl:

I do just have to laugh at mine because I really can't work any harder and like in the middle of p90x hardcore WORKOUT... Tony the trainer who is "48" says his heartrate is l68 and he is not breathing as hard as I am {Iam 57} and he has stopped a million times I think WTF I take mine and it says 122 I think its the moniter plus my heart slows by the time I can get my fingers on the stupid little thingees sooo I just don't use it either!!!!

But is there a point at which an increase in "fitness" is compromised?
 

Okay, so I understand from what you've all said here that when you hit your max HR, you'll know it, but I thought that if you were working above 90% of your max, you were no longer benefitting your heart and/or burning fat. Is that true? Is it harmful to your fitness and weight loss to go above a certain percentage of your heart rate?

Edited to add: I found this old post: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/exer...bove-zone.html which had some information on this. It seems to say that if you exercise at around 70-80% of your max, you'll be doing the best for your heart health and your weight loss. If you go much above that, you're doing anaerobic exercise, which doesn't burn fat and which can be hard on your heart. Is that true?

I'm so glad I found this old thread. I have been freaked out because my hr keeps going up to 180 when I jog long distances

I'm glad you found this old thread, too. :lol:

I always was all 'hope I don't burst!' and kept going, haha.