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??

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.