Author Topic: High heart rate at maximum exertion  (Read 6064 times)

High heart rate at maximum exertion
« on: 09 June, 2014, 08:35:54 pm »
So, generally I feel pretty fit and stay active.  I'm 36, 6ft2, weight a little under 12 stone.  However when I'm out on my bike at maximum exertion climbing a hill my heart rate will go to 196 (sometimes a couple of bpm higher).  I can only sustain that heart rate for a few seconds, if that, and then need to reduce exertion to something in the 185-191 range which I could maintain for quite a while.  For instance this climb from a 100k perm I did at the weekend:


See full size image

In a climb that took over 16 minutes my average heart rate was 190bpm, maxing at 198bpm.  The climb was really tough, particularly at the bottom and took everything I had to get up it.

That aside my resting heart rate can be as low as 50bpm and I can repeatedly drop 30bpm after one minute of resting from a maximum exertion.

I'm just a bit worried there might be something up with me given that most maximum heart rate calculations would have me somewhere in the high 180s, just seems a bit abnormal.  Can anyone with experience of these sorts of things advise if this is normal or not?
Up the hills and round the bends

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #1 on: 09 June, 2014, 09:04:15 pm »
Seems pretty normal to me! I maxed at 192 on my 1.5 mile commute to work when I was 31.
My resting heart rate was 42-48 when I was fit but is around 55 now (I'm 56 and have had no exercise for 12 years.)

If you don't feel unwell and your heart rate recovers quickly after exertion, I don't think there's any reason to worry.

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #2 on: 09 June, 2014, 09:39:04 pm »
No, I don't feel unwell and my heart rate recovers quickly so sounds like nothing to worry about. 

It's one of those questions that has been nagging at me for a while, good to hear it's nothing to worry about.

Is it right that maximum heart rate isn't affected by fitness, just that as you get fitter your heart rate on the same 'task' should be lower?
Up the hills and round the bends

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #3 on: 09 June, 2014, 09:50:57 pm »
I'm 48 and my resting heart rate is under 50 ( under 40 when I'm proper fit ) and max is 190-ish

220-age should be 172, the formula is a generalisation


rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #4 on: 09 June, 2014, 09:54:58 pm »
The highest I ever saw was 196 (running up a hill) so I'd say that yours is fairy normal.  The only thing to watch is if you have (or think you have, or have very recently had) a cold or 'flu virus, as some of these can muck about with the heart rate to the extent that you hit MHR much sooner than normal and you think you are about to die.  If this happens, keep riding slowly or get off the bike and sit or lie on the ground.  Otherwise, as soon as you stop, all the blood pools in your legs and you faint.  Fainting itself is not harmful but whacking your head on the ground while unconscious, and therefore unable to break the fall, is very painful.  DAHIKT.

I also hit MHR halfway through a flat TT once...I vaguely thought dying on a flat road would make me look a bit of a lightweight as I slowed right down (following the advice above).  30 seconds later everything had dropped back to normal and I could get back up to race pace again.  It's scary when you can't breathe, though.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #5 on: 09 June, 2014, 10:20:46 pm »
I would sustain 176 for around 20 minutes during my (flat out) fast commutes fairly comfortably.

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #6 on: 10 June, 2014, 09:53:39 am »
My resting HR is in the early 40s but my max is over 220, and I hit that at the end of races. That formula is just a generalisation, don't stress about it if it's normal for you. It's only when abnormal things start happening there's a problem ;)

People look at my average TT heartrates with horror, but they're normal for me. I just hope we don't have a set amount of heartbeats in each life  :o

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #7 on: 10 June, 2014, 10:06:06 am »
. I just hope we don't have a set amount of heartbeats in each life  :o

Heart rates are linked, inversely proportionally, to life-expectancy in mammals.That's the bad news regarding fast heart-rates.

However your Athlete's low resting heart-rate, for long periods of the day & night, is what you should consider rather than short periods at max heart-rate. 

So the link is a good one in your case.

If your resting heart-rates was 220bpm then you may possibly be a Rabbit and you shouldn't make any long-term plans.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #8 on: 10 June, 2014, 10:13:39 am »
I have a RHR of around 45-50, and a normal max heart rate of about 180 (male, 58, a bit overweight but fit). Yesterday, my previously utterly reliable Garmin gave my average for a relatively gentle 50km ride as 155 and the Max as 224, with extended periods (during an admittedly hard-working stretch) over 190! The strap has a new battery in it, but I think it's telling porkies nonetheless. It resulted in a new TP calculation of threshold heart rate of 173, which is just ridiculous for me!

Jhob, yours looks entirely normal and reasonable to me.

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #9 on: 10 June, 2014, 10:15:43 am »
Thanks folks, I've learnt a lot about heart rates through this thread now, all very interesting. I shall stop worrying and just keep on riding!
Up the hills and round the bends

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #10 on: 10 June, 2014, 10:23:38 am »
. I just hope we don't have a set amount of heartbeats in each life  :o

Heart rates are linked, inversely proportionally, to life-expectancy in mammals.That's the bad news regarding fast heart-rates.




I was under the impression that a high resting heart rate was not in itself bad news.  (Altho I am usually under 50, 47-48). 

I have never measured my high heart rate in my life!  Sometimes my head pounds when hill-climbing but if I swallow it calms down.

Am going to join a gymn over the three worst winter months and they will give me what they call an 'MOT'.   Let's hope it is not too  :o
Move Faster and Bake Things

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #11 on: 10 June, 2014, 01:43:29 pm »
My doc says that you don't need to worry how high it goes but how fast it comes down again.  If it stays high when you're resting, that's the time to worry.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #12 on: 10 June, 2014, 03:32:08 pm »
I was under the impression that a high resting heart rate was not in itself bad news.  (Altho I am usually under 50, 47-48). 

Depending on how high it is it could be bad news.
I think it's still recommended to investigate possible causes behind a resting heart rate of >90bpm (even though that alone may not be a sign of poor health).

I proved this year that, with a bit of weight-loss and a return to cycling longer distances, it's possible to make significant improvements in HR and Blood Pressure in just a few weeks.

The benefits of training at a high (or max) heart-rate (for me anyway) is that I've got used to the feeling.  It means that I know how long I can maintain that effort. 
That's useful when you can see the top of the hill 100 yards away and realise that you are going to make it without the need of the granny-ring.

It has also improved my recovery time significantly.  That means I'm not draped over the handlebars for quite so long at the top of said hill.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #13 on: 10 June, 2014, 06:05:50 pm »
My doc says that you don't need to worry how high it goes but how fast it comes down again.  If it stays high when you're resting, that's the time to worry.

+1

When I was a competitive rower we used to use the Harvard step test as a measure of fitness and recovery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Step_Test

Other recovery tests are available.
“There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened.”
― Douglas Adams

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #14 on: 10 June, 2014, 10:37:54 pm »
If your resting heart-rates was 220bpm then you may possibly be a Rabbit and you shouldn't make any long-term plans.
I'd just look forward to the constant shagging.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #15 on: 01 August, 2014, 11:13:33 am »
I just had a chat with my landlady here in Germany (who's medically trained) and she was shocked to discover that my average heart rate, when riding fast, is around 140 and that my max last month was 199. She thinks this is far too high. As does a German chap I cycle with - his doctor has told him to keep his heart rate under 180 (he's 47 so a few years older than me).

Is this a strange German obsession with heart rate (akin to their obsession with the fictitious illness Kreislaufsstörung and examining their poops) or is it strange that my heart rate goes so high? Resting is 60-70, a pootly ride sees the average around 115-125. The high rates are when going up hills (which I am crap at).
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #16 on: 01 August, 2014, 12:37:41 pm »
I have similar figures to yourself, helen.

On the hospital cross trainer, a power output of 230W resulted in a heart rate of about 130bpm (a bit higher if I did more work with arms than legs).

This made the physios look all concerned and ask me to take it easy. For a 5min workout. I can keep up 230W output for  quite a while, as is pretty normal with those who cycle a lot.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #17 on: 01 August, 2014, 12:40:49 pm »
I have similar figures to yourself, helen.

Same here, although resting rate in the 80-90 range.

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #18 on: 01 August, 2014, 12:51:00 pm »
It makes me wonder what these physios etc are expecting?

A workout at 130bpm and they are saying take it easy? What are they expecting it to be if you are doing any exercise? Do they not want people to get out of breath or exert and effort or something?

Just turned on my garmin- my average heartrate for 21 minutes last night was 212. (max 221)

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #19 on: 01 August, 2014, 01:02:56 pm »
I don't think obsessing about heart rates is very useful for healthy people most of the time.
Wear a monitor so you know what rates you have for rest, gentle pootling, hill-climbing and flat-out riding.

Assess how these feel and their associated heart rates.
Then leave your monitor in a drawer.

Enjoy your cycling!

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #20 on: 01 August, 2014, 01:10:07 pm »
It seems mostly useful as an early warning of lurgy, tbh.  Though I do find the HRM handy for pacing myself at the start of long rides.

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #21 on: 01 August, 2014, 01:14:27 pm »
My peak is 196, when I hit that I know I've put it all out there. 

Once my initial concerns were allayed by this thread I now find a useful pacing tool, particularly when climbing - my heart rate tells me how much I have left in the bank and how much more I can push. 

It also stops me from taking it too easy!
Up the hills and round the bends

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #22 on: 01 August, 2014, 01:20:23 pm »
A workout at 130bpm and they are saying take it easy?

That's about what my HR was while riding up the Hardknott Pass (33% gradient) on the Swan with Two Necks 600 earlier this year.
My maximum is somewhere around 180 as a reasonable guess. Last time I did a ramp test was 1991 and I got 192 IIRC So 130bpm isn't even a high intensity workout even for me, it's probably moderate walking pace for you.

I don't think obsessing about heart rates is very useful for healthy people most of the time.
Wear a monitor so you know what rates you have for rest, gentle pootling, hill-climbing and flat-out riding.

Assess how these feel and their associated heart rates.
Then leave your monitor in a drawer.

Enjoy your cycling!

I've taken to using a HRM for rides. I use it to tell me when I'm going at over 65% MHR, which when I first went for a ride, came surprisingly quickly and easily while riding up an easy hill.
Given that I'm relatively unfit this year, I've been pleased with how relatively well preserved I've felt after some pretty hard rides and not felt as trashed the morning after as I think I would have been.


Just turned on my garmin- my average heartrate for 21 minutes last night was 212. (max 221)
A crafty midnight 10 mile TT?

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #23 on: 01 August, 2014, 01:36:21 pm »
I'm no athlete - I have the VO2Max of an unhealthy slug.

130 is definitely a good workout for me, probably about right for 21-22mph. On the flat I'd expect to be able to sustain that for an hour (see first sentence).

I think the physios had a low benchmark. Most of the people in the class were pretty unfit.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: High heart rate at maximum exertion
« Reply #24 on: 01 August, 2014, 01:37:07 pm »
Not at midnight and not crafty ;)

I would also never put my HRM in a drawer, use it religiously for training (along with a power meter)  Sometimes its very easy to go a bit too hard on the easy sessions without realising if you have no numbers, and then you wonder why you can't hit the numbers on the hard sessions.

Also, with the hard sessions/racing, I find that using it, although it might feel like near death, the HRM actually says its not quite death so push harder! ;)