For the past 9 weeks I have had a personal trainer 3 days per week for high intensity interval training and crossfit. I purchased a ePulse heart rate monitor (straps around forearm close to elbow) that shows my basic rate at 67 and gradually rises with intensity of activity and falls with lower intensity activities... however... as the workouts become more extreme the heart rate goes beyond 160 where i start to feel a little unwell and at 174 i am losing focus and getting dizzy....the other day it said when my trainer noticed I hit 184 he freaked and backed me down to a safe level. Question According to the trainer and his chart, a guy 51 years old operating at 100% capacity would be between 165 and 170...so if this is the case does my montior lie?... am I in danger zone? ... doing far more intensity than I should to be safe? I have a Doc appointment next week where i expect some follow up, but in the mean time any experience with heart monitors , similar issues, intensity training are most welcome. Beev
Over the years I have come to realize heart rate is relative to the person. No matter how much I work out, cardio, run, etc, my resting is always over 90. When I sprint, it gets up to 185-190 on a normal basis. It's just who I am.
I'm 27, my resting heart rate used to be 67, and is down to 42 now. My max measured heart rate I've seen was 194. Normally, the highest I see is 188. I too believe max is relative... and if you feel really bad, then absolutely you would need to back down. It takes time for your body to adapt to the extreme workouts that a trainer can put you through.
The more I learn about HR, the more complicated and individualistic it is. I know guys in there 40's and 50's with a very trained MaxHR of ~200, others much lower. The old math was 220-age = "average" MaxHR. Likely all your "trainer" is doing. Only way to know, for sure, your #'s is to get it tested by professionals. As a rookie 51 yo though, yeah - 180+ is too high. You did get a Doc's ok to start High Intensity workouts? I'm a big believer in the High Intensity, but with professional oversight (not just a 3 week course from the local fitness club).
I'm a doc, I look at ekg's all day long every day. (I am an anesthesiologist) So I guess I can weigh in on this... First, yes there's quite a person-to-person variability in both resting- and maximal-heart rates. The "standard" rule we use is that a person's "redline" is 220-age. So, using that formula your redline is 169. Having said that, we typically use 200-age for a "goal" of intense aerobic exercise, so I would use more like a 150 pulse as your target during exercise. As you become more fit, your redline will likely rise. What happens when you over-rev? Well, you use more oxygen than you are providing to your cardiac muscle. This can be felt as chest pressure or pain, dizziness, etc. Keep pushing and you could have a heart attack, which is death of the muscle tissue inadequately oxygenated. Sort of like when you over-rev your engine, permanent damage can occur. So, please slow it down if you're feeling those symptoms. Oh, and FYI, many gyms DON'T have oxygen available. This is important, because if someone is teetering on the borderline of heart attack (or stroke) with symptoms such as you experienced, oxygen could "rescue" them from the situation. They usually do have defibrillators, though the staff don't seem to have a clue how to use them. You probably don't want to know how I know that firsthand..... Keep exercising, just bring it down a notch. And keep that appointment with your doctor. John
Thanks JSBMD ...your post was a good reality check and very informative to a working out novice like me. My doc had a cancellation so I got in days early and he also stated that I should consider my age and have my young trainer be educated in age appropriate training. Doc said that a lot of excellent fitness training can happen in the 130-160 heart beat range and that is where I should remain to be safe. The doc referred to my most recent Stress test results and indicated that the stress test oinly went to heart rate of 157 as that is the cardioogists tolerance level for my age. The trainer is new to training old guys and agreed that he was really worried a couple times. He has slowed the pace, removed some of the timed training ( where I tend to push myself beyond the safe zone due to my fierce competitiveness) My fitness training continues to motivate me with excellent results and I have found two similarly aged friends who are going to be my gym buddy motivators once I slowly cut back my perrsonal trainer from 6 hours per week to two in the fall. Cheers Paul
HR is so variable and depends on so many factors. Without taking a full history but assuming you're a healthy fit male without too many risk factors like family history, past medical history, lipids, etc.... a max heart rate of 184 is fine. Basically, no need to worry.
Paul, Glad to be of any help in this issue. Sounds like you're on the right path, keep up with regular workouts and you will see and feel an increase in your fitness level. It also sounds like your doctor is pretty reasonable in these matters. Good job, John
