High Heart Rate During Exercise

[Toyo2781]

I am a 27 Year Old Male in good health.  My resting heart rate is normal, but when I do cardio my heart rate jumps to the above zone (168 bpm+) very quickly and stays there.  I've lived in Colorado for 3 years and don't know if this is an altitude, lung (asthma), or heart problem.  Any ideas?

-Thanks

[soflsun]

I also have a low resting HR and high exercise HR.  In addition, my pulse stays well above my resting HR after exercise, sometimes staying at 90-110 BPM for 4-6 AFTER exercising.  My normal RHR is anywhere from 48-60...so nobody has been able to help me with tha either.

[tovli]

Welcome, initiate, to the normal-to-be-off-the-chart club...perhaps.  After you visit your family physician and cardiologist, if you hear "you are healthy, nothing to worry about", you will be a certified member of the "we haven't a clue why, but we're going to tell you not to worry" club.  

It may be that you have a "normal" high max heart rate.  Only an exercise physiologist can safely and expertly measure it.  I have a great resting heart rate, declared in good health, but I have a max heart rate that is 13% above the 220-age estimate, and I reach 90% of even this high max too quickly to run a "normal" Cooper 1.5 mile test.  This causes my heart to bust the "exercise here range" after the first warmup minute or two.  After two years of hoping to lower the slope of my heart rate vs. time exercising, and hoping to find out why I might have "moderate to severe exercise intolerance", the hope is nearly gone.  

Don't be worried, but do consult your doctors to be sure you are safely abnormal....

[Qwyietman21]

Here's the thing about medical guidelines: they all assume we are within 1 standard deviation of the norm. It's the same with labs, they will trigger high and low values but be perfectly fine - they are just outside of 1 standard deviation of the norm. I don't know if you remember and statistics, but basically the human population is a normal distribution. The heartrate guidelines, if they assume everyone is within 1 standard deviation of the norm ( which almost all medical guidance is), then it is only valid for 66.7% of the population. That means there are still 33.3% of people, that are perfectly normal (like the people on this board) that can't figure out why they don't fit in the guidance but yet are perfectly ok. That's probably as clear as mud but hopefully it help someone.

[Paxiled]

This is true.  I'm not sure the statistical analysis is true -- it just information, not fact.  Hard to come by factual info about human health at this point in our history.  But folks are trying.  But it's also true you can fit into a statistical norm and still have the problem, so the reverse is also true -- thinking more of, say, blood sugar or thyroid here where a small problem can be very big for someone but docs will say you're fine because they're stuck with having been taught to think in generalizations, not individuals who differ greatly.  Meaning, if you're feeling ill and you don't know why, it's still a good thing to pursue it until some doc or other professional gets to the nub of it, or ignore it and go on with your life -- avoiding docs -- more statistics -- adds years to our lives but also can kill us.  Statistics are just a tool, not facts, and it's great of you to point that out to folks.  Unfortunately, this post is so old I don't know if anyone but me will see this.  Peace.

[Niffer991]

what is your Resting Heart rate exactly? Calculate 220 - age - RHR = Hear rate reserve. HR reserve x 60% = low limit. Then do the calculation again with 85% and that will be your high cardio limit.

I am 30 and I get my heart rate up to 170-175 bpm and because I am very fit it is not a big strain for me, I can maintain it for 1 hr.

Maybe there are conserns but maybe not so do the calculations and figure out where you are at. Always do a warm up and cool down and if further conserns then ask a doctor.

Good Luck

[Chad51]

I am 32 and I hit around 208 when running

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

There can be many reasons for increased heart rate like high blood pressure, low blood pressure, heart disorders like myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, anemia, hyperthyroidism, asthma, panic disorders and fever to name a few.
Does any of these sound familiar to you?
I would also advise you to please do some warming up exercises before you start with your cardio work out. Take care!

[arvbuttar]

Great explanation. I totally agree with you, it is better to do some warm-up exercise before starting cardio.
Thanks.