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Why maximum heart rate is so high for my age?
I am wondering why my heart rate regularly beats much faster than the theoetical charts suggest that it should while I am exercising. I am a 45 year old male, I exercise regularly including weights and running. My resting heart rate is about 50, but my maximum is 205 as recorded by my heart rate monitor. The charts show that the max for my age should be about 175. I have had a stress test and I have been told that my heart is healthy and that I could exercise as vigorously as I want to. The heart specialist that read my stress test results didn't seem to have a lot of knowledge about heart rate as it relates to exercise. This is why I am asking this question here. What is different about my heart that makes it beat so much faster than the average person? Is my heart less efficient or more efficient than the theoretical average? Do I need to be more concerned than the average person when I go on runs of 1-2 hours or when I push my pace really hard? Noting that something must be very different about my heart to make it beat so fast and a few deaths during marathons the past year has made me ask these questions. I use a heart rate monitor when I run. I typically have a heart rate around 170-180 for the entire duration of my runs.
The rule that the max heart rate is 220 minus age is only a very rough indication and does not apply to a lot of people.
My calculated heart rate is 165 as I can easily go to 190, so 25 beats per minute extra.
Normally, a big heart reserve (max heart rate - rest heart rate) is considered as a plus for athletes.
If the result from the stress test is that your heart is healthy, I would not be afraid to do exercises that require your heart to go to the max, even is that is 205.
My calculated heart rate is 165 as I can easily go to 190, so 25 beats per minute extra.
Normally, a big heart reserve (max heart rate - rest heart rate) is considered as a plus for athletes.
If the result from the stress test is that your heart is healthy, I would not be afraid to do exercises that require your heart to go to the max, even is that is 205.
57 year old woman here. My 5k race yesterday I was 185-190 almost 20% of the run. Not an equipment failure. I have recorded my HR to that level regularly in hard runs. I wasn't at my limit and was nowhere near the now-I-have-to-vomit level. My resting HR is in the mid 40's.
I have also wondered about this and if it is anything to be concerned about.
I have also wondered about this and if it is anything to be concerned about.
57 year old woman here. My 5k race yesterday I was 185-190 almost 20% of the run. Not an equipment failure. I have recorded my HR to that level regularly in hard runs. I wasn't at my limit and was nowhere near the now-I-have-to-vomit level. My resting HR is in the mid 40's.
I have also wondered about this and if it is anything to be concerned about.
I have also wondered about this and if it is anything to be concerned about.
love the name by the way!
I have the same questions as you. the max "predicted" HR for my age is 165 (57 yo female) and I regularly go into the 170's on strenuous bike rides. I feel fine, can carry on a conversation (but can't sing). (Like Jerry said, that's only an average and there are folks on both sides of the line--some like us, and others,even trained athletes, -who can't even get to their predicted max at top effort).
The difference between you and me, I guess, is that a holter monitor picked up a run of NSVT during a ride that took it to 180, and my doc insists on treating it with a beta blocker. I dont' wnat to take meds--maybe I just don't want to admit i have a health problem. He's sticking strictly with the formula--not allowing that maybe my peak just doesn't conform to the formula and is normal for me.
I'm sure in your research you've come across the story behind the max HR formula. It was basically two research docs on a plane plotting some data. tHey found that drawing a line through the data (delineating an average) they were able to come up with a formula that fairly accurately predicted what most people's maximum hr would be based on age. But of course there were "outliers" who didn't fit--you and me and Jerry for ex. The docs have told the media that they never meant for it to become an absolute guide because the population whose data they were usuing weren't representative of the population as a whole--some had heart disease etc.
I still want an exercise physiologist to tell me if I"m correct!
I have the same questions as you. the max "predicted" HR for my age is 165 (57 yo female) and I regularly go into the 170's on strenuous bike rides. I feel fine, can carry on a conversation (but can't sing). (Like Jerry said, that's only an average and there are folks on both sides of the line--some like us, and others,even trained athletes, -who can't even get to their predicted max at top effort).
The difference between you and me, I guess, is that a holter monitor picked up a run of NSVT during a ride that took it to 180, and my doc insists on treating it with a beta blocker. I dont' wnat to take meds--maybe I just don't want to admit i have a health problem. He's sticking strictly with the formula--not allowing that maybe my peak just doesn't conform to the formula and is normal for me.
I'm sure in your research you've come across the story behind the max HR formula. It was basically two research docs on a plane plotting some data. tHey found that drawing a line through the data (delineating an average) they were able to come up with a formula that fairly accurately predicted what most people's maximum hr would be based on age. But of course there were "outliers" who didn't fit--you and me and Jerry for ex. The docs have told the media that they never meant for it to become an absolute guide because the population whose data they were usuing weren't representative of the population as a whole--some had heart disease etc.
I still want an exercise physiologist to tell me if I"m correct!
COMMUNITY LEADER
I agree, but as you said, each heart has a maximum heart rate and the guidance that one control their exercise driven HR below 80% or so of 220-age is just an average bench mark, it is not an exact number that applies to anyone.
What I meant is most of us, well I used to, have trouble mustering the mental strength to stand the pain (no pain , no gain) needed to drive our HR to the maximum. It sounded to me like you are a dedicated exercise person who can drive you HR to 170. I agree 205 is too high, but I don't think that means 205 is your maximum any more than is the one computed in the above formula. Many on this community report very periods of very high HR, but those numbers should never be considered the exercise maximum HR.
I hope I'm not rambling on, on something you didn't ask about or contribute to.
What I meant is most of us, well I used to, have trouble mustering the mental strength to stand the pain (no pain , no gain) needed to drive our HR to the maximum. It sounded to me like you are a dedicated exercise person who can drive you HR to 170. I agree 205 is too high, but I don't think that means 205 is your maximum any more than is the one computed in the above formula. Many on this community report very periods of very high HR, but those numbers should never be considered the exercise maximum HR.
I hope I'm not rambling on, on something you didn't ask about or contribute to.
Maybe I have a misconception. From what I have found on the 'net, a person's maximum heart rate is not a function of physical fitness but is dictated by genetics even though it does decrease very slowly with age. The resting heart rate on the other hand does decrease as fitness improves. My understanding is that each person has a maximum value that their heart is capable of beating and it does not change (except for the minimal decrease with age). Since in theory a person my age should have a maximum heart rate of about 175, the fact that mine is 205 makes me question what is different about my heart that makes it top out so high. I don't think it has anything to do with my fitness level or my determination. Is this correct?
COMMUNITY LEADER
If you are in as good a condition as your note reads to me a HR of 170+ a bit more shouldn't be a problem. However, I'd recommend you not run a HR as high as 205 under any condition.
You ask why your HR is so high when working-out/running, a better question may be how is it that you have the mental strength to push yourself so hard that you HR goes over 200.
You ask why your HR is so high when working-out/running, a better question may be how is it that you have the mental strength to push yourself so hard that you HR goes over 200.
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