How long is it safe to have a Max HR?

liquor box

I usually peak my HR at around 174BPM with an occasional jump to 182BPM but generally never higher than 174.

When I forst started riding again after many years I could ony sustain 170BPM for about 30 seconds before it burnt, but now am a lot fitter and 26kg lighter (9 months later).

A guy at work and I were wondering how long is it safe to keep your heart at maximum? I climbed a hill the other day and it took just on 14 minutes and my average HR was 174 with a maximum of 186 for those 14 minutes. I pretty much was ready to collapse!

Was this a dangerous thing to do? Would I get any benefit in trying to do this regualrly or will it cause some tyoe of injury?

btw I am 36 years old and now weigh about 71kg if that changes anything. Most calculators online say my maximum HR should be around 184.

Tom Dean

Unless you have some underlying health problem, you probably can't push yourself harder than is healthy.

If you can 'hold' a certain HR for more than a few seconds, it is probably not your maximum.

sungod

mhr is personal, the various calculators are just giving guesses based upon various models

if you are fit you can generally maintain higher hr for longer with less suffering

whether it's 'safe' depends on the state of your body, there are much younger people who drop dead playing sports because of an undiagnosed heart condition, there are older ones who can just take the pain for hours

singleton

Not sure if you've had a HRMax test done or are using a calculated Max HR figure.

I'm 43 and depending on the calculation that I use (220 - age or 209 - half age or 214 - 0.8 * age) then my Max HR is anything between 177 and 187.5.

DavidJB

Thats not your max.

Basically I don't think you know your max until you're in a race You can probably hold proper max for 5-10 seconds..because you've got a build up to get to that max as well..basically unless you've got a dodgy heart your legs will fail before your heart.

cougie

You have to test for your max. It's the only way. And it's just a very short while you can hold it for. Certainly not minutes.

I don't think it's dangerous to push yourself either. Ok people drop dead in marathons each week but they won't be anywhere near their max.

singleton

cougie wrote:

I don't think it's dangerous to push yourself either. Ok people drop dead in marathons each week but

So what would fall into the category of 'dangerous' for you then'?

cougie

Watching daytime television and eating cream cakes all day ?

The human body is designed for exercise - not a sedentary lifestyle.

sancho_panza

I did a race once where my average HR for the course was 182 - 1hr43mins. (I was age 33) It was 32°C and the race was a hill climb from 700 to 2500m up to a ski station in Chile. Shortly after that my HRM broke and I haven't replaced it. I know when I'm in whatever zone it is people talk about.

Can you sit up and eat a banana, put jacket on etc, breathing through your nose;
can you hold a conversation;
can you talk;
flat out, can't imagine going at it harder; and finally,
do you feel like you're going to throw up?
That's my four zones (plus the one I rarely get in to except in racing)

The one thing I found my HRM slightly useful for was reassuring me that I was actually knackered when I couldn't get my HR as high as normal. When I'd been overdoing it or was coming down with a cold etc. Now all I have is current speed and distance travelled, and I check average speed at the end of a ride. And I know when I'm not up for it just by the way my legs feel.

ShutUpLegs

Sancho Panza wrote:

I did a race once where my average HR for the course was 182 - 1hr43mins. (I was age 33) It was 32°C and the race was a hill climb from 700 to 2500m up to a ski station in Chile. Shortly after that my HRM broke and I haven't replaced it. I know when I'm in whatever zone it is people talk about.

Can you sit up and eat a banana, put jacket on etc, breathing through your nose;
can you hold a conversation;
can you talk;
flat out, can't imagine going at it harder; and finally,
do you feel like you're going to throw up?
That's my four zones (plus the one I rarely get in to except in racing)

The one thing I found my HRM slightly useful for was reassuring me that I was actually knackered when I couldn't get my HR as high as normal. When I'd been overdoing it or was coming down with a cold etc. Now all I have is current speed and distance travelled, and I check average speed at the end of a ride. And I know when I'm not up for it just by the way my legs feel.

You could have just said you use 'Perceived Effort'

Level 1: I'm watching TV and eating bon bons
Level 2: I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
Level 3: I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
Level 4: I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
Level 5: I'm just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to. I'm sweating like a pig
Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
Level 9: I am probably going to die
Level 10: I am dead

sampras38

Forget using formulas.

If you really want to find out your MHR for training purposes I would suggested getting tested in a lab. You'll get a lot more out of it and they will help you tailor your training accordingly, depending on your goals. I always thought my max was around 192 after seeing it a few times after really pushing myself on climbs over the years, but turns out it's closer to 188.

ms

sampras38 wrote:

Forget using formulas.

If you really want to find out your MHR for training purposes I would suggested getting tested in a lab. You'll get a lot more out of it and they will help you tailor your training accordingly, depending on your goals. I always thought my max was around 192 after seeing it a few times after really pushing myself on climbs over the years, but turns out it's closer to 188.

Eh?

sorry if I sound a bit of a nob but if youve seen your heart rate max at 192 how can your max heart rate be 188?

Confused.

sampras38

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

John.T

sampras38 wrote:

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

If you have seen 192 but were tested at 188 then either the equipment showing 192 was faulty or you were not trying hard enough in the test. Max is just that. MAX. You can not go above it. And it can only be held for a very short time.

cougie

True.

To get true max you have to be feeling pretty good. If you're tired you'll probably not get up to it.
It's easy enough to test yourself. A turbo and a mate to harangue you and record your HR as you shouldn't be able to see it if you're flat out !

If you think it wasn't a good test - wait a few weeks and try again.

sampras38

sampras38 wrote:

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

More likely it was my Garmin playing up than my effort in the lab, which incidentally was only a few weeks ago. It was done in a very well respected lab who look after all sorts of athlete's, some of who are pro's and I was right on the limit. I know how to push myself and if I'd gone any harder I would have prob passed out. I was tested for V02 max, power and MHR.

doyler78

sampras38 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

More likely it was my Garmin playing up than my effort in the lab, which incidentally was only a few weeks ago. It was done in a very well respected lab who look after all sorts of athlete's, some of who are pro's and I was right on the limit. I know how to push myself and if I'd gone any harder I would have prob passed out. I was tested for V02 max, power and MHR.

Some people can hit their max in the lab and some can't. Perhaps you can't Generally interference causes large spikes which are very easy to see. I'd say your max is 192bpm or higher.

sampras38

doyler78 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

More likely it was my Garmin playing up than my effort in the lab, which incidentally was only a few weeks ago. It was done in a very well respected lab who look after all sorts of athlete's, some of who are pro's and I was right on the limit. I know how to push myself and if I'd gone any harder I would have prob passed out. I was tested for V02 max, power and MHR.

Some people can hit their max in the lab and some can't. Perhaps you can't Generally interference causes large spikes which are very easy to see. I'd say your max is 192bpm or higher.

I haven't actually seen a 192 for a couple of years and my guess is the 188 is closer to the truth, going on all the data from my Garmin over the last few years.

doyler78

sampras38 wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

More likely it was my Garmin playing up than my effort in the lab, which incidentally was only a few weeks ago. It was done in a very well respected lab who look after all sorts of athlete's, some of who are pro's and I was right on the limit. I know how to push myself and if I'd gone any harder I would have prob passed out. I was tested for V02 max, power and MHR.

Some people can hit their max in the lab and some can't. Perhaps you can't Generally interference causes large spikes which are very easy to see. I'd say your max is 192bpm or higher.

I haven't actually seen a 192 for a couple of years and my guess is the 188 is closer to the truth, going on all the data from my Garmin over the last few years.

You could well be right in that case. If you seen 192bpm before on several occasions and you have never seen it since then perhaps it is now lower as can happen, particularly if you have got a lot fitter or just advancing years.

sampras38

doyler78 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

Because sometimes you might get the odd blip for a second. When I was tested in a lab my MHR was taken over a few seconds while I was doing a ramp test.

More likely it was my Garmin playing up than my effort in the lab, which incidentally was only a few weeks ago. It was done in a very well respected lab who look after all sorts of athlete's, some of who are pro's and I was right on the limit. I know how to push myself and if I'd gone any harder I would have prob passed out. I was tested for V02 max, power and MHR.

Some people can hit their max in the lab and some can't. Perhaps you can't Generally interference causes large spikes which are very easy to see. I'd say your max is 192bpm or higher.

I haven't actually seen a 192 for a couple of years and my guess is the 188 is closer to the truth, going on all the data from my Garmin over the last few years.

You could well be right in that case. If you seen 192bpm before on several occasions and you have never seen it since then perhaps it is now lower as can happen, particularly if you have got a lot fitter or just advancing years.

Yes, I'm aware that age and fitness improvement can bring MHR down by .5 or a BPM a year as you get older. I'm 41 and probably in the best shape I've ever been aerobically.

bompington

You will have a max HR your whole life, it will vary according to age though ;-)