Should I worry about my heart rate (being quite high!)

Stewpot407

Hi Team,

A comment on another post has got me a little about my heart rate, as in it seems a little on the high side compared to other riders. ...Am I in trouble?

Up to the age of 30 I was stupidly fit. I then left the army, got an office job, slowed down and put on 4 stone. At the moment I'm 41 years old, 5'10" and weigh in a 16 stone. Two years ago I bought a second hand bike in a bid to work on my fitness. I don't have a training schedule, I just go out as and when I can.

Went out tonight just for a 'quiet one' the ride included 3 segments that I haven't done for a year. As you can see my HR is about the same from a similar ride last year.

1 Stewart Rush Jun 6, 2013 8.3mi/h 172bpm 229W 644 7:46
2 Stewart Rush Aug 17, 2012 6.1mi/h 175bpm 171W 474 10:33

1 Stewart Rush Jun 6, 2013 16.3mi/h 165bpm 181W 4003 1:56
2 Stewart Rush Aug 17, 2012 13.7mi/h 168bpm 157W 3365 2:18

Rank Name Date Speed HR Power VAM Time
1 Stewart Rush Jun 6, 2013 16.3mi/h 165bpm 181W 4003 1:56
2 Stewart Rush Aug 17, 2012 13.7mi/h 168bpm 157W 3365 2:18


.........................................................................................................

History of a little climb close to home:

Rank Name Date Speed HR Power VAM Time
1 Stewart Rush May 19, 2013 9.7mi/h 178bpm 299W - 2:11
2 Stewart Rush May 12, 2013 9.3mi/h 180bpm 308W - 2:16
3 Stewart Rush May 21, 2013 9.3mi/h 178bpm 300W - 2:17
4 Stewart Rush May 19, 2013 8.7mi/h 180bpm 280W - 2:25
5 Stewart Rush May 2, 2013 8.6mi/h 171bpm 275W - 2:28
6 Stewart Rush Apr 19, 2013 8.5mi/h 177bpm 231W - 2:30
7 Stewart Rush Sep 18, 2011 7.6mi/h - 202W - 2:48
8 Stewart Rush Oct 24, 2012 7.4mi/h - 236W - 2:51
9 Stewart Rush Mar 26, 2013 7.2mi/h 172bpm 250W - 2:56
10 Stewart Rush Jun 25, 2012 6.8mi/h - 236W - 3:07

Sorry, its a very long winded way of asking if this is normal and how do I lower my heart rate?

Cheers

Stew

JayKosta

I don't worry about my heart rate while exercising. But a good guide to cardio fitness is the 'resting heart rate' first thing after getting a good sleep. Usually the resting rate goes lower as fitness improves.

It is typical for the maximum heart rate to get slightly slower as fitness improves, but I think that is because the heart develops a larger 'per pump volume'. Also, it is typical for the max heart rate to decline with age - the rough guide for max heart rate is '220 - your age'.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

imposter2.0

220-age is pretty much useless as a guide to individual MHR, so I would ignore the above. To the OP - do not compare your HR to other people's - the comparison is completely meaningless. Your HR is what it is - the heart is a muscle which responds to training. Unless you have some pre-existing heart condition which you need to monitor, just get on and ride.

Stewpot407

good stuff.... and over time will it get lower or will I always have a high heart rate?

Cheers

Stew

imposter2.0

Stewpot407 wrote:

good stuff.... and over time will it get lower or will I always have a high heart rate?

Cheers

Stew

You might find that your resting pulse gets lower as your fitness increases.

steve6690

My resting HR has come down since I started cycling last year - it's 52 bpm now. I've done a maximum HR test for running and it's 186. I haven't yet done one for cycling, but aim to at some point. If you really want to know what's high or low for you then you ideally need to test yourself. Resting HR is easy to test, and there are loads of tests you can find on the internet which will determine your maximum HR.

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/hrm1.htm

By the way, I'll be 49 next month so the 220 minus age thing is way off for me.

mentalalex

My dad * his max Hr is 196. mine is 208

over time as long as things are improving for the same given hr your power output will be higher.

Hr does drop slightly over time, but my dads max is only 12 beats lower than mine.

markhewitt1978

A resting rate of 56 is excellent, I don't think you need to worry.

buckles

There's no such thing as a high heart rate (compared to other people's)

Your heart rate is your heart rate and thus can only be compared to your own heart rate

Stewpot407

Just checked my resting HR (half a dozen times) while sat it the office, watching the Dauphine and drinking coffee. I love my job! .......56bpm

mrfpb

Interesting points posted so far. I have started measuring heart rate on the bike this week. When asked to enter HRM before riding I used the formula 220 - (0.8 x age). Both rides since, I exceeded this and just entered my new maximum after the ride. I did wonder if getting fitter would increase HRM, but the post above

JayKosta wrote:

it is typical for the maximum heart rate to get slightly slower as fitness improves, but I think that is because the heart develops a larger 'per pump volume'.

makes sense. My resting heart is 60 bpm, but I am about 10 pounds heavier than I'd like to be.

indjke

Everybody is unique.
Don't judge your HR by comparing to other's numbers. And DON'T use 220-age.
For example I am 27. Right now, sitting in a chair, I have a HR near 60. It a bit high, as usually it closer to 55. (I think reason is yesterday's race and warm weather).
Lying in the bed I usually have about 50, but my max is over 210 - no way even close to 220-formula.
btw average HR for yesterday's race is 180 bpm for 2hr 47 minutes
You should listen to your feelings and create your own scale, what is high and low for YOU.