Max Heart Rate

[MichaelM]

I recently got HRM and in the absence of any firm figure took the average of some common Max Heart Rate equations and came up with 178. So for the past few days I've been riding in heart zones determined by this fig.

Tonights club ride was just a case of ride it, record my HR and see. The max peak was 191 BPM, but that was just a one off peak. There were though a number of occasions where it was held at 189 -190 for a minute/minute and a half, average was 175 for 1 hour 10 min.

Is a heart this high something to be concerned about? Male, 43 yrs young, 90 kg - though I've always been into something - climbing/canoeing, martial arts/running (but the list is getting shorter as the knees wear out). Or should I just re-calculate working heart rate / zones based on a max of 190?

Is anyone still reading? My god, what a geeky post, I think I'm going to have to go and shave my legs.

 

[gavintc]

Yep, the calcs are only a guide and take no account of your individual body. I am 51 and on last week's hard club ride, I recorded a max of 185. I think my actual max is 186. I know I can ride for a good distance with a HR in the high 160's.

 

[piedwagtail91]

i'm 50 and got 205 . shortly after i gave the hrm away and went back to riding off "feel"

 

[Crackle]

Well first of all I think you should see a doctor: That level of anxiety over your heartrate is not healthy

It's oft raised this. The only real way to determine your max is to do a self test or go pay some masochist to make you hammer yourself in a lab. It's likely to be above the figures you had from your club run, as it's not something you can maintain for long.

I did my own self test a few years ago, which involved a 10 mile ride of varying effort, good warm up, a few small hills, finishing on an uphill incline, upon which I absolutely hammered it and when you think you can't hammer it any more you go again and again. If you don't finish feeling queasy and dizzy you ain't tried hard enough. Not something you want to repeat too often and make sure you've built up properly before max effort.

It's useful to know, especially if you plan to do zone training, helps you know how hard you're working. The theoretical figures are just that. I don't know if there's any particular difference between those with higher or lower heartrates. From what i've read there isn't, it's just personal physiology and of more importance is your recovery rate and resting heartrate.

I use mine more to monitor effort and as an indicator if I'm tired or ill. You soon see patterns to your rides when you've got one.

 

[HLaB]

I think my guide max heart rate is 183, I regularly go higher than that, in the region of 190-200. My max recorded was 240 but I don't believe that, it was on a club ride, perhaps there was interference from another rider.

 

[Blue]

I agree with the info given by Crackle.

 

[Bob_betty]

A study published in the March issue of The Journal of the American College of Cardiology presents a new formula for estimating maximum heart rate: 208 minus 0.7 times age. The old, widely-published formula for estimating maximum heart rate is 220 minus age. The new formula gives higher estimated maximum heart rates for older people, with the new and old heart rate curves intersecting at age 40.