Lets talk about heart rates...

[SKINNY]

Ok.. So my heart rate seems to be very low when riding.. I dont think I have ever seen it climb above 178bpm.. I am 35 yrs old. I have friends who say their bpm's can get 200+ on climbs like cholla.. Despite my username, I am not skinny.. about a year or year and a half ago my doctor said I had high blood pressure. It was the low end of being high but high none-the-less. So, for the past 6months I have been living a much healither lifestyle.. excercising regularly.. droped some lbs.. I guess my question is.. Why is my heart rate so low in relation to others? Is this a sign of good cardio or a sign of a weak heart? Could this by why vultures circle me when i ride (JK)?

[Burner]

Not a bad thing that your heart rate is lower that those around you.

a rule of thumb I've heard for max heart rate is 220 minus your age, so 185 in your case.

How old are the people telling you they hit 200? I think I'd be dead.

[SKINNY]

2 of my buddies.. one 29 an the the other 38 freequently get into the 185-190 range doing hills like mathis and cholla.. we all use the same HRM. Another buddy is 32 and says he gets up over 200.

[Abui]

Originally Posted by SKINNY

2 of my buddies.. one 29 an the the other 38 freequently get into the 185-190 range doing hills like mathis and cholla.. we all use the same HRM. Another buddy is 32 and says he gets up over 200.

The vultures would be justified if you got over 200. Be happy. BTW I've had ridiculously high readings which I attribute to poor contact with the chest.

What's your resting heart rate?

[ghixon]

Maximal heart rate generally declines with age from about 220 beats per minute in childhood to about 160 beats per minute at age 60. This fall in heart rate is fairly linear, decreasing by approximately 1 beat per minute per year. There is no strong evidence to suggest that training influences the decline in maximal heart rate. It should be remembered that individuals of the same age may have quite different maximal heart rates-therefore it is more accurate to calculate this value by undergoing a stress-test than by using an age-related formula.

My personal VO2 max is 188-190bpm. That's with a resting heart rate around 50-51. I'm 33 - 180 lbs. Everyone is a bit different so start by finding your resting heart rate and calculate from there.

[LoisMustDie]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Heart rates are weird and are genetic. My resting rate is in the 40s while some of my friends, who are in much better shape than I, have resting rates in the 60s or 70s. I wouldn't compare your rate to others. [/SIZE][/FONT]

Originally Posted by SKINNY

Could this by why vultures circle me when i ride (JK)?

[katonk]

I've noticed that as I loose weight my resting heart rate goes down, and I have to push myself a lot harder to get to my max heart rate. I also recently upgraded to a mo' better HRM, and I'm getter more consistent results.

[sdyeti]

Dan's resting HR is about 15 bpm lower than mine. I don't think either of us is in better shape than the other. My HR runs on the high side anyway even though I have normal BP.

So I'm not sure if you can compare between you and your buddies...genetics plays a big role (thank your parents for that one).

[allison]

You really can't go by the 220 minus age for max HR. It's a starting point and that is really all it is.

Nothing wrong with not seeing over 178, or being over 200 (though if I saw that regularly, I'd be *worried*).

My max is usually between 178-188, but I've gotten up to 194 on a treadmill stress test. I had some weird-azz readings on my HRM during my XC race last weekend. Not sure what to attribute them to, though. Said my max was 214, and I'm pretty sure that is wrong!! I was running around 188 and felt like I was at 165, so I think there was a contact issue. I'd say battery, but it's been fine since.

When I do the HR/blood pressure check at pharmacies my HR is usually around the low 50s.

If you're concerned, get a stress test just to check everything out!

[katonk]

Originally Posted by allison

Said my max was 214, and I'm pretty sure that is wrong!! !

Cross-talk from someone else's HRM maybe?

[Steven Jackson]

My hart rates a 7 out of 10.

[Jslow]

Being as the heart is a muscle... couldn't its ability to contract be trained? Well maybe that was a bad way to say it... but you can change the size of your heart... My thinking is that through training you could improve your max... I wouldn't personally know. Max hr is not something I mess with, it hurts and I'm a wimp.

[Cowgirl]

Allison is right...that 220-age is just a baseline...get a stress test done at the doc and then you will know what your heart can handle or not...

FYI: I was told by a doc focusing on athletes that if you go out to ride one day and for what ever reason your heart rate stays lower then it usually does...to go home and rest that day..it's a sign of over training...I thought that was interesting...apparently when you are over training your heart is tired too and it won't pump as fast.

[dubjay]

Originally Posted by allison

I had some weird-azz readings on my HRM during my XC race last weekend. Not sure what to attribute them to, though. Said my max was 214, and I'm pretty sure that is wrong!! I was running around 188 and felt like I was at 165, so I think there was a contact issue.

I sometimes get weird readings on my Edge too - to the tune of 238bpm max. I think sometimes the strap is too loose and on rocky singletrack, it does some weird stuff that causes the HR to spike. So you might be right about a contact issue. The DH is usually where the spikes happen for me.

And FWIW, I'm 35 and my max is generally around 190. I usually use avg HR to measure how much effort I've exerted on a ride. If I'm at race pace, my average ends up around 160. 150 is the norm and 140 during group/social rides. I've experienced times when I've been overtrained and can't get my HR above 170 at all.

[Pain Freak]

I used to use my HRM for training purposes and followed the suggestions. It worked very well, if I followed it to a T. If I deviated even slightly from it (training program) it was like I was going backwards.

I went to the dentist a month or so ago and they were somewhat alarmed by my blood pressure. I told them I'd get it checked out, but I haven't yet. That would require a trip to the doc and all they ever have is bad news.

[SAR_boats]

I know I have a heart rate. Thats about it tho-

[Wrecker]

Originally Posted by Pain Freak

I went to the dentist a month or so ago and they were somewhat alarmed by my blood pressure. I told them I'd get it checked out, but I haven't yet. That would require a trip to the doc and all they ever have is bad news.

I'm sure that my BP is higher at the dentist as well. You should have it checked, even if outside the doctor's office. I've seen people with REALLY high BPs, 15 minutes later you get them to relax and it's fine.

As for Hr, everyone is different. My Hr tends to be a bit higher, but I can tolerate a higher Hr. John, who is terribly stronger than me, has a lower Hr and would probably keel over if he hit my levels. You have to test yourself to find your own Max--that helps alot, huh?

[dutch]

my resting heart rate, unless I'm really really really relaxed, typically sits between 70 and 90 BPM, and I'm sure that it gets up into the 200s every now and then on some grunty climbs, but I don't use a HRM.

I'm 21 and weigh a buck forty eight.

[MTBMaven]

My max is 194 and I'm 31, 175. That's after using a HRM for about 3 almost 4 years. I get much higher heart rates MTBing than I do road biking. However I have burned far more fat road riding.

[Pickettt]

Skinny, I don't think your perceived max heart rate is all that low. I'm 34 and my max is only 188 or so. The next question is; are you doing everything you possibly can to reach your max. Some people are not accustomed to suffering to the point of reaching their max. When I'm near my max the world starts getting a little blurry. All of these heart rates in the 210's and higher are misreads. My monitor reads in the 220's when I'm in my car, getting some interference.