Hi,
I recently started going back to the gym after a year or more of absence. I have been doing some cycling for the last month. When I go on the cross trainer machine, it gives my HR as 150bpm when I am not working very hard.
I looked on the chart and my maximum HR is given as about 170bpm. There is a fat burning range and a cardio range (the higher of the two). 150bpm is in the cardio range. I would have thought you would have to be working really hard to be in this range. I am 48 years old with a Dual lead on demand PM.

Does 150bpm seem reasonable or should I be concerned?

Many thanks,


Ronaldo

 

 

First of all, when we're paced and have a heart condition, we should go by what our doctor tells us should be our target rate, not what the charts say. A chart doesn't take into account our health or how the pm helps us.

Second, if the machine says you're at 150, odds are it's wrong because pm's mess up their count by catching pm spikes as extra beats or interfering and missing beats altogether. Stop and count your pulse if in doubt. If you are working out comfortably and feel good, I wouldn't worry too much about what your hr is or what the chart says it should be.

I always ignore the machine and I only stop to count if I don't feel well. If I'm working hard enough that I can't talk, then I know I'm overdoing it and should cut back. If I'm sweating and breathing hard but still able to talk, I know I'm about where I should be. Listen to your body, not the numbers on the machine.

That said, if you truly are getting to 150 without much effort, that's fairly common with some conditions with a pm. I have av block and ran into this about two years ago. As soon as I started working out, I'd go straight from 80 to 160+. I eventually went on low dose beta blockers to keep my rate from shooting up so quickly. My rate was regular and not dangerously fast, but it was too close to the max my pm can do (175) so I was having problems with my atrial rate getting higher than the pm can pace. Annoying, not dangerous. The atenolol keeps my rate down so I have plenty of cushion when I work out now. I've been staying in the 140's when I work out hard now. The charts probably say it should be higher for my age and fat burning, but this works for me.

 

First of all I agree that you should check with your doc about your target rate and your pacer settings. How much do you pace? Are you set to rate response? All sorts of good stuff like that.

As for HRM's I use both Polar and Garmin HRM's and most of the the time they are spot on, but I am on demand like you are and pace < 1% so most of the time my body's natural pacemaker is working and the HRM should be accurate. Again here check with your doc.

Now as for your 'numbers':

At 48 if you go by the 'charts' your theo max is 172 on some charts and 175 on others (and still others have you lower or higher: This is the one I use http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bike/heart_rate/heart_rate_zone_calculator_abcc_bcf.html) and your aerobic range would be between 131 - 155 (Zones 3 and 4). Now you are near the top of that zone so that would put you pretty close to your anaerobic threshold so you should be working hard to be there normally. Now this is all based upon some pretty generic numbers. I am 51 and have a TMaxHR of 169 but I can tell you I can get into the 180's on a hard climb on my bike so as you see you can throw the MaxHR out the window unless you go in and under doc's supervision have a MaxHR test (we should not do it on our own for obvious reasons). Next is your feeling like you aren't working hard at 150. Everyone is different and if I start off and hit 150 quickly I feel like I am ready to die, but if like yesterday I work up there then I can keep a 150-165 HR for more than an hour of what I consider moderate to moderately hard effort. Of course it took a year of training to get back here but I have always been able to run close to or above my theoretical red line. Just they way I am wired.

Now as for you, someone getting back into exercise. While you might think you are doing yourself good working hard right now the opposite is true. When you first come back, or as a cyclist at the beginning of the season, you should be what is called base building. This means building strength and endurance by working in Zones 2-3 with only occasional, short visits into your upper zones. These are two great pieces of info on base building and why you want to do it:

http://www.spinning.com/images/AerobicBaseBuilding.pdf

http://www.hawleysbicycleworld.com/Default.aspx?tabid=86

Your base should be from about 110 bpm to 140 bpm.

BTW, I used to teach spin classes and am an avid cyclist just so you know where my info comes from. But the other thing I want to stress is A) TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR, they can tell you what is best for you and B) EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. These numbers are just that, numbers. A good doc will put you on a treadmill or give you a stress test to give you your real numbers and where they want you. My doc did that and basically told me that based upon my stress test my normal MaxHR is higher than the TMaxHR. Another very good indicator is your RHR (Resting HR). If you find that going up now that you are exercising you are doing too much too soon. Good exercise should either keep your RHR normal or actually bring it down. My RHR is in the mid 50's to low 60's. If I see it creeping up over 65 I know I am over training. And btw, a RHR is something that is more than just what your HR is when seated. To find a true RHR check this out:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/determining-your-resting-heart-rate.html

 

I totally agree with COBradyBunch.
Everyone is different so you need to talk to your Doctor.

I'm 72 and my max HR is set at 150bpm.

 

I rang the hospital and my Rate Response is on. They agreed that 150 is high for moderate activity. i.e. just making me breathe a little harder than normal walking pace. I am seeing the PM technician on Wed and maybe the rate response is set too high. Anyone agree?

My resting HR prior to PM implantment was 40bpm, perfectly relaxed laying in a hospital bed. I cant find out my resting HR now because the lower limit on my PM is set at 50bpm and it will not drop below that. Many thanks COBradyBunch for your long and detailed response. I found it very informative and useful.

I bought a HR monitor today and went for a slow light jog, just getting slightly out of breathe. My max HR was 158bpm.

If any of this further info makes anyone more informed and able to offer more advice then please offer it.

Many thanks

Ronaldo

 

I went for my yearly check up last month & was told that my heart went over 180 over 300 times and over 200 as well at times!! I'm 29 & a PE teacher so I'm active pretty much all the time & dont feel particularly or unnaturally out of breath at these times! I was already on beta blockers but the dose as been doubled & will be doubled again in a couple of months! The hospital were more concerned than I was! Ive always had a high heart rate when exercising - I was asked to get off the treadmill doing testing for my uni course because my HR went to 208! If you are concerned then seeing your dr was definately the best idea. & I would not pay attention to max HR as we're just wired a little differently than others! Hope everything works out ok! Debs

 

Some machines in my Gym are very inaccurate with bpm..The best thing to do is to wear a heart monitor watch and strap, it will give you an accurate rate, and you can programme the watch to keep you in a zone warning you when you stray.

 

I have a very simple system that works well for me.

After each 10 minutes of exercise, I stop and check my pulse. If I have one, I'm good. If not, I'm stopping. No sense wasting my time exercising if it's not beneficial.

 

Debs, Thanks for your comment. Do you still push youself hard and have the drs said it is ok to do so.

Windway. The second time I jogged and got up to 158bpm, I was wearing a heart rate monitor. The reading was from that.

I will let you know how it goes at the hospital tomorrow. I am seeing the PM technician.