Heart Rate

[Dave1953]

I had a heart attack in December 2016 and had a stent fitted. At the end of my heart rehabilitation program the physio advised me not to let my heart rate go above 140. I followed this advice up until last year but after reading a post and some replies I now try to not let my heart go above 120. I was 63 years of age when I had my heart attack. Before the heart attack my maximum beats per minute would have been 157, so allowing for the hear attack the physio reduced it to 140. Has she made a mistake as she does not seem to have allowed for the medication. I’m on Rampril, Bisciporal, Atorvastin and Asprin. I’m going on a cycling holiday to Sicily which is mountainous and may be difficult to keep my heart rate at 120 or under. Any advice please?

[NorthantsSteve]

Hi Dave. My physio talked about the Karvonen method for working out max heart rate etc. See for example

briancalkins.com/HeartRate.htm (just googled it and this came up). You have to adjust by adding 20 years to your age to account for the beta blockers. But he preferred us to use the rate of physical exertion approach and to stop when it became ‘hard’

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat.... Hope that helps.

[NorthantsSteve in reply to NorthantsSteve]

Your physio was taking the standard approach which is 220 minus age (so now you’r nearly 3 years older) minus an extra 20 to take into account the B Blockers. So that’s 135 now. The Karvonen method is better as it takes into account resting heart rate etc. I’d be interested to hear what others think but my take (from memory) is that a max Heart Rate is for those who exercise with a HR target in mind. I don’t think it’s set as a limit beyond which it isn’t safe. The RPE approach is favoured because it means that you listen to your body and stop before it gets too much. Speaking personally - that varies on a day to day basis and depends on the time of day, too. On that basis if I were in your shoes - I’d enjoy the bike riding but stop when you feel it’s getting tough. Might be worth seeing if you can get in touch with a cardio physio at your hospital or talking to one of the BHF nurses if you’re intending to push yourself.

[NorthantsSteve in reply to NorthantsSteve]

One last thought😄. In terms of exercise the optimal zone is 55% to 85% of your max heart rate for between 20-30 mins. 85% of 140 is 120. So if you were using your heart rate as a target that’s what you’d go for (and as your now older it would be lower). As I said in a previous post - the problem is that in focusing on heart rate it’s possible to miss the signals you’re body is giving - hence a preference for RPE for those of us who’ve had a HA.

[Dave1953 in reply to NorthantsSteve]

Hi Steve, thank you very much for your replies, they were very informative and I will be using the Karvonen method later this week. I am also impressed with that method of cardio training in the gym and when I come back from Sicily I’m going to put it in practice. It’s something I have not thought of before and I am certain I will reap the awards and I am sure I will enjoy my sessions at the gym much more. Once I start to see the benefits I will update you and everyone on the forum. Thanks again, Dave.