Heart rate ❤️

[Golf2106]

Hi do bedn running since completing last March. Regularly doing park run then a couple of 2/3 k in the week. Had a Apple watch for my birthday yesterday and was so excited to go out with it today. However got a fright when my heart rate went above 170 during run and average 158. Surely this is not good ?!

[Cmoi Graduate]

There's absolutely no reason to worry about those numbers per se Golf2106 .

Firstly, your watch is unlikely to be measuring your heart rate accurately. A properly-fitting chest strap would give a better indication, if heart rate is important to you.

Secondly, if you've read that your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age, you can ignore that. I'd have died several times over if that calculation were true.

I'd only be concerned if you felt unwell in some way, e.g. racing heart, palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, exhaustion or similar, or if your heart didn't return to its resting rate as it usually would. If that's the case, please get advice from a healthcare professional.

Otherwise, go on enjoying your watch for what it is - a gift and a gadget.

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Great thank you

[Jell6 Graduate]

I posted this a while ago. Honestly I think if you feel OK, you probably are. The hot weather makes a difference too🥵🥵

healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Jell6]

Thank you for that x

[Instructor57 Graduate]

As others have said , don't pay too much attention to the HR from your watch .(I never look at my watch HR)

Perceived effort and running at a conversational pace is a far better way to judge if you HR is ok .

Have a look at this FAQ post , it may answer a few questions.

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

Thank you so much

[Chris--B Graduate]

On previous C25K attempts I ran outside and ran at a pace that I felt was comfortable. I too was hitting over 170 BPM and got concerned. I have checked the rate that my FitBit shows against a manual measurement and other devices as I had heard people say they are not accurate. The figures only varied by a couple of beats per minute so if they are inaccurate, its not by much.

I have read many articles on-line and on this site about it. There is a rule of thumb that says your maximum heat rate should be 220 minus your age. For me that gives a figure of 159 but there seems to be varied views on what that means. Some suggest it is the maximum achievable heat rate, some say its the max you should aim for, and others suggest its just a likely maximum and should be used to judge exercise bands. But one thing that is mentioned a lot is that it is for the 'average' person. None seem to give any indication of what the variation could be, or what an average person is.

This time, I have done the C25K program on a treadmill. In that way I am able to set the speed, then try to adjust my running to suit. I still hit 166 BPM by the end of a 38 min run but it is lower than I was hitting before. Today I went for speed rather than time and did hit 170 with 155 average by the time I hit 5k which was in 30'28" .

I dont know if the high heart rate does any long term damage but did hear that there is a study taking place on athletes that exercise hard for several hours a week. I have not noticed any ill affects so far but only run 3 times a week for between 30 and 40 mins.

Before we had these electronic measurement devices, very few people would have known their exercise heart rate so I dont suppose there were any wide studies to see what the range of figures are. It would be interesting to know what other people's rates are and their fitness level.

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Chris--B]

We must be the same age Chris--B as the 220 minus age formula gives me a maximum heart rate of 159 too.

However my maximum heart rate, as measured by my Garmin, quite frequently exceeds 180 without my feeling ill. As well as my physical fitness, the distance run, pace, weather conditions, and terrain all affect it.

I prefer trails to roads, and as it's hilly where I run a 5k usually involves around 120m elevation gain. That's why I run by perceived effort and not by heart rate.

I know my heart rate drops pretty quickly after my run, but can't put a figure on it, nor for my resting heart rate, as I don't wear my Garmin all the time. I'd only end up stressing over the numbers, so it's pointless.

[nowster Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Similarly, my HR has peaked at 189 at least once, and often hits 180 on strenuous runs. I currently have the watch's max HR set to 190. And (220-53) = 167.

My resting HR is in the low 50s.

As others have said, if you're not feeling sick or faint, or in pain, I wouldn't be worried. If really concerned, check with your GP. Many have the ability to do a simple ECG nowadays.

I did a Half Marathon on a hot morning this morning, sweating buckets (the watch estimates nearly 2 litres), and my HR spent most of the time sitting around 160bpm, only hitting the mid 170s during the hard hill near the end.

Some heart rate sensors on watches are vulnerable to something called "cadence lock" where the motion of the arm during running is picked up rather than the blood flow. This is why chest strap HR monitors tend to be more accurate.

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to nowster]

Good point - I’m a nurse I should know better shouldn’t I. Just thought it seemed high and thought I was fitter!!

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Good point thank you

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Chris--B]

Thank you for your help

[Bluestreek Graduate]

Hi, just to put my tupence worth in.The thing people don’t realise is heart rate and pulse are not the same thing. I speak from experience.

I was cycling and my heart rate was stuck at 220, measured with a chest strap, but my pulse was dropping. Eventually I had a HR 220 pulse of 40 and blood pressure of 60/30.

Apparently when the heart goes that fast it can't get blood in fast enough so the pulse drops off!!!

I ended up with 3 stents and have been fine since. But I do encourage anyone who exercises get a chest monitor. It measures electrical signals of the heart not blood flow.

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Bluestreek]

So many great bits of advice for you all thank you

[Dexy5 Graduate]

I was similarly shocked the first time I wore my Garmin at parkrun back in 2018, as I had set it to alert me when I reached the suggested max. It was going off until I walked and I had a very odd run/walk parkrun. I posted the same question and got the same replies back. Don’t worry about the suggested max HR so long as you feel okay. So I switched off the alert and I’m still alive 4 years later. 💗

However, the alert is useful if you want to do a nice easy run and stay under a certain HR . It’s a great way of improving your stamina.

Mr Garmin also seem to think I’ve got the fitness of an excellent 20 year old! I’m coming up to 65.

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Dexy5]

Great advice keep it steady thank you

[Leotigris Graduate]

If your heart rate doesn't take too long to return to normal then it probably is not too much to worry about

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Leotigris]

It didn’t take long. Quicker than my red face took to go back to normal 🤣

[Apecouch]

Hi, you are worried so check it out with your health professional.

Sometimes, a sensation of bowel movement can be indicative of needing to slow down. I think the body goes into evacuation mode. It happened to me on a treadmill a while ago and my head space closed right in on itself. Luckily I knew to gradually decline from where I was at and breathe breathe breathe until I was more normal and my sense of surroundings returned. Stress.

Hope you're OK!

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Apecouch]

Sorry to hear of your experience Apecouch .

However, if you're replying to the OP I think you've misunderstood. They gave no indication of having experienced any physical symptoms, it was only the numbers - which are unexceptional, as far as I can see - that threw them. On that basis there's really no need to consult a health professional.

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Thank you all good advice

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to Apecouch]

Thank you ! I’m grateful for your reply

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

So your HR went above 170 and averaged 158 Golf2106 ?

"Surely this is not good ?!"

Why is it not good?

Your peak and average HR during any exertion/exercise will depend entirely on:

- the intensity of your exercise (your effort level)

- your age (v important!)

- your device ( wrist , arm or chest)

- the ambient conditions (temperature, humidity)

- your mental state (excited, depressed, stressed etc)

- your fitness level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)

- your recent sleep quality

- your alcohol intake in the last day or so

- life and work stress etc etc

[Golf2106 Graduate in reply to John_W]

Thank you 🙏

[Chris--B Graduate]

I suppose that as quite a few people have experienced similar, or higher heart rates and presumably lived to tell the tale (well at least long enough to post here!), then a heart rate of 170 during exercise is not something to be too concerned about if you feel no ill affects.I assume that the 220-age rule was derived after some form of wide study and it has been stated as being for the average person. Without knowing the standard deviation of the figures taken then it is probably a useless figure as who is actually average? There must be so many physiological factors that influence an individuals heart rate that a single figure based on your age is never going to be accurate for all.

The replies here are all from people who have seen high heart rates, I wonder if there is a group that have the opposite situation and no matter how hard they exercise, dont see their heart rates rise very high?

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Chris--B]

Googling tells me that Haskell and Fox came up with the 220-age formula in 1970. See this 2001 NY Times article: nytimes.com/2001/04/24/heal...

In response to your last question, my understanding is that if heart rate doesn't increase during hard exercise that's an unusual response which might be indicative of cardiac problems.

Whether or not that's really the case I don't know, as I've no medical training, nor have I ever studied human physiology or cardiology. I just like googling to find out what the algorithms decide to tell me, so please take my conclusions with a huge pinch of salt!