Heart Rate Question for Cardio & HIIT workouts

[kalee]

Hey guys! I have been working out with intermediate to advanced workouts consistently since 2008. I'm 25, in good health and weigh about 115 (5'3"). I prefer strength training, but I do get in traditional cardio 1 day a week and HIIT's either 1-2 days a week (I have Cathe's HIIT workouts).

My heart rate is always high - maybe 70-90 before I even start working out but moving around the house. When I do a HIIT, my heart rate will get up a max of 187, and then I recover for about 15-30 seconds more than Cathe until I drop to 120-130 RPM. Then I repeat going all out. Is that high normal?

I'm assuming it is since it's anaerobic. My RPM go nuts on traditional cardio workouts though even after using HIITs off and on for about 2 years. Within 15 minutes of a dvd I'm in the 170s! My heart rate monitor is set to be in zone between 115-150. My cardio workouts are about 45 minutes. Is it okay to be that high that long? I hate to go at a lower intensity because I don't feel like i'm getting a good burn mentally, but i want to be healthy as well.

 

[katrina_lynn]

I'm curious to see what kind of responses you get to this. I have the same issue (although I'm a few years older than you). I never wore a heart rate monitor until the past couple months, and I was shocked to see that mine often goes up into the 160s-170s and stays there during most of Cathe's cardio workouts. For Hiit and Tabata, it often goes up into the 180s. I'm wondering if this is too stressful for my body and if I should back off. I've been doing these types of workouts for several years without having any idea how high my heart rate gets!

 

[Justinef]

That sounds quite high - I think Hiit is supposed to take you up to 90% of your max, which you can calculate here:
Target Heart Rate Calculation - Karvonen Heart Rate Formula | SparkPeople

I'm mid-40s and Cathe's Tabatacise gets me to 170+ max. I think also that you ought to be recovering a little quicker, ie below 100 within a few minutes. That said, I have no real knowledge, and I don't know what to suggest! Sorry!!

I'd love to hear from someone who knows about this

 

[Cafelattee]

I'm 5'3 and 2 decades older my normal heart rate about 80 and stays in the 130's during a weight workout, during something like hiit it will stay around 145 and then spike to 168 for the high intensity part.


If I remember off the top of my head the general guideline for max heart rate is 220- (age) 25 which put you at 195 as your max so a high of 187 seem in a healthy range for your age.

I would only become worried if you are exhausted or to tired during or after the workouts. When the heart is healthy a cardio workout should still make you feel energized and buzzing.

So during or after the workout are you tired, dizzy, headache, palpitation (feel like heart skipped a beat or a fluttering - this happens to people sensitive to caffeine) those can be signs of heart stress even at age 25

I see lots of 20 something in the e/r for tachycardia due do to caffeine and other drugs.

During a hiit we are basically taking the heart to tachycardia state and a healthy heart drops back down to a healthy rate during the slower work load. The heart that is not healthy doing this type of workout will have physical signs pretty fast.

So if you have no signs of stress I think your in a good place with the workout. I also suggest getting the occasional blood pressure check even at age 25. The monitors at the drug store do the trick.

 

[truton]

I am quite a bit older than you but I recently had the same question. Fortunately thru my insurance I have access to an exercise physiologist so I asked her about it. My resting heart rate is betw 45-50. When I do HIIT and other high energy cardio my heart rate will get up and stay over 150 which is higher than the 'recommended' 140 for my age. I feel fine at that rate and can keep working out at that level just fine. My concern was that it is 3 times my resting rate so maybe I was overdoing it. She said that the heartrate range is just a guideline so not everyone will fit exactly into those ranges. If I'm not incredibly wiped after working out at that level then she said it's nothing to worry about. I have asked my doctor about it too and he is also fine with it.