Heartbeat, I can feel your heart beat...Any Don Johnson fans out there??? Anyone?

morningstar

Cathlete
Hey everyone,

Gotta question. My heart rate has always been fast. I've been registering high heart rates since I can remember getting tested. My blood pressure is fine and my heart is healthy. Some doctors tell me the high heart rate is because I'm a vegetarian and don't get enough iron. Whatever the reason, here's my situation:

My Polar F11 HRM calculates my max heart rate as 182 bpm, based on the traditional formula of 220 - your age (not a calculation based on my resting heart rate). But I'm not sure that that the traditional way of working out max heart rates works for someone that always has a fast heart rate, even at rest.

Why does it matter? Because my HRM has me at minimum at 92% of max just during a normal, rather slow run. If I do sprints, it sometimes has me at 115% of max. I am always registering in the Level 4, Red Zone even if my effort is nowhere near that (as Coach Sean would say). I would like to be able to use my HRM effectively.

So my question is, does anyone else out there have a faster heart rate as a normal state of being, and if so, how do you use your HRM in a way that works for you?
 
Can you break it down by BPM rather than %? What is your average HR when you exercise, and what's your max? If my poor math skills are right, do you get up around 200?
 
Forgot to tell you my opinion. :) You know these formulas don't really work for everyone. Rate of Perceived Exersion (RPE Scale) is super important. My Polar tells me I'm out of my "training zone" at 150 (I don't know what it thinks my max is--sorry), but according to the RPE Scale, my training zone goes up to 177-183 (I can and do get up there, but I can't sustain it long, and it feels like I'm putting in a level 9/10 effort on a scale of 0-10). I can comfortably stay in the 150s and low 160s--it feels like moderate/hard effort. 130s and 140s feels like a low to moderate effort.

Hope that helps!
 
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The thing is, I don't know how hard I actually am working, because even if I go with the heart rate bpm figure, rather than the max heart rate figure, I don't know what I should be aiming for, given that I'm starting at a higher heart rate. I know about RPE, but I've never really found it to be that helpful for me. If I remember correctly, 115% of max is around 212bpm for me.
 
Question: Have you set your polar with your correct height, weight and RHR? (By lying down for 15 - 30 min doing nothing?)

I thought it was supposed to calculate your max HR based upon that?
 
Hi Sunshine,

I thought so too, but nope, it uses the traditional formula of 220-your age. My settings are accurate and up to date. I also testmy resting heart rate regularly.
 
Morningstar - what is your resting heart rate?

I have the opposite problem - it takes a lot for my heart rate to get up there during a workout.
 

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