My heart rate monitor says I'm working too hard!

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Imafitnessfreak

Cathlete
My DH bought me a heart rate monitor for our wedding anniversary (I love it so much)! It's the Polar a5. I strapped it on this a.m. while I was on the treadmill and it said I was working too hard! I am frustrated!

It says I need to be between 122-160 bpm and that is 65%-85% since I am 32 years old. I did the math and I agree with Polar. However, I was hitting 165-170bpm when running at my usual pace! I have even been speeding up just a tad towards the end, too, which would put me even higher!

According to the watch, I am above 85%. So what does that mean? Am I wasting my time or killing my heart? What happens beyond 85%? I know why too low is a problem but what happens at "too high". I am trying to get my pace up!

Can you guys help educate me?
 
Ha! There's no such thing as too hard. Go hard or go home, I say!

Disclaimer - Ignore me, I think I'm having a stroke.
 
I am by no means an expert on HRM or heart rate training, but here is another thread on the subject (sorry if you've already read it)

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=2&topic_id=50022&mesg_id=50022&page=

I recently started using a HRM as well, Polar F11, and it says I am almost always too high for what it has calculated for me. I think it just means that you are more anaerobic than aerobic. Mine has a glitch in the calorie calculations that I need to figure out as well. It says I burn nearly 1000 calories doing RS!!! Of course if that were true, I would have easily attained my fitness goals long ago!!

I was researching books on heart rate training on Amazon, but most of them got mixed reviews. Perhaps some of the really smart, experienced people on this forum will have more information for you (and for me!!):7
 
Does your watch let you enter your weight, gender, age, and resting heart rate? If not, I don't think it can be totally accurate....so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Also, I don't think you're that far out of your range to worry about it. Maybe if it were more like 40 over.
 
Sarah,

The heart rate monitor is calculating your target training zone based exclusively on your age. It does not take into account your fitness level. As you become more fit, your resting heart rate becomes lower, therefore your target training zone bpm will be much higher.

This link demonstrates how to correctly calculate your target training zone based on your resting heart rate.

http://www.sportfit.com/sportfitglossary/energetics_aerobic_krvnn.html

HTH!

Eileen
 
I did program in my age, weight, gender, height, astrological sign, blood type, how I like my coffee and my high school crush!!LOL!!! Well, the first 4 are true.

It does have a feature where I take a fitness test. Basically, I walk 1.24 miles like I'm being chased by bats...but no running aloud...just a fast walk. Maybe once my "Julia" (as I have named her) has that info, she will give a more accurate range for me. Do you think?

O.k., off to read the wonderful links you guys gave me! Thanks so much, guys!

HEY! Am I the only one who hates entering their age into things like this? I am not one bit ashamed of my age, but I want to scream "I'm not your average 32 year old!!!!" Seems like "points" against you...make any sense?
 
Sarah, thanks for posting this. I just got myself a Polar F11 HRM for my birthday and used it this morning for the first time. The damn thing was beeping for most of the time I did RS. I was working between 85-95% of my training zone, and during the challenge I reached 100%. I burned almost 600 calories.

I worry about when I do the IMAXes, because that's when my heart rate goes off the roof. I hardly feel RS, except during the end part of the combos or during the challenge when Cathe puts everything together.

Before getting this HRM, I relied on the talk test or the test where you put your fingers on your neck and count the beats for 10 seconds. Since I was in my 20s, this 10-sec. test would always register 28-30 beats per 10 secs. This has NEVER changed over the years.

I'm wondering now the same thing you are, if I'm killing my heart. I'm off to check the links.:)

Pinky
 
O.k., so I did the math from Eileen's link...sort of. It requires a heart rate check 3 mornings in a row and take the average. I took my resting heart rate right here since I have been sitting on my ass for a good 20 minutes just to "ball park it".

According to Eileen's link, after running the numbers, my target range is actually 146-173 bpm and THAT seems more realistic to me! I am thinking once I take my resting heart rate a few times in the a.m. and use those numbers that the range will even be a little bit higher.

I just cannot buy it that the pace I have been going at for a month is higher than my target range. That would put me at anaerobic and there is no way I could sustain that for 45 minutes!
 
Pinky,

Noticed that you are using the F11. I have only had mine about 2 weeks and it seems very accurate for heart rate measurements and is packed with features. The only problem I have had is with the calorie counts. The last time I did RS, it said I burned over 900 calories. This seems terribly high for me and I'm wondering about it's accuracy for counting calories burned. How do you feel about the calorie measurements on yours? I called Polar customer support and they suggested resetting it and re-entering all my info and trying it again. I am going to do this today, then do Imax2 tomorrow. Just wondering how you felt about yours so far.
 
I wish my heartrate monitor would say I burned 900 calories....LOL. I have a Mio Shape that I love. It doesn't have the chest strap like most monitors. You take your reading by resting 2 fingers on pads on the watch. You can also enter your age, gender, resting heart rate, weight into it. I just read a post that had a link and I checked it out and it sounds like mine is accurately reading my info so I was happy. I'd be happier if I burned 900 calories on it. I think the most I ever burned on it was 500.
 
I'm a hr monitor addict for decades.
I do believe that it's useless unless you calculate your very own max heart rate, then go from there.
How to find out your max hr? Go outside and warm up real good with slow running. Then find a steep hill and run it up a few times. For the last time run it up as fast as you can . When you're purple in the face and ready to puke that's the closest to your max hr.
This rather simply method is recommended in Bob Glover's Competitive Runners Handbook.
If I'd go by the regular charts I'd be sleepwalking during cardios.
With your known max hr number and your resting hr it is very easy to find out your real numbers. Mari
 
Mari, I HEAR YA!!! When I was warming up this a.m. and it said I was in "the zone" for my age, I was like...what the heck?! There is no way this pace is effective!

THEN, I did my "hill climb" where I WALK as fast as I can on a 10% incline and that had me at 85%! I knew at that point something was screwy! I could have given a speach during that workout segment! The only reason I ever workout at that level is to get a good burn in my tush!
 
Hi Edie, do you do RS on a higher step? I do it on a 4" step because I have bad knees. For RS I do MOST of the jumps, but not all, again because of the knees, so I guess with both factors, that would explain why I'm burning less calories than you are. I read in a thread in the DVD section that those who did RS measured around that same number of calories with RS.

My problem is with the heart rate measurement. It seemed pretty high for me. The thing was beeping off most of the time I did RS. I was way over the 85% mark at points where I felt the workout was easier. During the challenge I got up to 100%, and I wasn't working as hard as I do during the IMAXes. So does this mean that when I'm doing the IMAXes, I'm literally killing myself?

I'm going to play with this thing for a while. Like I said in a previous post, my heart rate has always been up there -- between 28-30 beats per 10 seconds -- when doing cardio, and that has never changed since I started measuring my heart rate while working out in my 20s. (I'm 35, and will be 36 next week.x( )

The F11 has LOTS of features. Reading the manual gives me a headache.:) So I'll just try to learn more about the monitor, and like you, maybe re-enter information. Did you do the OwnCal test? I did and got an ELITE result. I would've been impressed by that if I hadn't missed the instruction that said you're supposed to do the test on a second rest day. I had worked out the morning before I did the test, so I'll redo that one as well.

Hmmm... guess we'll be talking about the F11 a lot.:)

Pinky
 
Oh! No! Now, I'm going to have to look into these fancy-schmancy HRM. I only have the A5 I have had it for over 1 1/2 years. Mine has given me the same figures, even after I have sent it back to the repair center for a new battery & check-up. I don't evenleave the sound on anymore. As long as I don't feel like I'm going to puke & if I can still speak according to my intensity, I don't worry about the monitor too much. I also want to get an average RHR 3 mornings in a row so I can set my own limits, but I forget.

Marla

Shelley- You are something else!
 
Sorry Sarah, don't mean for Pinky and I to hi-jack your thread.:-(

Anyway, Pinky, I do RS on an 8 inch step. I am very tall, so it feels awkward to do it with anything else. I do most all of it with a lot of intensity. I get a little slower towards the end, but manage to finish it.

I also did the fitness test with the F11. I have done it 3 times and it always says ELITE. Now, I have never considered myself ELITE in anything but eating!! I think this weekend I will try the suggested routine for determining my max HR. I have a pretty good hill near my house. So.....if you don't hear from me next week, you will know that I MAXED out!!!
 
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