Speaking of Heart Rate...

While on the treadmill at Bally's, my heart rate got up to 165 and I am 37. Machine electronically tells me to slow down. The machine doesn't know how I feel. Well, I don't feel like I should slow down. I mean, I feel like I am just getting warmed up. What do you all do when your on a similiar treadmill with same message? Hubby tells me that I should listen and slow down or it will be bad on my heart. How does anyone get anywhere if you don't push yourself? BTW, I know in alot of Cathe workouts, my heart rate must get close to 180 or more just by gauging how I felt on that treadmill.

Charlotte~~
 
See, this is why I hate that 220-age formula - because it's not even close to ballpark for most people. Even the supposedly "more accurate" formulas are not very accurate for a lot of people. Your max HR is likely higher than the formula estimate. Mine is. Mine is a LOT higher than any formula estimates. I often get my HR up to 185-190 during Cathe workouts, and feel fine. My max HR is very close to 220, and I am 27 years old. How you feel is a much better gage of your workout intensity than your heart rate. You could always do a hillclimb stress test on the treadmill to find your actual max HR, then you'd have a better idea what your various target ranges should REALLY be.
 
This is why I always choose to do a manual workout on cardio machines. I am 32 and like many of you women, I can easily get my HR up to 185 or more on some days. If I were you, I would manually control the machine or not where a HRM. You probably know when you need to slow down anyway.
Carolyn
 
I think that the heart rate monitor is good for those people who are more "recreational" users of the cardio machines. The more elite fitness level you achieve it seems the less all of these modern day widgets and formula's apply. I also put the treadmills, ellipticals, bikes etc. on manual mode. As in all things, some days you can achieve more than others - no mathematical equation is going to factor those type of circumstances in.
 
Hi Charlotte,

I just posted some information on heart rate training that may be useful to you....You are definitely right that use of purely age-predicted formulae and the pre-programmed zones found on machines don't take in all of the extremely individual characteristics of heart rate training. They are guidelines typically for the sedentary population.

There is a more accurate way to determine your personal training zones, which is what I've shared in the post below. It's not difficult to calculate, and it will help you better understand your individual zones and fitness levels:

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=180102&mesg_id=180102&page=1

Your friend in fitness,
FitGirl-ATX

Picture Trail URL: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=fitgirl-atx
Website: http://www.niakelley.com/61606/

"I am only competing with the me I have yet to be..."
 
A few years ago there was a book written by Gina Kolata entitled "Ultimate Fitness". In this book she interviews who I believe is the creator of the formula, I think his name is Ken Cooper. Anyway, he dicusses how he and his partner kind of arbitrarily pick the number 220. The author, even tests this theory. It's very interesting. I think she even mentions how the average piece of cardio equipment is off by at least 25-30%.
 
Okay, now i want you to go back to this same machine tomorrow and do the same workout, but tell it you're 12 not thirty something.
Then report back.

It's funny how easily you can tell when you are pushing that upper limit. It's so difficult for the stupid machine to. Why do they even try... I would never do what a machine told me. I'm the human, they're the machine, they should get that straight! LOL. ;)
 

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