I've been checking my HR in the mornings before I get out of bed. For the last week (that's how long I've been checking it) it has been between 47 and 53 beats per minute. It that good or is that too low? I'm 48 and weigh 122 pounds and workout with Cathe 5-6 times a week. My HR when I'm doing cardio is always way HIGH. Like I'm between 80-103% of my HR on my HRM. That equates to a range of approx 165-186 bpm.
It just seems my resting HR is so low and it is so so uncomfortably high when I'm working out. And posts from other posters saying Cathe doesn't get their HR up to 80%. I don't get that. Am I a heart attack waiting to happen? Or does everyone who's measured have a low resting HR and crazy HR when working out. Just wondering if I need to schedule a Dr's. appt, haha.
Thanks,
Tracy
Tracy:
please do not panic! My heart rate is exactly where yours is and I am 44. My resting rate is always between 48 and 54 beats per min. All it means is that we are in incredibly good cardiovascular shape and our hearts function so well that they do not need to beat as many times per minute as that of a less fit person in order to pump blood around the body. The heart muscle itself is fitter and stronger and so pumps less frequently, but more efficiently. This is good news!
When I am working hard doing sprints on the treadmill or powerwalking with the incline at 14-15% my heart rate is also up high where yours is, up at around 168 bpm during hard cardio which I can sustain and do sustain for about 40 mins to an hour + at a time, with the bursts/intervals coming in at around 190 bpm and I can sustain that too, if I want to.
I never use a heart rate monitor. I have never wanted to nor needed to in order to know exactly how hard I am working, whether I need to take it down or up or am ready to push for another interval. I think the data (using heart rate monitors and the rates which tell you where your 80% and 90% of max heart rates lie) work pretty well for the intermediate exerciser or someone new to exercise who needs to watch it in order to not overdo it, or who is still learning how hard they are capable of working. I am not convinced that any of this data makes much sense for the advanced and seasoned exerciser such as ourselves and a good number of the Cathletes on these boards.
If I were to stick to the 65-80% of max heart rate guidelines during my workouts, I would not improve my cardiovascular health and would be bored to tears. I would give up and go lie down somewhere and read a book!
I am equally convinced that Cathe works out above these levels most of the time also, especially during Imax type workouts.
A couple of years ago, I had a cardio stress test because I was having panic attacks and the docs just wanted to test out my heart and make sure the panic attacks were just that and not a symptom of cardiac trouble. Well, they kept upping the speed and the incline in order to get to a level where my heart would reveal stress and they had to take it to the max in order to see any relevant data for the study. This doesn't make either of us freaks, just very fit people. Unlike most people at the gym, you and I, like Cathe, are training closer to the levels of exertion and intensity of conditioned athletes. Our heart rates show this.
By all means, if you are concerned, check with your doctor. Reassurance is a wonderful thing and I am often quite happy to pay up for peace of mind!
The only thing that concerns me is when you say your heart rate is "uncomfortably high during cardio." Do you mean that you feel this is uncomfortable, you are gasping for breath, feeling light headed and faint? Or do you mean that according to the data and general guidelines you are being made to feel uncomfortable because they are making you think that your heart rate is uncomfortably high? If it is the former, then you need to take down your level of exertion. If it is the latter, then ignore the general guidelines and use your own perceived exertion skills to rate how hard you are working and whether or not it is good!
Clare
