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206 max heart rate ?


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HI,

 

I was just wondering if this is normal or unusual... 206 heart beat / minute. I'm 27 years old. According to 220 - age it shouldn't be more than 193.

 

The 206 was made yesterday, running for a total of 26 minutes, climbing a 15% degree hill at the end, carrying 1 lb at each ankle, and a 5 lb dumbell in each hand, average heart beat 189, max heart beat 206.

 

Noticed that only after I got home.

I thought maybe it was a failure of my cardio belt and watch, for sometimes it happens. So I had to make sure. Today I made the samething in the same conditions, except I was feeling lazy, and this time I was watching my watch while running, to make sure.

27 minutes, 186 avg, 202 max

So the 206 was good.

 

I knew I had a good cardio, running during winter, cycling in summer. 3 years ago I was doing spinning for 30 minutes at 200 watts. My heart beat at rest is usually between 40 and 50, depending on my metabolism, but on one occasion I went down as low as 32, which scared me.

 

Always thought that above 200 (for my age) would cause heart attack ! Two weeks ago I was at 196 and was trying to raise it more, it was impossible, even if I ran faster, the heart wasn't going higher. Now that I eat almost nothing, I do 206 ?

Edited by I'm Your Man
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Those numbers are crap...what you want as an athlete is a low resting HR with a high max if you do anything involving endurance. There are pro cyclists that can hold over 200 for quite a while...its actually a good thing. Its not good if you hit that number without a lot of effort though. What are you training for though. If you plan on doing long races on the road you really should have that high of an average HR for any runs this early in the season.

 

PS...take the weights off the ankles...its very bad for the knees to run with weights...especially for a distance.

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thanks ! fast reply here.

 

I guess my heart evolved to a superior level... Next step is to reach an even higher level.

 

Actually it is your resting heart rate that determines your fitness. The formula for Max HR is not very accurate all of the time because max hr is determined by genetics and is a mostly fixed number, it changes only with age for the most part. It is also affected by some drugs, it can vary greatly among people of the same age, a higher max doesn't always predict a more fit person and a lower max doesn't always predict a less fit person.

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Lower is definitely better for more fitness but you really can increase your max. In doing so you increase your ability to get oxygen to your muscles. My max was over 200 when I was 300lbs but now that I'm under 200lbs I have yet to see 180 on my HR monitor. I think my peak is 178...thats not because I'm more fit...thats because my muscles only need so much blood now that I've lost so much muscle. A year ago I could barely top out over 170 but I've managed to get that up. And your correct about this not being the tell all factor. Some people are in terrible shape but good at relaxing so they have a low heart rate. Some people are in great shape but always stressed out and have a high resting HR...Jamie's resting HR is ridiculously high...its over 80bpm but her BP is around 105/60.

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HR is only one aspect of cardiovascular function. It's your cardiac output that matters the most. If you have a very strong heart (and a good cardiac output) then you don't need to raise your heart rate as much as someone else to pump the same amount of blood. There are many reasons to not push your heart to the limit (HR limit). Your heart muscle only receives oxygen while at rest, or between heart beats. Therefore, a heart beating very quickly gets less oxygen than a heart beating at a slower rate. This is one of the reasons we give drugs to slow heart rates in the elderly.

 

Some younger people have undiagnosed electrical abnormalities within their hearts that hurt them or kill them when they are negatively triggered during exercise. Pushing your heart to a high level of stress is not a good idea unless you're in a hospital and undergoing a stress test. Otherwise, use moderation.

 

Just my two cents.

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thanks ! fast reply here.

 

I guess my heart evolved to a superior level... Next step is to reach an even higher level.

 

Actually it is your resting heart rate that determines your fitness. The formula for Max HR is not very accurate all of the time because max hr is determined by genetics and is a mostly fixed number, it changes only with age for the most part. It is also affected by some drugs (...).

 

This morning I went back into bed soon after waking up, tried to relax as much as possible. Under 40.

 

About drugs... some years ago I was drinking lots of energy drinks (especially because I was keeping the empty bottles and cans for a collection, so stupid) then I drinked a 710 ml energy after one full year without any coffee, tea or energy drinks... it had a huge effect. That same day earlier I took creatine. I drinked the energy drink at 8 p.m, at 2 a.m I was feeling my heart rate was really slow, I checked and it was at 28 ! even though I was feeling full of energy. I didn't sleep that night and had to go run outside. Strange that a cocktail like that made a slow heart beat, maybe the combination with creatine.

 

Now I don't take any stimulants except green tea and some herb teas. Better like that.

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Your HR shouldn't be that low. Even the best Tour De France racers...triathletes...and marathoners are in the Mid 30's at best(most are in the low to mid 40s)...one guy last year had a 32bpm resting HR but he rides his bike 800+miles per week. People that have issues with anorexia may also have HR that low but you don't seem to suffer from that so it may be worth having a look at.

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Your HR shouldn't be that low. Even the best Tour De France racers...triathletes...and marathoners are in the Mid 30's at best(most are in the low to mid 40s)...one guy last year had a 32bpm resting HR but he rides his bike 800+miles per week. People that have issues with anorexia may also have HR that low but you don't seem to suffer from that so it may be worth having a look at.

 

I forgot to say ! I don't eat a lot these days, mostly protein shakes, to lose some weight before the summer, that's why it's so low, like an anorexic HR. My metabolism adapts quickly. When I eat more, and more frequently, heart is totally normal (more than 120 for walking), but I still have a low heart rate during inactivity, and can go pretty high during intense activity... so it's between 40 and 200.

 

The 28 was side effects due to a mix of drugs (caffeine, guarana, taurine, ginseng, high level of vitamins, creatine, all the things in energy drinks) that stimulated my nervous system, my body was weak but I was feeling hyperactive and anxious. Plus I was on diet at that time to I think. So it wasn't a normal heart rate that's for sure.

 

edit: don't forget, some bouddhist monks can slow down their heart and stop it completly before starting it again. When I measure my rest HR I try to be as calm as possible, not meditating though.

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Those drugs increase your heart rate...mine goes up at least 10bpm from caffeine alone...and if I have significant amounts of caffeine while training I even get a heart murmur.

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Hey Potter, what kind of murmer do you have? They're caused by structural defects in your heart valves so you might want to get that checked out.

 

I get PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) when I drink too much caffeine and it's been happening the last two days. This is a more common effect of caffeine which gives you an irregular beat (temporarily) that originates in the ventricles rather than the atrium. I have to lower the amount of grounds in my coffee it seems.

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I've had it looked at before and nothings wrong with it other than being a bit large(wasn't big when I was big but now it is). They've never seen my murmur since it goes away pretty quickly unless I take a lot of caffeine...I'm assuming its the same as yours.

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Or maybe it's only evident when your heart rate increases? Just so long as you've had it looked into. Lots of people have murmurs and live with them for years. They're only a problem if they cause negative symptoms. I'm sure with your extreme cycling, you would know if it's a problem by now!

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Hey Potter, what kind of murmer do you have? They're caused by structural defects in your heart valves so you might want to get that checked out.

 

I get PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) when I drink too much caffeine and it's been happening the last two days. This is a more common effect of caffeine which gives you an irregular beat (temporarily) (...).

 

I know caffeine and all those drugs are supposed to accelerate heart rate and even cause heart attack to mice, that's why a low HR was so strange and scary. Maybe because some irregularities you mentioned, or because my metabolism was really slow that day.

 

Veganpotter, what about the "murmur", I don't understand, your heart is making sounds ?

 

The body go through lots of tansformation, changes. Yesterday morning I had a really slow HR around 40 but I was feeling perfectly fine, and this morning I had it around 60 but I wasn't feeling fine, my upper body and arms were so weak, some bodyparts trembling, legs still hurting from last training. So I drinked lots of water, had a grapefruit and than soy shake with amino complex and vitamins and I felt fine right after.

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Nope...my heart feels like its making an extra beat in between your normal heart beats. I can't hear it(I'm sure I could if my ear was on my chest) but I sure can feel it. Its very disconcerning when it happens which is why I really only have caffeine if I know I won't be training for many hours.

 

Thats pretty crazy that your resting HR varies 20bpm without extreme stresses causing the fluctuations.

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That doesn't sound like a murmur - which occurs as an abnormal heart sound heard with every beat. You are experiencing either PVCs or PACs. Those extra beats are caused by irritation to the heart (caffeine) and result in a premature beat originating in a ventricle (PVC) or atria (PAC). The ones that are disconcerting are generally PVCs. I had them again today even after decreasing my caffeine intake. It looks like herbal tea in the future......

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