How high can we expect to push our heart rate?

[meerkat3.14]

I go for short sprints evey saturday or so, but whilst I like speed, my main target is to see how high I can get my heart rate. The best I've managed is 227, but it can be a struggle. Does it get harder the more you train to get your heart rate that much higher? OR should it become easier to push to greater limits (as you would with weight training) as your heart becomes "fitter"?

Also, the maximum on my pulse meter is 234, is going this high or higher a danger if I'm reasonably fit?

Many thanks in advance.

[RejuvenatorMV]

im currently studying GCSE pe and from my basic knowledge my frend i know that pushing your heart to extremes like 234 isnt a good sign at all, a person should reach there maximum heart rate using this formulae

220-age=optimum heart rate (male)
215-age=optimum heart rate(female)

and what should happen is , as you train harder and for longer your body adapts to push more blood around each beat and with a higher capacity of hamaeoglobin which carries oxygen if i can remember, anyways , your heart rate shouldnt be reaching as high as it was when you first train , i have trained for a year and now my heart only goes up to 180 max , wehen it used to go up to 201 , that is my personal change , im not sure but i think that if you push your heart this extreme you could have a heart attack , i dont have accurate information but be careful dude

[crazycanuck7901]

Originally Posted by RejuvenatorMV

im currently studying GCSE pe and from my basic knowledge my frend i know that pushing your heart to extremes like 234 isnt a good sign at all, a person should reach there maximum heart rate using this formulae

220-age=optimum heart rate (male)
215-age=optimum heart rate(female)

and what should happen is , as you train harder and for longer your body adapts to push more blood around each beat and with a higher capacity of hemoglobin which carries oxygen if i can remember, anyways , your heart rate shouldn't be reaching as high as it was when you first train , i have trained for a year and now my heart only goes up to 180 max , when it used to go up to 201 , that is my personal change , im not sure but i think that if you push your heart this extreme you could have a heart attack , i don't have accurate information but be careful dude

I second all of that. Your HR should never get that high. Id bet there is something wrong with your HR monitor. You may want to see your physician also to make sure your heart is in good working order. That said, As your cardio training continues, and you find yourself able to push yourself harder, your HR wont get as high as it used to under the same workload (measure in watts)

[Stecman]

Sometimes if you're running out of control you tap the heart rate monitor with your hand. Also if the batteries haven't been replaced in a while maybe its time.

[meerkat3.14]

Originally Posted by crazycanuck7901

I second all of that. Your HR should never get that high. Id bet there is something wrong with your HR monitor. You may want to see your physician also to make sure your heart is in good working order. That said, As your cardio training continues, and you find yourself able to push yourself harder, your HR wont get as high as it used to under the same workload (measure in watts)

I'm surprised at the answers. The first time I got a high reading I put it down to the monitor messing up bcz it just shot to the max setting (234), but with these sprints, I have to work harder to get the rate higher. A pretty hard very short sprint will get me from 100/110(warmed up) to 180ish. After a decent rest pushing harder, sometimes I manage more the 2nd time, it's 190-205ish. When I'm at my best with stability while at top sprint it's 215-220 plus.

I thought those equations were basic guidelines for the average person (not that I'm a super athlete) that did not apply to everybody. I also thought I read somewhere your max HR is not necessarily the highest you can make it at that time. I thought I saw an equation in a section about anaerobic training- basically it approximated heart rate with VO2 max as a number. I could have got it mixed up, I thought it said something along the lines of, if you work at 120% of your VO2 max, your heart rate is around 120%?

I thought I also read somewhere that in addition to your heart becoming more efficient as a result of training (ie it shifts a larger volume of blood that much more forcefully and so doesn't need to beat as fast) it could also end up just beating faster maximally.

It sounds like I definitely got the wrong end of the stick somewhere...

[Stecman]

Hmm... sounds like you have some research to do... Let us know what you find out.

[meerkat3.14]

If it turns out to be the monior, is there a way to tell whether it's me or the machine? This is not the first monitor I've had that's given me a high reading. Is it just down to low battery power? I haven't had the monitor for more than a year or two and it doesn't get used for more than an hour every 2-3weeks on average.

[crazycanuck7901]

Well the whole "220-age" formula is only a generic measurement that 99.99% of the population will fall under. Thats virtually everyone. Now that said, even of that 99.99% some people will have a max that would be 217-age and some people will have 225-age, so it still can vary slightly from one person to another. Who is the manufacturer of your HR monitor?

[meerkat3.14]

Originally Posted by crazycanuck7901

Well the whole "220-age" formula is only a generic measurement that 99.99% of the population will fall under. Thats virtually everyone. Now that said, even of that 99.99% some people will have a max that would be 217-age and some people will have 225-age, so it still can vary slightly from one person to another. Who is the manufacturer of your HR monitor?

I've had one from York (the same company that does weightlifting equipment)
and this one is from York too, but a more recent model. Do I need to buy an expensive model?

[crazycanuck7901]

Originally Posted by meerkat3.14

I've had one from York (the same company that does weightlifting equipment)
and this one is from York too, but a more recent model. Do I need to buy an expensive model?

The only brand that I would recommend is POLAR. They have been far and away the best company over the years and they aren't expensive. They still have models for under $100.

http://www.polarusa.com/

[Mr.Farang]

Originally Posted by RejuvenatorMV

im currently studying GCSE pe and from my basic knowledge my frend i know that pushing your heart to extremes like 234 isnt a good sign at all, a person should reach there maximum heart rate using this formulae

220-age=optimum heart rate (male)
215-age=optimum heart rate(female)

and what should happen is , as you train harder and for longer your body adapts to push more blood around each beat and with a higher capacity of hamaeoglobin which carries oxygen if i can remember, anyways , your heart rate shouldnt be reaching as high as it was when you first train , i have trained for a year and now my heart only goes up to 180 max , wehen it used to go up to 201 , that is my personal change , im not sure but i think that if you push your heart this extreme you could have a heart attack , i dont have accurate information but be careful dude

agreed.

just be careful not to push yourself until you see 5 ~ 6 stars around your head. then blackout and bye bye.

[crazycanuck7901]

Originally Posted by Mr.Farang

agreed.

just be careful not to push yourself until you see 5 ~ 6 stars around your head. then blackout and bye bye.

I would agree. Except for the aspect of pushing yourself till you see stars. Thats just ludacris advice. If you get dizzy or lightheaded, stop what you are doing. Sit down, drink some water and call it a day. Once the cardiorespiratory system is pushed that hard, it will take your body several hours to FULLY recover.