My maximum heart rate is lower than predicted??

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2006-01-07 12:05 PM

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Subject: My maximum heart rate is lower than predicted??

I have been using a heart rate monitor for about 2 months.  And, from it I have found that my max heart rate is nowhere near the predicted 220-age.  I am 15 beats low for my max.  (This is also the right rate for a 60 year old man.)  I Feel OK.

(About 4 years ago I was in good biking shape and my heart rate was at the predicted level according to that monitor.)

Question 1;  Will a lower max heart rate limit my performance?

Question 2;  Do I have the heart health of a 60 year old?

2006-01-07 1:09 PM
in reply to: #318864

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Subject: RE: My maximum heart rate is lower than predicted??
How did you test your max HR?
2006-01-07 1:54 PM
in reply to: #318864

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Subject: RE: My maximum heart rate is lower than predicted??
I have tried to get a maximum heart rate several times with my garmin 301.  Near my house I have a 15 grade hill that is 1 mile long.  I did a 20 min run warm-up and then split the hill into 3 sprints.  The third sprint felt like a max hr.  But, I did not think it was right.  So, I tried again, a week later, with the same results.  Yesterday I did interval training on the treadmill.  My heartrate graph went as predicted until the 4th hill/sprint.  The first three were nice little bell shaped curves in my HR graph - each progressively higher.  The fourth one looks like my "bell" hit a ceiling and my rate just seems to stop at the same MHR.   Additionally, the 301 is programmed to 'learn' your LT over the course of several workouts.  Based on this, the 301 predicts my MHR at my what has been my ceiling rate.  (I have done this over the course of several weeks - pushing harder each time because I keep thinking it must be wrong.) 
2006-01-22 3:38 PM
in reply to: #318864

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Subject: RE: My maximum heart rate is lower than predicted??

The "220 minus your age" formula is notoriously inaccurate! Max HR does decrease with age but your actual HR is a function of your heart size and fitness. I've never seen anyone cite the original data backing up the statistical average that says 220 is the max human HR. I have a friend who cycled as a pro in Europe and he could maintain 205(!) in a race for 30 mins plus - and he wasn't fifteen!  

Best way to determine it is to do the HR test at a lab which is what I'm about to do next week. I had done one many years ago and it would seem that my Max HR has not dropped off a lot if I extrapolate what HR I can maintain in a  racing effort. I'll post the info so you can see the results.

WRT Q1, Performance is affected by your ability to get oxygen to your muscles which is a partially a function of how much blood you can move around. Cardiac output is related to beats per minute and volume per beat. If you have a large volume per contraction you can shift the same amount of blood with a lower HR so a lower max may not mean less performance. My cycling friend obviously had a small heart but could contract it rapidly! (OK so he was a freak!)

2006-01-22 7:26 PM
in reply to: #329503

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Subject: RE: My maximum heart rate is lower than predicted??
first of all, ignore the HR zones the Garmin uses. Secondly ignore max HR. What you need to be concentrating on is your Lactate threshold or LT. It is much easier to find your LT making zones based on it much more accurate and meaningfull.  The garmin actually uses MHR and not LT.  It just assumes the highest average HR it sees over a certain period of time is your max and calcs zones based accordingly.  I performed an LT test with the garmin and compared the zones it set to the zones defined by my test.  According to the Garmin zones, my LT HR was up in zone 5 and my warm up easy riding was in zone 4, when in reality I never broke into zone 5 during the test and my warm up was right at the zone 1-2 edge.

read this thread, it tells you everything you need to know

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=25734&posts=1

once you've determined your LT for both bike and run, then figure out your zones off of that, plug them into your Garmin and go from there. Your LT is completely fitness based and as you get stronger you should see it increasing.


Edited by vortmax 2006-01-22 7:30 PM
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