Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 382, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Heart Rate vs. Perceived Exertion

kkor
kkor
Posts: 71
Joined: 2003/01/09
United States
2003/01/14, 03:07 PM
I am a 41 year old female with a resting heart rate of 58. According to calculations, my upper limit is 153. However, I often go beyond that when I'm doing intervals on the treadmill and especially on the elliptical trainer. I don't even have to do intervals on that to get it way up there. My perceived exertion though is on the low side, usually at about a 6 or 7, even when my rate goes sky high. I have had bloodwork done that shows all enzymes, etc, are right where they should be and I am extremely healthy. Should I really pay attention to the heart rate or go with how I feel? I get somewhat paranoid when I wear my monitor!
Philia2
Philia2
Posts: 4,078
Joined: 2001/10/19
France
2003/01/15, 01:29 AM
If you had the tests and you feel healthy and well, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Being female (we normally have a higher resting heartrate than men) and 41 years old I'd say that you could easily go up to around 188 without any danger.

One last advice: stop wearing your monitor and start listening to your body!

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- Nina :o) Les Victoires éternelles sont celles du coeur.
SandyQ
SandyQ
Posts: 84
Joined: 2003/01/11
Canada
2003/01/15, 07:56 AM


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Quoting from Philia2:



One last advice: stop wearing your monitor and start listening to your body!


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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I've been wearing my heart monitor for so long now and I get more paranoid watching my heart rate go up. Sometimes I'm hardly working and my heart rate goes up! I probably haven't been working to my potential because of this! I think I'll leave my monitor at home today! thanks! P.S. My Doctor told me the same thing.

Although I DO have a question. What happens if your moving along and feel okay, but actually your in an "anarobic state". Doesn't it mean your working hard for nothing and not burning fat?
GymKitten
GymKitten
Posts: 55
Joined: 2002/07/18
United Kingdom
2003/01/15, 11:40 AM
If I were you I would try and work out some HR limits based on your perceived rate of exertion. I'm 25 and my HR limits pretty much fit the calculations (except now I'm a bit fitter, I find my heart rate can go a bit higher before I feel as "exerted" as I used to).
As you get older, if you are fit and well your HR limits may well be higher- I was in a class with a 79year old guy and the instructor was making him stick to the recommended heart rates- the poor bloke was hardly moving! He was obviously fit, and didn't match up to the calculated HR's.

Use your common sense- do a test on the treadmill. At the speed where you feel you are bursting and can't go any faster, that's probably about 90-95% max HR. You can scale down from there. NOTE- don't do this if you have a dodgy heart at all!

For information, I usually find that:
50% max- walking about fairly quickly
60% max- slow jog, cycling. even breathing and could do it all day
70-75% max- feels good- reasonable running pace, could go on for ages, swaeting abit after a few mins. Breathing under control but having to focus on it.
80-85% max- getting tougher, faster breathing, lots more sweat!
90-95% max- I think I'm going to die now...Fast breathing, hurts, want to stop...

Hope this helps,