What's your max HR?

[Drtgirl]

I'm asking just out of curiosity. According to my monitor, I maxed out at 220 in today's cross race. I know everyone's different but it sounds really high to me. Maybe there was some interference from other HR monitors?

[Eden]

It's not impossible but, yeah - usually 220 is an anomaly from something. Sometimes power lines or an electric fence can cause readings like that or perhaps cross talk from other people's monitors. I used to get that on my old Polar in certain places.

[kelownagirl]

I believe that mine is 186 biking and 193 running. I have weird readings every once in awhile, all the way up to 225 but something is going on when it does that.

[teawoman]

The highest I've seen mine is 198 at the end of an 8k road race. I was pushing it. So my max is prolly somewhere in the 210s maybe? I was also much less fit at that point--nowadays I rarely see it get that high--185ish is about as high as I've seen it in awhile.

[alpinerabbit]

at the beginning of my cycling career there was this hill that made me go up to 193. I consider this my puke barrier and Max. HR when training. Could be higher but I think this is a rather good estimate.

I also think 220 is likely from interference from another HRM. Even if yours is coded it can happen.

[Mr. Bloom]

drtgirl:

Here's a link to a post that may give you some more thoughts:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=18381

I'm starting to use my HR measurements as a guide to pacing myself...for instance, if I'm coming up to a steep hill, I know that my HR needs to be in the 140 to 160 range, or I'm not going to have the juice to climb.

Yesterday, on the Hilly Hundred's steepest hill, I crested the hill with a HR at about 190...but my HR was 140 at the bottom. If I had been at 160 at the bottom, I probably couldn't have made it...

[Skierchickie]

Smilingcat describes it very well! At least, from my own observations. My HRM occasionally registers 240, at which point I know there was some glitch (maybe interference from somebody else, but maybe just some weirdness within the unit). I also don't really go by the calculations - they're just a ballpark, and if you are over 220 - your age, good for you, and don't worry that you're going to explode!

Not sure what my absolute max is, but it did register 189 last Saturday in my 1/2 marathon. Generally after a running race it shows 186 or so. I don't do many short, hard races these days - more 10 miles+, where I don't really max it out. I'm also old & wimpy.

Last summer, after I started noticing my hrm recording in the low 30s when I was trying to find my resting rate, I mentioned it to my doctor. She had me wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours. My lowest reading on that thing was 36, probably while I was sleeping. I was pretty pleased about that.

I just turned 42. I haven't seen much change in my max over the past 15 years, but I also didn't have an hrm back then. I was in better shape (and weighed less), though, so I'm sure things have changed.

220 sounds pretty high to me, but that doesn't make it impossible - you may just be a goddess, able to pump far more blood and oxygen than I can. I'm kinda jealous.

[OakLeaf]

I read something a while back about people whose resting HR was below 40, needing to take caffeine to keep their resting HR at a level that will supply enough oxygen to the heart and brain tissues. That's not me... I don't know my true resting value, but when I just lay around for a while it's in the mid to low 50s... but I think I'd worry if mine got TOO low.

[Jolt]

I read something a while back about people whose resting HR was below 40, needing to take caffeine to keep their resting HR at a level that will supply enough oxygen to the heart and brain tissues. That's not me... I don't know my true resting value, but when I just lay around for a while it's in the mid to low 50s... but I think I'd worry if mine got TOO low.

Interesting...I've never heard of that being done before. Usually if somebody's heart rate is too low to get enough O2 to their brain etc. they get a pacemaker (assuming, of course, that the low HR isn't due to something reversible like a bad reaction to a medication).

[Eden]

I read something a while back about people whose resting HR was below 40, needing to take caffeine to keep their resting HR at a level that will supply enough oxygen to the heart and brain tissues. That's not me... I don't know my true resting value, but when I just lay around for a while it's in the mid to low 50s... but I think I'd worry if mine got TOO low.

Heck no - my husband's resting rate is waaaay low - sometimes his polar monitor shuts off because it thinks its not getting a signal, so it may even get into the 20's sometimes (polar shuts off under 30......) He can be sitting and talking to someone and be in the 40's - it kind of freaks them out somtimes when he gives blood, but its totally natural for him.

Miguel Indurain (famous cyclist from the 90's) had a resting rate of 25!

I was just thinking - I'm not a runner so I don't think about running max much, but my cycling max is 211- so concievably (I've never run until I wanted to puke....) since your running rates are possibly 10 beats higher than your cycling rates I could get a legitimate reading of 220....