UKC

Is that possible or is my heart-rate monitor mis-reading?

In reply to featuresforfeet:

Yes.

But I used to be able to get my heart rate up to 220+.

In reply to featuresforfeet:
I get erratic numbers (zero or very high) at the start of a run, hope it's the monitor rather than my heart. Wiping a bit water on the sensor to get a better contact doesn't seem to make much difference. The rate usually settles down to something that corresponds to how much effort I make.

In reply to featuresforfeet: that is quite high

In reply to featuresforfeet:

I managed this once (or something about 220-230), so it must be possible. Were you cycling by any chance?

Chris

In reply to Reidyoes it not depend on how fit he is, and how hard he is running?

In reply to butteredfrog:

Of course it does.

I had assumed that the rate was achieved when the OP expected it high, maybe not quite that high.

In reply to Chris Ellyatt:

Yes, cycling up a fairly steep hill (8%) for an hour as fast as I could manage.

I am reasonably fit but not exceptionally so (I guess I could run a 10k in 45 if I really went for it).

In reply to featuresforfeet: you are either a hummingbird or a triumph bonneville on tickover

It's possible, wet the contacts on the monitor belt .

I once got up to 207 on a treadmill (that went downhill, interesting).
Was pretty fit at the time, but was not far off blacking out, felt like someone in Top Gun, when they're doing a negative-G (or similar).

My HRM that I've got now, does tend to go a bit wappy & can't be trusted, seems to depend on the connection between chest belt & watch.
Try wetting the back of the chest strap with a healthy amount of saliva (a bit gross, but works better than water. It is possible to buy some kind of special stuff to put on, but sounds a bit OTT).

227 is very impressive, must have been a bloody tough session.

In reply to featuresforfeet:

I'd say mis-reading. My monitor does it if I wear it in the car but that's in. Mines a Polar.

If it's not wrong, you can seriously push yourself, I'd struggle to break 190!

In reply to Roger Irrelevant:

I'm sure its possible to have such a high max HR - but a more likely reason is a blip in your HR monitor (electrical interference). I have heard of a few instances like this and have had a similar reading myself.

Check out the running forums - its a common thread and it will set you straight.

In reply to featuresforfeet:

Possible, but unless you usually see about 170 in steady state easy training sessions, then not probable. (about 75% MHR is kinda 'normal relaxed training session' rate.)

Regards
djb

In reply to galpinos:

The max HR is not a relative measure of how far you push it, or for that matter fitness. If you max HR was 191 then you would be 'pushing' yourself just as much as the OP - i.e. you were at 99.5%, the OP at around 99.9%.

In reply to featuresforfeet:

It's not impossible - some individuals just have a high tolerance for sustaining very high heart rates.

Have you ever climbed at altitude? I'd be interested to hear how you found it with a capacity like that!

In reply to niggle:

Yes, climbed at altitude (well, European alps) and huffed and puffed just as much as anyone else sadly.

HRM said average of 178 bpm over 2 hours, peak of 227. Given 30 minutes of that 2 hours was downhill it would seem the HRM must be constantly misreading or I am indeed related to a field mouse.

In reply to featuresforfeet:

when i first got a bike I used to push myself to see how high I could get my HR, but never got above 202 untill i started running on holiday in Tunisia, ever since its gone a bit mental and I can get o about 240 if I'm cycling uphill, it drops back down very quickly when I stop though. I went to the doctor about it and he seemed a bit worried and wanted to do tests but concluded that as I don't feel shortness of breath generally, and don't feel close to blacking out, and am reasonably fit, its not really a problem!

Holly

In reply to featuresforfeet:

I remember asking someone what came next, after reaching "max".

Answer: zero....

In reply to featuresforfeet:

>Yes, cycling up a fairly steep hill (8%) for an hour as fast as I could manage.

Were you also using an Odometer on the bike? If they both transmit with analogue signals, I'm guessing you could have potential for interference, especially when you lean forward/crunch while going uphill.

If you were cycling for an hour and you hit 220+ for any useful period of time, then I'd imagine you'd need to take a wee break to recover Either that, or you encountered a very steep incline right at the end and really went for it, in which case I'd be pretty pleased with myself, if I was you, for that kind of effort.

Personally, I'd check for interference first, secondly dismiss as an erratic reading, or if you really want the bragging rights, try and repeat the feat (but remove the odometer and any other electronics first).

D

In reply to Dirt:

Related to this, my mate recorded about 200kmh as top speed on his cycling odometer recently - he didn't need to ask if this was a 'blip' or not

If you do hit 220 during exercise, I wouldn't get carried away about it without first checking your resting heart rate. If that's high (say an average 70bpm), then the range at which you exercise is still going to be similar to someone who has a resting HR of 40 and tops out at 190 - you'll probably just die younger for having a much higher metabolism. If your resting HR is low as well, then the range at which you can exercise is very wide indeed, and well, you're probably Lance Armstrong.

Something like that...

D

In reply to Dirt:

I didn't have anything else on me that could have interfered so I must be superhuman!

Actually the descent on my route is terrifying so perhaps it is related to cowardice!

As you say, I will repeat the trip and see if I get the same result. Resting heart rate is in the high 40's so suspect it is a misreading. Damn.

In reply to featuresforfeet: There is no advantage for your heart to be beating that fast and you often find that in training your maximum heart rate will fall (along with a much greater fall in resting heart rate) as it will give your heart a longer amount of time to fill with blood. This alows for an increases in stroke volume and thus your cardiac output(co), with out a further increase in HR. A much greater CO at a lower HR is what a top athelet wants. How old are you? i would be supprised if that HR was true, my heart rate moniter gives crazy readings compared to a 12 lead ECG.

In reply to featuresforfeet:
I get mis-readings of exactly 227 on my polar HRM quite often. My actual max heart rate is more like 190 so it is easier for me to spot the error

In reply to climbin_chris:
>How old are you?
31

In reply to featuresforfeet:

Although max heart rate does vary, and most reasonably fit people can beat the 'off the shelf' calculation of 220 - age...i'd say the chances are it's mis-reading.

In reply to featuresforfeet: I've had mine in the 220's loads of times and believe me it's not something to brag about it's not a measure of fitness, I'm not very, even worse lately! I suspect it's probably very bad for you - though not as bad as sitting in a chair for ever.

But it's entirely possible and easy enough to check, put your hand on your heart and count them of 15 secs then multiply by 4!!

I'm not a runner but my personal record was achieved mountain biking, trying to get to the top of a hill before I needed to stop.

I will say that whenever I've had mine this high I've always had to rest.

Can you download yours to a computer, then you'd see spikes or dips if it was interference, otherwise it's all you!!

Good luck

In reply to featuresforfeet: i dont think ive ever seen my heart rate above 150. 227 does seem quite high

In reply to krikoman: > Can you download yours to a computer

Sadly not as the polar audio data link is a heap of festering faeces.

Not bragging, just curious as to whether it is possible and where a defribulator should be part of my cycling kit.

In reply to featuresforfeet: I registered 223 on the pull up Pen yr Ol Wen during the Welsh 3s last weekend. Felt right on the point of passing out, tried to throw up but had nowt in me. I thought I'd misread but it seems from a bit of googling that it's not so unusual. Went to the docs but everything was fine, except my blood sugar levels. Totally out of sink for a few days after... fine now. I'm not diabetic either.

In reply to featuresforfeet:

I'd say it's possible. A few years ago I was walking very quickly up Snowdon's Watkin path at a steady 195bpm. I sprinted up a couple of short steps in the rock and saw my heart had gone up to 215bpm so I eased off until it got back to 195. I was fit then, with a resting heart rate of 45 on a good day.

In reply to featuresforfeet: Very unlikely that's true, almost certainly interference. I used to regularly get >200bpm HRs from my decathlon HRM, and since swapping to garmin I've never seen above 195, even in races, hill reps etc. so I think HRM quality can be a factor.

Also cycling is unlikely to produce as high a heart rate as running, usually cycling max is ~ 5bpm lower than running.

In reply to featuresforfeet:

It is certainly possible. At 42, my supposed max HR is 182 and I have reached 186 since starting running a year ago.
I used to cycle race pro as a kid and hit 220+ on a few occasions and I remember one guy became tachycardic and his heart stuck on 232 and required a shot of something soothing on the road side.
At 32 unless you are exceptionally fit I would suggest this is your HRM if you weren't experiencing extreme physical disturbance during and after the moment.

In reply to featuresforfeet: it is extremely unlikely to be a true reading under the circumstances you describe. It is possible for some people to be in normal rhythm at that rate (sinus tachycardia) but even the fittest and most predisposed would need to be to be in extremis from interval training to get there - it doesn't match your reported activity level. The vast majority of true rates of that magnitude would be due to an arrhythmia and that doesn't fit with your story either. HRMs are quite prone to artefact

cheers P