What is your max HR?

roadiechick

Hi

Just wondered what other women's maximum heart rates were. I have trouble getting mine over 180. How high have you had yours and how long can you keep it at that rate?

RoadieChick

Cas

Depends on age no?? Your max HR should roughly be 220 - your age or something like that.

In a spin class I have been able to get mine up to 189, I don't recall a time on the road when its been higher than that. Getting to 189 was pushing it and there was no way I could keep it up there for long! Prefer to train around 160 this is approx 60-70% of my max HR (apparently 163 is my lactate threshold) and not go over 180.

Depends on all sorts of things such as how fit you are in the first place, whether you fit into the 'normal resting range', how old you are etc etc

And when you say you have trouble, why would you want it over 180 anyway???

janeshad

There are lots of different ways to work out max HR. Most just give a rough idea. My HR monitor does a fitness test that takes resting HR over a period of a few minutes then that combined with knowing your age and other personal details including sex, activity level etc, reckons it can calculate max HR. Apparently the lower your resting HR the lower the max should be. According to this test, my resting HR being 51, max HR is 188. Another option is 220 - your age which gives me a max HR of 194. HOWEVER, max HR is very individual and can be up to 20 beats either way of these guestimates. The other day I was running and decided to test this - I ran as hard as I could up a steep hill and my HR hit 200 before levelling out!! I haven't managed to get it to that on the bike yet but running was able to maintain it above 190 for around 15mins at which time I hit the top of the hill so not sure how much longer could have gone. Couldn't maintain 200 for more than a couple of minutes!

Velvet

So far I've seen mine peak at 196 (I'm 32, iirc - spent too many years claiming '21 again this year' LOL) when out riding, but it felt like I wasn't *quite* ready (but near as damn it) to keeling over at absolute max.

Now I'm cycling more I don't see it hitting that same high, I have to put in more work to raise the heart rate to what it used to be for cycling. Based on when the burning legs kicks in, I've estimated the true max heart rate is somewhere 200-205bpm, but till I hit it I'll not know for sure....

tinajoy

I may be an old lady compared to you guys. I'm 43 and my max hear rate is 160. Is that really bad?

newbies mom

Your age makes a huge difference, I'm 40 and a newbie and my max heart rate is around 140 but my daughter's is 229 (she's 15 & elite athlete in another sport)

CannonChick

I'm 40 and my max is around 163.

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juf2m

I'm 33 and a sort of newbie (about 12 rides so far). My heartrate averages usually in the mid 150s peaking at about 172-175ish....I think I may have gone to 180 in a spinning class, but I never get higher than that. I'm quite tired enough as it is!

Jene

im 16....and never managed to get my heart rate above about 150 :S tho....dont think thats really a bad thing is it? i mean i can still run 4 n a half min km's when i want 2.....resting heart never seems to be much below 80..tho, hmmm, maybe not, its 74 now....i jus have a relitively small range....what's that show?

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diane143

I hit 183 on the treadmill once. I'm 39.

I've read (Sally Edwards IIRC) that while you have a max HR for you, that you will also have a max HR for each sport. ie, your max may be 200 but you will never get it that high in certain sports.

I have seen 170's while road and mtn biking, and while pulling a mud-laden kayak up a steep incline (177 then).

I remember a spinning class last year in the low 150's where I felt like I could go all day. I felt so good I noted it in my weight log.

I have a spinning class tomorrow - 1st time in a year - wish me luck.

Diane

juf2m

Oooh! I hate spinning class. Good luck!

pam_in_sc

I got a heart rate monitor last weekend and was so eager to give it a real test I went out and rode again the worst hill on the 62 mile ride I had done the day before. I hit 195, stayed over 190 for at least a minute. I didn't feel like I was about to fall over, though I was puffing harder and harder. That heart rate is remarkable because I'm 49 years old, so by 220 minus my age my maximum heart rate should be 171. I rode 40 miles today with the monitor and I breathe harder in the 160, puff a bit in the 170s but can maintain that comfortably on a long hill.

Apparently there just is a lot of variation between people. I read one thing that said some very fit people (which I am not yet) have hearts that can beat very fast and others have hearts that pump a lot of blood per beat, and one type is not necessarily better than the other.

I like the heart rate monitor because instead of feeling I am slow (I'm only averaging about 12 mph) I feel I am working hard. My goal today was to stay above 140 (70% of max heart rate) in the flats. My main conclusion is that there aren't many flats around here, but I did get a better workout than when I get lost in my thoughts and settle into a touring pace.

Pam

ejglows

Each sport has a different Max HR depending on how much muscle is being used and ther oxygen/blood requirements. The variables are almost endless.

Resting: 40 (although I had seen it at 35 a fw times)
Cycling MX: 190
Running MX: 210

I think my heart rate monitor was the best investment I made for my training. I happen to be a masochist and will work myself too hard for too long. Sally Edward`s book is pretty good, it makes a nice supplement to The Training Bible.

e

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ejglows

Oh yes, and I am 23.

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