Training & Nutrition - Heart Rate help

I've asked a few local knowledgable people and did some research online but still have not really found any answers. Anyone care to enlighten me? Here's a bit of history.
Age41
Resting HR low to mid 40's
Very active both running and biking...better at endurance vs. speed

Max HR = ????

I put a ? there because I don't know how high I can truly get it. I usually back off before I reach the point my body tells me I'm at my max because it is getting so high according to what it should be. Last night in spin class I easily got my HR to 190+. I say easily because I'm not breathing hard. I can carry on a normal conversation at 180+. I'll start to puff a bit as I approach 190 but never gasp or what I would call breath heavy until I'm over 200. In the past 10 years I can only think of one time I was sucking wind and that was sprinting in deep snow with snow shoes and I unfortunately didn't have a monitor on. I'm not fast at running or biking...probably in the top 20%. I can do a trail run with my HR between 180-190 for hours. My HR recovers well...say from 185 back to the 120-130 range in 30-40 secs and in approx 20 secs from 170.

Anyone care to comment? Is my lung capacity abnormally high? Is my heart having to work too hard? Could my heart be too small? About 5 years ago I took some classes with a very good AT and he would always look a bit concerned when i approached 200 but i never seemed distressed. He never really did have an answer for me. Thanks for any help.

I usually back off before I reach the point my body tells me I'm at my max because it is getting so high according to what it should be.

That's your problem. There is no rate that "it should be". Everyone has a different MaxHR. The general rule of thumb of 220-age is a VERY coarse approximation with significant individual variation. Apparently you have a higher than average MaxHR.

Apparently you have a higher than average MaxHR.

As does half the population.

http://www.fws.gov/northdakotafieldoffice/images/Rufous%20Hummingbird.jpg

...

I've asked a few local knowledgable people and did some research online but still have not really found any answers. Anyone care to enlighten me? Here's a bit of history.
Age41
Resting HR low to mid 40's
Very active both running and biking...better at endurance vs. speed

Max HR = ????

I put a ? there because I don't know how high I can truly get it. I usually back off before I reach the point my body tells me I'm at my max because it is getting so high according to what it should be. Last night in spin class I easily got my HR to 190+. I say easily because I'm not breathing hard. I can carry on a normal conversation at 180+. I'll start to puff a bit as I approach 190 but never gasp or what I would call breath heavy until I'm over 200. In the past 10 years I can only think of one time I was sucking wind and that was sprinting in deep snow with snow shoes and I unfortunately didn't have a monitor on. I'm not fast at running or biking...probably in the top 20%. I can do a trail run with my HR between 180-190 for hours. My HR recovers well...say from 185 back to the 120-130 range in 30-40 secs and in approx 20 secs from 170.

Anyone care to comment? Is my lung capacity abnormally high? Is my heart having to work too hard? Could my heart be too small? About 5 years ago I took some classes with a very good AT and he would always look a bit concerned when i approached 200 but i never seemed distressed. He never really did have an answer for me. Thanks for any help.


What's really useful to know is your lactate threshold heart rate (it has several other names as well), rather than your maximum heart rate. It will let you set up your training zones, and provides a progress metric that is much ealier to test than max HR!

Road Fan

Enlightenment very difficult.

Resting HR low to mid 40's



That is an extremely low resting heart rate.

They guys have it right again. ANY formula that uses age as a factor in pure junk. Throw it out - it's not useful at all. Maximum heart rates vary due to genetics - not age. You're fine. Just go out and find your REAL MHR, and then base your HR zones on that number. To do even better, find your LTHR, and base your HR zones on that number.

Good luck!

... Brad

Your heart rate statistics make you sound as if you are exceptionally fit. Since your resting rate is normal - it sounds as if you have normally sized heart with normal emptying and ejection fraction.

You don't say thing about your size, I'm suspecting that you are not a large person. In any case, a person your age, who wants to exercise intensely, should check with a doctor about the need for a base line echo and EKG.

ILast night in spin class I easily got my HR to 190+. I say easily because I'm not breathing hard. I can carry on a normal conversation at 180+. I'll start to puff a bit as I approach 190 but never gasp or what I would call breath heavy until I'm over 200.

This is perfectly normal when you come from a different sport.
HR is largely driven by lactic acid. Less developed muscles produce a lot of it.
Breathing is largely driven by the blood CO2:O2 ratio. Less developed muscles use less O2 and produce less CO2, while well-developed lungs handle it easily.

It's just like when I started running - high HR, low breathing.

It'll change.

40 for a RHR?? Not bad. My lowest a 36 RHR and that was after a few years of year round training (swimming ~ 25 hrs/wk) ...not easy to do and I dont think I will ever be in that great of shape again.

As it was mentioned before, Max HR doesnt tell you much. Find your LT, much more useful. Plus seeing a doctor wouldnt hurt anyone (well more so you)

I've asked a few local knowledgable people and did some research online but still have not really found any answers. Anyone care to enlighten me? Here's a bit of history.
Age41
Resting HR low to mid 40's
Very active both running and biking...better at endurance vs. speed

Max HR = ????

I put a ? there because I don't know how high I can truly get it. I usually back off before I reach the point my body tells me I'm at my max because it is getting so high according to what it should be. Last night in spin class I easily got my HR to 190+. I say easily because I'm not breathing hard. I can carry on a normal conversation at 180+. I'll start to puff a bit as I approach 190 but never gasp or what I would call breath heavy until I'm over 200. In the past 10 years I can only think of one time I was sucking wind and that was sprinting in deep snow with snow shoes and I unfortunately didn't have a monitor on. I'm not fast at running or biking...probably in the top 20%. I can do a trail run with my HR between 180-190 for hours. My HR recovers well...say from 185 back to the 120-130 range in 30-40 secs and in approx 20 secs from 170.

Anyone care to comment? Is my lung capacity abnormally high? Is my heart having to work too hard? Could my heart be too small? About 5 years ago I took some classes with a very good AT and he would always look a bit concerned when i approached 200 but i never seemed distressed. He never really did have an answer for me. Thanks for any help.

Maximum heart rate is of little use in training, and no use at all in comparison between people. Some people have smaller hearts and have higher maxes, and some have bigger hearts and have lower maxes.

If you want to do training, it makes a lot more sense to do a field test and then base your training ranges on those numbers.