What Heart Rate is to much?
 

My goal is to loose more weight!

I have cut back on my riding now that it is hot hot hot in FL. The hot issue is I work outside and when the work is done the AC is appreciated, but still manage to log 50 or so miles a week but I joined the YMCA and have been killing the facilities! Tonight I did 30 mins on the Eleptical machine and my heart rate was 160 even above 170 at times. Is ther a point when it is to much?

After the 30 I also go weight train.

My fitness level is very good for a Uber Clyde. When doing cardio I will breath heavy but its not like im gasping for air or unable to speak like the guys on the Worlds Strongest man tv show?

Weight loss and fat burn is the most important!!! Ihave to work on the beach muscles for next summer=)

I currently use Weight Watchers for my eating and do loose weight most weeks. I had some one tell me that to much is not good but watching the Big Loosers on tv they push it very hard??

Please help!

There are a lot of misconceptions about how heart rate and fat burn. The traditional thinking is that high intensity high heart rate burns muscle and low intensity low heart rate burns fat. This is technically true but not when looking at the big picture. Lots of studies have been done proving low intensity burns more fat but until recently the tests all showed short terms effects up to a couple hours after the work out. If you look at the long term effects (24 hours after the initial workout) the high intensity work out (after a day) will have burned more fat then the low intensity work out. That info is kinda new (couple years) so it hasn't had time to spread and really become mainstream yet. But not only are you better off with higher heart rate for fat loss but when you push it your heart will get stronger, and over time your lung capacity will increase, your workout will feel easier, you will have better circulation, helps with blood pressure etc.

Me personally, I do cardio almost daily. I light day will be a 2 mile run, a heavy day will be a 6 mile run or 300 floors of stairs on the stairmaster (in an hour) then a 2-3 mile run but I try not to stay consistent with the pace. When I run on the treadmill for example, I'll run about 8 mph most of the time keeping my heart rate in the 160's and I'll do a 12 mph sprint for 1/4 mile to get my heart working hard, then a 4 mph till my heart rate comes back down and I get my breath back then back to 8 mph run for a while and do it again.

160-170 is fine, at the end of the work out really push it and try to get up higher for a couple minutes before your cool down. That's my $.02 anyway.


Edit - How old are you because it does have an effect, if your in your 40's your target heart rate should be a bit lower then if your in your 20's.

It is generally accepted that 300 bpm is not conducive to continued existence.

Seriously though, your max heart rate with be affected by a number of variables, so it is impossible to say that X bpm will be your max.

On Bigest Loser, they have a full medical work up, and a doctor assists in setting an exercise program (at least initially) for each contestant. As their fitness level increases, so does the intensity of the workout. If you watch regularly though, you will know that if they overwork, they do not loose as much.

Zero.:rolleyes:

Can't get any better than that.

Tom

My swim coach (he's also a triathlon coach) suggests breathing through the nose for as long as possible to determine anaerobic threshold. Whatever heart rate you get to when you have to switch to using your mouth, that's your personal anaerobic threshold rate, more or less. Obviously this only works if you don't have sinus or nose cartilage problems, but it's close enough for most people. Anaerobic threshold is about 70-85% of max. heart rate for most people, and tends to vary for each type of exercise, i.e. a bit higher for running, lower for cycling, lower still for swimming (where obviously you can only test how long you exhale through the nose.)
If you stay just below anaerobic threshold pace by doing nasal breathing you should be safe in hot weather. It does take a bit of practice to breath only with the nose, I needed to use those adhesive strips that hold the nostrils open when I first tried it.
I highly recommend Joe Friel's book: Total Heart Rate Training as a guide.

Thanks. This is all good info. I do use the tred mill but I run for 1 min. 30sec. and slow to a fast walk for 45sec to 1 min then turn it back up. doing this for 20 to 30 mins. to warm up then go hit the weights.

I've been under the care of a cardiologist for 3 years. After my last event he had me exceed my resting heart rate by no more than 30 bpm for several months. He gradually increased this over that first year to a training rate of 130-135 with SHORT stints up to 140. Now he's ok with me working with a MAX of 170 and trying to stay under 90% of that with an extended hr in the 140's, but still states my best cardio rate is between 130 & 135. I've noticed over the last year an increase in both speed and time that i can keep within this range.

These numbers are between my cardiologist and me, your results may vary. ;)

Ride earlier, when it gets hotter in FL, hit the road by 7am-8am, cooler and your done by 10 or 11 am.

Way down south of you, and thats what we do to beat the heat. Dont forget to drink more also.

...HR target all depends on what you are riding for and is more of an indicator of how hard you're exerting yourself... there are some formulas for max HR... but they are just a guideline...

... on a MTB it's not unusual for me to hit 200bpm (29y/o 300# guy with a resting HR in the high 40's/ low 50's... and genetically given high blood pressure (even at under 200lbs in my teens it was high...)

I install granite kitchens and I am always pushing myself carring large pieces and jogging in and out. Today it was 2 kitchens upstairs and it kicked my azz. But when Im in the gym doing cardio at 130-135 BPM I dont feel like I am doing anything (just going through the motions if you will). The other day I did
30 mins where 30 sec where all out and took 30 secs to recover and really pushed myself and it took a toll but I felt great afterwards!