Hey Guys:

oops I for to add heart to the thread title.

I wanted to ask you a question. Sorry if its a stupid question but I thought I should ask it anyway just in case. I am wondering if I should be worried about my high heart rate. When I look at the Garmin stats of other guys I do not see anyone with a rate as high as mine is. I am in not bad shape and I am fat or obese at 205 and 6'4". I am also 36 years old.

I went out for a 80K ride today and noticed that my HR was around 160 the entire time. This certainly makes difficult to go any faster than I currently am. I feel fine when I am not biking and biking. I have no SOB or any chest pain. Usually when I am spinning I am around 95 to 100 as you will see in the stats. I a rode around 2500km this year so its no like I am just starting out either.

Take look and let me know what you think. Should I go to a doc? He already thinks I am hypochondriac so I am don't want go unless I absolutely have to

PS Don't make fun of my lame numbers

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/116684248

Claude

hello there. I am also 6'4'' and 190lbs. I also experience higher heart rates (average about 160) and tend to max around 175-180 on my rides. My guess is that it has to do with height and size. Our hearts need to work harder to move that blood and oxygen. It could also be that your simply not in good shape. Wouldn't worry about it (your HR is not extremely high).

This. Unless you feel like shi6t after your ride. Doesn't seem high at all. Varies by individual and age.

Yup. 47 years old, 6'3" and 190 here. I hit 190 bpm on today's ride. Don't worry about the number, worry about how you feel. If you feel fine don't sweat it.

I am 6'0", 185 lbs and my heart rate averages 160 on my usual, fairly fast rides. I've always wondered if that was abnormal, but I guess it isn't.

I wouldn't see a doctor. I've asked three...at physical exams and once while on a ride with a doc.

Basically, it's very difficult to hurt your heart (or kill yourself) as long as it's in good shape. You have to ignore obvious signs to cause damage. That said, you should know what your maximum heart rate is, and use that in training. Do work hard on the hard days, and do recovery rides to help your body recover (i.e., Zone 1-2).

I'm 41, with a max of 192 (so far), and resting rate around 50. Today's solo century was mostly in Zone 3 at an average of 155 bpm.

Fast club rides I'll get really close to my max, and have a higher average. For instance, a couple weeks ago at a club ride my average was 167, and my max for that ride was 191. You work hard, but then you recover the next day by taking it easy.

6'1 170 35 .. my typical rides are around mid 150s .. when I do my runs I can hit as high as almost 200 hr..

Under 180, you're usually ok. Over that, it depend of your age, but it could start being dangerous.

The only concern I have heard about having a higher heart rate is maintaining zone 4 (for me) means you are on the threshold of creating lactic acid... for me that is around 167bpm (if I remember correctly)

Now, if you are getting dizzy and light headed, then tone it down

Really?

I doubt it.

Care to elaborate?

I just use the maximum heartrate rule of thumb (220 - age) . He is 36 year old, it does 184 so I rounded it down and said "over 180" it could be dangerous. Of course, it depend of people condition... If you start to feel dizzy at 160bpm stop pushing it!

If you start to feel dizzy you are doing your intervals correctly.
I hit 190 on a good day.

Any free medical advice you get over the internet will be worth every penny.....

I were in your shoes, I would not see a doc since there's a lack of evidence that anything is wrong. The first thing I thought when I saw your numbers are that you are simply out of shape. Be aware that what constitutes "out of shape" here is different than in the regular world -- I'd apply that description to 90% of riders on any recreational century even though they can obviously ride 100 miles.

How long have you been riding? 2500km is decent, but it's really not that much. Unless you do a lot of other activity that you haven't described here, it sounds like you're normal.

What you're basing that on is 30+ year old theory. Do a search and find up to date data. Lots of fit people ride at 200 bpm; lots of fit people can't sustain 160 bpm at the same age.

You need to do a test to see what your personal max is

That "rule" is supposed to predict maximum heartrate, but is completely useless. You should read up on that.

OP: unless you have some particular medical reason for concern, it's not dangerous or even particularly unusual. (FWIW, according to the "rule" and today's CX race data, I should be 14. https://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/UK2N...4G3N37J5D36PTQ)

My doctor has told me that your max heart rate is literally the maximum your heart can pump. Mine is 203 at 27 and I average around 170 on most rides at good effort. The formula is just a ballpark.

The real danger is being in that 95%+ range for too long of if your heart rate does not come down after you chill out. If you're going hard and then back off, your heart rate should fall accordingly fairly quickly. I'm not talking down to resting but mine settles around 130 pretty a couple minutes after hard intervals.

Staying too high too long will result in dizziness, fatigue, and a sick feeling as you start starving of oxygen. This is fine if it's temporary (like toward the end of intervals) but prolonged periods are dangerous

I check my hrm against my bp machine which also gives hr. If I were you Id have yours checked just to make sure that your getting accurate readings.. In addition , from what I have read about hr its not the actual heart rate thats all that important but at which point as your hr is climbing that your breathing becomes labored . That point is your threshhold hr and the rate that you should concern yourself about while training.

I try not to let my HR get below 160, and I'm WAY smaller than you guys. And 160 is low if I am running (best reason to run I have found, gets your cardio thru the roof!). I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm afraid that you have to. Based on your numbers, I'm sure most of the guys here would agree that a colonoscopy is a must...

Dangerous? How can it be dangerous? It's a self-correcting problem. You pass out, heart rate comes down, all the good red stuff gets to all the important gooey bits, and all is well in your little corner of the world.

Absent any underlying cardiac disease, over-exertion by itself is not dangerous. Now falling off your bike onto your head, or riding into a wall is another story...


Or, just stick around here for a while. Same thing...

I also experience quite high heart rates, like on all out efforts I average in the 190's max at 213.

This is a good read https://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/03/high-heart-rate-questions.html

As many have said, If you feel fine, don't worry about it, But if I were you, I would still bring it up with my doctor just to verify that there is nothing wrong.

I am 28 and had an average hr of 192 for a 25 minute time trial recently. Some people just have higher heart rates. I usually average around 155-160 on my moderate 3 hour saturday club rides. My max is 207. I usually only see over 200 during sprints in races.

totally ++
you're big, carrying freight
160 bpm is really not that high
if you have other signs of some 'condition' then go see a doc, otherwise

the whole Garmin thing is great fun, and some interesting info but a huge number of really great riders rode without that info.
leave the garmin on, cover it up, go ride... then compare how you felt in sections against the info. most will find the info looks a lot worse than they actually felt...