# Heart rate and age



## drwsport (Sep 7, 2010)

The way I understand it someones max heart rate should be slower as they get older. My question concerns me and my max. Back ground on me, 54, 154 lbs, Do P90X three nights a week, ride the trainer for at least one hour twice a week and one long road ride (usually 60 miles) on the weekend. I have always been very active in work and pleasure my whole life. I do take blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds which keep both of those in very acceptable ranges. I've been monitoring my HR while riding and have been a little shocked at the rates. Especially when putting out alot of watts. It will hit 170 to 173 on hills and into the wind pretty easily. I can maintain that for a minuet or two at the most before needing to slow down. Then slowing the cadence it will drop to the 140's. If I stop to rest it will drop to the 120's within a matter of a min or so.My resting HR taken in the morning before getting out of bed is always in the 48-51 range. SO, my question is, is this normal for someone like me or is it a sign of being in good or bad cardio shape.
I sometimes think when I see it hit 170+ that I should immediately slow down but then I'm not sure if it something to worry about.


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## Cableguy (Jun 6, 2010)

Unless you have a serious heart condition, knock yourself out! Max heart rates vary greatly among people, for some it may be as low as 160, for others it may be over 200, and there's not a whole lot you can infer from that number alone. If you've seen 170-173 while hammering hard, your max is probably something not much higher. 

Let's say for the sake of an example your max is actually 176. To put things in perspective then, when hammering you're getting up to 96-98% of your max. When you're forced to slow down, your cadence drops, your HR is in the 140s, and you're in the low 80% range. If you stop to rest and it drops to the 120s, then you're in the low 70% range. These percentages sound perfectly normal to me.


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## the sarge (Jan 10, 2011)

i asked one of my navy doctors about getting a max hr test and was told to warm up for about 10min and then go full blast until i cant go anymore. whatever my hr gets up to would be my max safe hr. I dunno how much science there is behind this but I do trust the guy. according to the standards my max should be 192 and my comfortable exercise range should be around 165. I have yet to do the max test to myself but have seen 205 pushing pretty hard and can maintain comfortably at 190 for extended periods. I'm not in the shape i would like to be but I would not consider myself out of shape either. HR to me seems to really be an individual thing


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

The OP's numbers are not so different from mine (I'm 44).

Keep in mind that HR is very individual, so averages and tables and those charts you see with recommended zones are damn near useless. Use your own numbers, and base your training zones on actual field tests that you do yourself.


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## Jeebs (Apr 23, 2011)

I'm 50 and when I push it, my hr hits 172 pretty easy as well. I haven't tested it, but it seems my max is around 180 somewhere. I tend to lean on my RHR as an indication of my overall fitness. If I'm really fit it will be in the high 40's. Right now I am around 54, so I have a little ways to go. At the same time, my buddy will be working his arse off and his HR wont go above 145. Go figure. The tables are pretty useless. Just know your particular situation and work from there.


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## aaric (Mar 10, 2011)

Creakyknees said:


> Keep in mind that HR is very individual, so averages and tables and those charts you see with recommended zones are damn near useless. Use your own numbers, and base your training zones on actual field tests that you do yourself.


+1

My wife hits over 200 HR very regularly: Her regular workouts (where she can maintain a conversation) are at about my max HR, 185ish.


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## scryan (Jan 24, 2011)

aaric said:


> +1
> 
> My wife hits over 200 HR very regularly: Her regular workouts (where she can maintain a conversation) are at about my max HR, 185ish.


This makes me feel better.

Since I got my HRM (recently) the threads of max HR/sustainable HR have seemed rather low, and not knowing what I should expect and what would be a bad sign 

I am only 26, but have never done anything remotely resembling healthy living or exerciser up until the last year or so I started riding. I have also never been overweight or felt terribly unhealthy... But when I would hear people talk about 160s and see my self hitting 205 (the highest I have seen) and regularly running up to 180 I couldn't help but to think a little bit about if it was a bad thing...


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## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

aaric said:


> +1
> 
> My wife hits over 200 HR very regularly: Her regular workouts (where she can maintain a conversation) are at about my max HR, 185ish.


I've always thought females had higher heart rates in general, all other things being equal.
As others have said, HR is a very individual thing. I even notice differences between late winter after my "off season" as compared to mid summer top fitness.
I think the secret is learning your own body and heartrate.
When I was 54, I considered my max HR to be about 178 and could get very close to that while sprinting up a hill.


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## Dave1442397 (May 5, 2011)

I'm 45 and can easily get to the high 180s at the gym. At my usual pace on the Stairmaster I max out around 179, and on the stationary bike I typically set it to keep my HR at 164 and spin at 125 rpm.

I used to worry about the HR scales until I had a full workup done because of a slight heart murmur two years ago. They said my heart was in great shape and not to worry about what the charts said, that it was much more an individual thing.

My resting HR is 45 bpm.


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