Max heartrate too high?

[jeltz]

I've a cheap HRM and having just come back from a short ride I had a look at the max rate. I live on a steep hill and because the rest of the ride was sedate I decided to get out of the saddle and drive myself hard up the hill.

Usually spinning it gets up to 190-195 but today it says 236 I was not badly out of breath at the top and its the fastest I've made it up the hill, but was it dangerous to let my heart rate elevate to that level?

Of course being a "cheap" HRM it may not have been entirely accurate!

FYI I'm a few months off 40 and reasonably fit as I do martial arts too, albeit I'm 10 days back into it after a 2 month lay off with a torn calf muscle, if that makes much difference.

 

[jimboalee]

Another reason why NOT to use a HRM.

They frighten the shoot out of you.

 

[Dan B]

Any power lines, mobile towers, train tracks, etc, that you may have passed en route? RF interference and cheap HRM: not a good combination

 

[jimboalee]

Any power lines, mobile towers, train tracks, etc, that you may have passed en route? RF interference and cheap HRM: not a good combination

This is why I use an olde fashioned 'clockwork' heart rate monitor.

 

[beancounter]

Every time I cycle over the local railway bridge (electrified lines) my HRM reads 000, then 240, then 000, then returns to normal.

I've learned to ignore it.

bc

 

[jimboalee]

I used to wear a cheap HRM while riding home after work at 22:30 every night.

I junked it because it went berserk every time I was followed by bright lights in the sky above me.

 

[Crackle]

I used to wear a cheap HRM while riding home after work at 22:30 every night.

I junked it because it went berserk every time I was followed by bright lights in the sky above me.

I've long suspected you're an abductee.

I also suspect some kind of interference for that reading. Used to run past a place which gave me a reading of 248 every time, I know my Max. is 191.

 

[scaryant]

In theory, your MHR should be 178-181 depending on what formula you use... 220bpm being the max a human heart is capable of beating, there are of course (I suppose) exceptions to that rule!?

Anyway with that said I find it hard to believe that your actual heart rate would go much over that without you really feeling maxed out or dropping dead (esp at 236!).

Being really fit doesn't mean your heart goes higher either, in that case HR shouldn't get up that high unless you've been exerting yourself continuously for a prolonged period...

As some others have stated, wireless frequencies can play havoc with these WiFi devices. I have a Cat Eye wireless speedo on my MTB and in one particular area of my office (outside) I get mass interference where the speed goes from zero to ~250 kph and then fluctuates all over the place until I'm out of range.

I would measure your HR manually and do some random spot tests. Take it for 15 secs and x 4 directly after the high intensity stuff or even measure your RHR. If you have a friend who has a HR monitor, ask to borrow it to compare or check in a gym or something.

If the HR monitor is that dodgy, ditch it - it's obviously going to be of no use. I have a polar and have manually spot tested it as well as comparing against gym equipment and it seems very accurate.

 

[jeltz]

I thought it might well be a misread its been pretty accurate when I've checked and I suspect that its due to interference. I only bought it as I managed to shake my every day watch off while cycling recently and it was a present from the missus so don't want risking it getting damaged. I wanted a cheap water resistant watch for cycling and this HRM was as cheap as any "sport type" watch.

 

[Dan B]

In theory, your MHR should be 178-181 depending on what formula you use... 220bpm being the max a human heart is capable of beating, there are of course (I suppose) exceptions to that rule!?

In practice, theory is worthless, or close to it. My MHR "should" be around 185, but I've seen it at 200+ several times. The only way to find a true max is to get it measured, but the actual advantage of doing so is dubious: one of the few things I will agree with jimboa on is that training wrt lactate threshold is a much more sensible idea

 

[piedwagtail91]

i gave up on heart rate monitors, threw it in the bin and went back to riding by feel.the hrm took all the fun out of riding. I'm 51 and could easily get 205 bpm uphill. i gauge my effort now by how my breathing is.
i can't help wondering how many people who are training aren't getting the best out of their ride because of heart rate monitors and a useless formula

 

[jimboalee]

I wear a cheapo quartz wristwatch when I'm riding a 100km or over.
Quartz watches don't suffer from vibration like mechanical movement watches do.
My everyday watch is a 25 jewel Swiss thing that loses about 1/4 second in the hour I spend commuting. Physics eh?
It's not bad because I've regulated it's daily rate to about 3/4 second, so on commute days, it only gains 1/4 second. Over a week, it gains about 2 - 3 seconds, so on Monday morning, I "Synchronise watches!" before the day's sorte.

Quartz watches, like my Seiko, tend to lose time, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's only 1 second per week, but it's bloody annoying.

I guess I spent £200 on a Seiko 'Watch Shaped Object'.

 

[jimboalee]

i gave up on heart rate monitors, threw it in the bin and went back to riding by feel.the hrm took all the fun out of riding. I'm 51 and could easily get 205 bpm uphill. i gauge my effort now by how my breathing is.
i can't help wondering how many people who are training aren't getting the best out of their ride because of heart rate monitors and a useless formula

Hear hear.

 

[scaryant]

the hrm took all the fun out of riding

I love it, for cycling, riding, gym, etc... I just bought a Garmin GPS Heart Rate Monitor which I can use for cycling, running and swimming (should I be silly enough to embark on a triathlon!). Being able to guage my calorie burn, HR and improvements over time is great for my motivation - it helps that I'm in IT, stats interest me and love my gadgets as well. I don't train to it, I just use it to record and reflect on my training... I don't know anyone who'd train to it... really?! I push as hard as I think I can and then review later.

I don't particularly care if they fluctuate a little or whatever, overtime the variances should hopefully work themselves out and you will at least still see improvements if you record over a long period.

For my type of training (fun, health, fitness, weight loss) it's a great tool and I don't let technology get the better of my fun...

 

[gavintc]

I watch my HRM, and like you have spikes in the max (they just happen). I just ignore these as I am sure it is external interference. As you get fitter, your average will come down. I know what I can sustain for a longish ride and what I can cope with for short bursts. But, if I am honest, I can also do it by feel.