What if you exceed maximum heart rate

Blood circulates to your muscles so they can get the oxygen and nutrients they need to keep going. You can determine your target heart rate for running using a formula based on your age and maximum heart rate. When running, you should train at 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. To calculate the maximum rate, subtract your age from If your heart rate dips below this, you might want to pick up the pace to get better results from your workout. If your heart rate reaches its maximum, you might want to back off to be able to finish your run.

A heart rate monitor can help you keep track. Average heart rate while running is different for each person. Most runners ages 20 to 45 will want to train between and bpm, on average. But that average depends on a number of factors, including your maximum heart rate and current fitness level. You can use the formula and chart below to determine your target heart rate range. Keep in mind, this is just a guide. Your maximum heart rate may vary 15 to 20 bpm in either direction.

The American Heart Association recommends exercising with a target heart rate of 50 to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate for beginners, and for moderately intense exercise. You can work at 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate during vigorous activity. Follow the table below as a general guide. Your heart rate may be 15 to 20 bpm higher or lower.

Use a monitor to keep track. Going higher than your maximum heart rate for long periods of time could be dangerous for your health. One study of recreational hockey players found that those who continuously exceeded their target and maximum heart rates while playing had poor rates of recovery after exercise. They also increased their risk for cardiac events such as:. Stop exercising if you feel lightheaded, dizzy, or ill. Instead of pace per mile, heart rate training relies on bpm as a guide for how fast you should run.

Heart rate training uses zones based on your maximum heart rate. If you have chest pain, shortness or breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting or severe musculoskeletal pain, you should slow down your intensity or stop! As far as continually exceeding your maximum heart rate — I would advise slowing down your intensity for a few workout, and then gradually increasing your intensity to the level that is currently causing you to exceed your maximum heart rate.

If your rate is still too fast, the safest bet is to run it by your doctor. An inability for your heart to safely monitor its rate may be a cause for concern — at least a cause for evaluation. If you do have known heart disease or an enlarged heart, you are at risk for further heart damage, no doubt about it. Join because you like clicking on fun email!

Liven' up your inbox with new workouts and updated health and fitness tips ;. Contact About Dr. Courseault Disclaimer Privacy Policy. Previous Next. Regular training and good nutrition will affect performance more than the fact that your max heart rate is now slightly lower than it was three years ago. Heart rate is a reaction to work being done, not a measurement of actual work.

For example, Golich says that if you ratchet yourself up to watts for three minutes for the first minute, your heart may tick along at beats per minute bpm. By minute two it may be at , and by minute three you could be pushing If you were to ride for three minutes with the intention of maintaining the same heart rate, things would look different.

Furthermore, the number displayed by your heart rate monitor or the screen on a gym treadmill may not be accurate. Max heart rate workouts should be done sparingly, Miner says, since the ultra-high intensity can lead to injuries , extreme fatigue , and other symptoms of overtraining. Heart attacks, while rare, happen to athletes at all different workloads.

Even so, cardiologist James Beckerman, M. Again, this is indicative of how variable heart rate is, Golich says. Things that are load bearing—like running—will generally push your heart rate higher , since you have to do more work to overcome gravity.

Cycling, because it has the mechanical assistance of the bike, will generally produce a lower max heart rate. And swimming, which happens in a pool with zero-impact, may be lower still—since the water is keeping you cool, Golich says, heat will be less of a factor in raising your heart rate. What exactly is heart rate reserve?