Bit Scared about my Heart Rate!

Sometimes things interfere with heartrate monitors, so your heart rate may not be that high.

Do you feel like you are really stressed physially, like you are at your limit?

Do you have a wireless cycle computer?

Were you with your friend with a heartrate monitor?

Were you riding near power lines.

It is always OK to see a doctor or other health professional with questions like this. Ask your parents if their health insurance provides a call in consultation with a nurse. Sometimes this will save the expense of a doctor's visit.

I am not a medical person, but if you aren't having other symptoms, and you were my child, I would probably assume it is the heart rate monitor... and try to eliminate the possibility of a false reading before getting concerned.

Also, heart rates are somewhat genetic with fitness coming into play as well, so yours doesn't have to be the same as your friend... But I would expect you to feel like you were pushing prety hard if your heartrate was really 175.

pffft - that's not high. In any case heart rate is genetic and some people run quicker than others. I'm a hummingbird with a max around 211 so 175 just up into zone 4 for me and I can hold it for long periods of time - my LT is around 184 and in TT's I spend most if not all of my time right around there. Not to mention, I'm more than twice your age, and in general a person's max goes down as you get older so at your age I probably ran even quicker - but we didn't have hr monitors to know.... There's no advatages/disagadvantages to having a higher/lower hr its just what you personally have. Unless it is causing you physical distress, palpitations, faintness, dizzyness, etc. don't sweat it. (btw - my husband is more like your friend. Usually if I am riding at around 170, he's at around 140, same speed/effort different tickers)

Eden said:

pffft - that's not high. In any case heart rate is genetic and some people run quicker than others. I'm a hummingbird with a max around 211 so 175 just up into zone 4 for me and I can hold it for long periods of time - my LT is around 184 and in TT's I spend most if not all of my time right around there. Not to mention, I'm more than twice your age, and in general a person's max goes down as you get older so at your age I probably ran even quicker - but we didn't have hr monitors to know.... There's no advatages/disagadvantages to having a higher/lower hr its just what you personally have. Unless it is causing you physical distress, palpitations, faintness, dizzyness, etc. don't sweat it. (btw - my husband is more like your friend. Usually if I am riding at around 170, he's at around 140, same speed/effort different tickers)

The original poster said he is cycling at 10 km/hr. Surely you don't think that's his LT?

Lance,
go and see a good sports doctor, (Phone Book) get him to check the calibration of your HR Monitor. I did it's OK. 😉 I normally cycle below 130, but i'm nearly 60.

Yojimbo_ said:

The original poster said he is cycling at 10 km/hr. Surely you don't think that's his LT?

Nope all I'm saying is that 175 is not incredibly high or something to worry about, granted 10Km/hr is not particularly fast, but who knows maybe there was a killer headwind or maybe he's going faster than 10K - he did say his buddy was running 140 and he was 175 - its not an unreasonable spread - especially if said buddy was drafting...

Hey guys thx for the replies. Well it was 42 that day and we were under powerlines. How do you check your hr monitor for calibration? And like Eden when I have a high heart rate it doesn't feel like I'm pushing. On a 2 hour for 60km averaging 29 my avg hr was like 175 my max i got up to was 207 on a huge sprint.

Plz Reply thx.

Little Lance

Little Lance said:

Hey guys thx for the replies. Well it was 42 that day and we were under powerlines. How do you check your hr monitor for calibration? And like Eden when I have a high heart rate it doesn't feel like I'm pushing. On a 2 hour for 60km averaging 29 my avg hr was like 175 my max i got up to was 207 on a huge sprint.

Plz Reply thx.

Little Lance

Make sure your are hydrated. Dehydration will cause your heart to work harder (high(er) heart rate). Make sure you are not anemic.

Little Lance said:

Hey guys thx for the replies. Well it was 42 that day and we were under powerlines. How do you check your hr monitor for calibration? And like Eden when I have a high heart rate it doesn't feel like I'm pushing. On a 2 hour for 60km averaging 29 my avg hr was like 175 my max i got up to was 207 on a huge sprint.

Plz Reply thx.

Little Lance

A max of 207 actually puts you right at the computed max heart rate that people use if they don't measure more precisely, 220 minus age... For you that would be 207. 😄 Although my guess is that unless you were really on the ragged edge, your max might be a little higher.

I read somewhere that the way to measure maximum heart rate on your own is to get on a piece of exercise equipment and warm up well... then start increasing intensity until you don't think you can do any more... keep looking at your heart rate monitor... The last number you see before passing out is your maximum heart rate.

My guess is that you have nothing to worry about.

Hi there,

I also have a Polar CS200Cad Heart Rate monitor which i only really use in the gym, not when im out cycling.

Anyway, when im running my heartrate can go up to about 180 - 200, which causes the gym machines to turn themselves off as they think im having a heart attack! Gets very annoying...

Everyone has a different heartrate personel to them, so i wouldnt worry too much. Maybe a checkup with you doctor would be a good idea - if only to put your mind at rest 🙂

x

Little Lance said:

... How do you check your hr monitor for calibration? ...

One easy way to do a quick n dirty calibration would be to check your HR manually to see if the monitor reading is close (while resting or after coming to a stop)...

dgregory57 said:

The last number you see before passing out is your maximum heart rate.

LOL 😄 😄 😄

Bikergirl85 said:

when im running my heartrate can go up to about 180 - 200, which causes the gym machines to turn themselves off as they think im having a heart attack! Gets very annoying...

The computer in my car shuts the engine down when speeds reach 100MPH.
I find that annoying as well.