High heart beat

player · 17-Feb-04, 12:09 AM

i'm starting to go to the gym again, weight lifying and alot of cardio as i need to loose alot of weight. i'm 21. 5'10. 280 pounds. very outta shape

anyways the problem is on the treadmille, i cant run more then 5 minutes, and after those 5 minutes my heart beat goes up to a range between 197-203. it sounds like a really high number. is that normal, or is it dangorous

Octagon · 17-Feb-04, 12:16 AM

It could be dangerous. The most common formula to calculate maximum heart rate is 220 - Age which would put your maximum at 199. Now, that's a very general calculation and of course only gives an estimate but when you're talking about, you know, dropping dead it's often better to err on the side of caution.

I'd seriously think about backing off a bit. You can get a good cardio workout without pushing yourself that hard this early. You don't have to run non-stop to get a great workout. You can mix walking with light jogging and gradually increase the pace/intensity over time. You can jog for a few minutes and just stop to catch your breath before resuming.

There are a lot of good posts here about easing into cardio specifically. Do a search and check out a few.

arbit · 17-Feb-04, 12:20 AM

I wood not recommend going to that high heart rate for someone out of shape. U shood do exercise which u can maintain for 25-30 min. Thats better for making progress.

B.A. · 17-Feb-04, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by player

i'm starting to go to the gym again, weight lifying and alot of cardio as i need to loose alot of weight. i'm 21. 5'10. 280 pounds. very outta shape

anyways the problem is on the treadmille, i cant run more then 5 minutes, and after those 5 minutes my heart beat goes up to a range between 197-203. it sounds like a really high number. is that normal, or is it dangorous

Octagon is right - it is a very general method of estimating your training zones etc, and practical should always overrule theory. Your resting heart rate I would imagine would be pretty high (between 80-90?). Simply round your maximum heart rate up to 200, so that a 10% change will equal 20 beats per minute.

It is always better to err on the side of caution (as Octagon says) and start off in a relatively low heart rate zone, say 50-60% of your maximum heart rate (between 100 and 120 beats per minute) - for 20-30 minutes, using the chest strap and watch (heart rate monitor) you will keep your heart rate within this range as you work on the treadmill or stationary bike/ ergometer until you feel that it is too easy - a good indicator of not being overly stressed during physical activity is being able to hold a conversation with someone (this shows that you are not desparately out of breath and struggling for oxygen).

Once you can perform 50-60% for 20-30 minutes with relative ease, bump it up to 60-70% (120-140%) and aim for 20-30 minutes with that. Take it one step at a time though; perform at 50-60% of your *theoretical* maximum heart rate and inform us of your progress (if you wish).

I would imagine that your diet has been thoroughly "cleaned up" to pomote your weight loss - if you wish, I would like to see a sample of your daily diet (everything that you ate for any day, when you ate, and if possible how much you ate, giving an approximation of how many calories you ingested for that day - rounded up to the nearest 100). Cheers,

- B.A.

ajarvis · 17-Feb-04, 08:51 AM

I'd say definetly er on the side of caution as has been stated already. Although it could be completly normal for you. When I finish my runs my heart rate can be up around 190 - 195 was the highest I've seen it. But for me that's fine. I've had a sonogram an EKG and I wore a heart monitor for 24hours. So I know my heart is healthy

If you feel dizzy, nauseated etc. you should take it a lot easier.

**jgriffith** · 17-Feb-04, 08:57 AM

Quote:

If you feel dizzy, nauseated etc. you should take it a lot easier.

Great advice....too bad coaches just dont understand this one!?

A racing heart that high could be something to look into. My brother has Hypertrophic Cadrio Miopathy, (not the good kind of hypertrophy) and he would feel that way many times. BY NO MEANS does this mean that you have that. I'd just say take it back to something you can sustain.

CJNY · 17-Feb-04, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by player

anyways the problem is on the treadmille, i cant run more then 5 minutes, and after those 5 minutes my heart beat goes up to a range between 197-203. it sounds like a really high number. is that normal, or is it dangorous

Probably nothing to worry about, but if you are new to running and can only do it for 5 minutes than the pace is too fast for you at this stage anyway. Build up to it as others have suggested.

GraemeK · 19-Feb-04, 11:32 AM

i'd recommend trying to bring it down to 140-160. typically i work out at 165-170 i dont like going past that. i hit 209 on the threadmill once! it was fun but i wouldnt do it often.

G

**Firehawk** · 19-Feb-04, 06:36 PM

I think you are way too heavy to be RUNNING. You need to maybe try cycling and get your weight down first. Running as heavy as you are will cause you alot of ligament and joint soreness later in life.

**Firehawk** · 19-Feb-04, 06:41 PM

It doesnt sound like his heart rate is a problem since it only gets that high when he is putting forth a ton of effort. THats normal, but hes definitely pushing too hard to get it up that high. If you were sitting down calm, and your heart rate jumped that high, then there may be a problem with your heart rhythm or something. I had somethin called supraventricular tachycardia happen to me after a cardio session one time. Went to the doctor and they didnt see anything wrong at all. It happened again, but then this time i had Atrial Fibrillation. Both are defects of the heart that occur because of genetics primarily. They are treatable and NON-LIFEthreatening as long as there is no structural abnormalities or any other heart disease going on.

I wouldnt worry about your heart being a PROBLEM, its just out of shape. And you should take it easy at first and ease into something. RUnning is one of, if not THEE most rigorous cardio activity you can do, and you shouldnt just jump into it. Start with a stationary bike, and then go from there.

I just think you should definitely get some fat off before you start running though. Id hate for you to start complaining of knee joint problems later on all because you wanted to have an ego and try runninn 2 miles on a treadmill.