I bought a heart rate monitor last summer, shortly after I joined my local running club. After using it regularly, I know that I can complete a 10k at 185bpm, which is around 95% of my maximum heart rate (220-28). I can also have a slightly out of breath chat at 175bpm (90% of max heart rate).

This is completely at odds with the usual heart rate ranges that you see published in running books magazines.

My question is: should I slow down and keep my heart rate in the range the books recommend or should I go with what I've picked up from my own experience?

Grant, I'm the same - my HRM tells me that I can easily run at 183bpm without any real effort. Those max HR formulas from running magazines are way out of line, and I've yet to find a member of the population to whom they apply. There seem to be a whole lot of us that can train at a much higher heart rate than those announced publicly. Yet, I know that my own heart rate (although it jumps to these 'high' numbers pretty quickly) is absolutely fine. My family has no history of heart disease, and I know that I'm strong and healthy as far as my heart is concerned.

I was reading a new book on HR monitoring written by Joe Friel (published Oct 2006), which has some extensive tables in, and alternate methods of testing your best heart rate zones. This book makes a lot of sense, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to understand heart rate training better. You'll find it on Amazon for something like £7 to £8. It's not the only good book around though. I know that Steady Edwina has gotten a lot of of her 'Heart Rate training for dummies' book too. She'll probably confirm the title when she reads this post.

Karen

Thanks for the post, I'll check out the Joe Friel book - I have one his other books and found it informative.

My HR Monitor has shown my heart rate up around 240 bpm and then within minutes has jumped back down to zero.:eek: Very strange!

Well, 240 does sound quite high. But I still don't know what my true max HR is either. If you felt fine at this HR of 240, then its possible that your HR monitor had a glitch?

To really benefit from HR monitor training you really need to work out what your maximum heart rate is otherwise your HR monitor is only giving you feedback on your heart rate.

Grant I think the fact that your HR jumped up to 240 then went down to zero maybe be due to some kind of electrical interference - like pylons or someone elses monitor.

I've been reading John Parkers book Heart Rate Monitor Training for the Complete Idiot and he says that intially working with a HRM should really slow you down and if often an indication that we have been working way too hard - I think this has been true in my case.

Steady is right grant, do a HRmax test (a couple of long (2mins) hill repeats flat out).
You also need to know your resting HR to work out your zones.

To do this you need to subtract HRrest from HRmax then multiply by particular percentage. Then add the answer back on to HRrest to give you your answer.

For example

My HRmax is 195, and HRrest is 49.
So if I want to establish what my HR should be for 85% intensity, I calculate as follows:

195-49=146
146*0.85=124
124+49=173

Therefore my HR should be approx 173bpm, for 85% effort.

Clear as mud!

flakey

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