So I work out in a gym facility my company has in our building. It is generally empty at lunch, but recently I have been joined by an overweight co-worker.
She is about 5'4, african american, probably 250 lbs and 43 years old. I was watching the readouts on the elliptical. Her HR steadily climbed for the first 15 minutes until it plateaued at 175 - 180. Her total workout was 45 minutes, 30 minutes of which was at the plateaued value.
I typically run on the treadmill, so I decided to do a comparison and try out the elliptical. On the same machine, I was dying and fading fast once my HR reached 160.
What gives??