Can MHR exceed 100% due to heat?

You assumed your MHR was 191 in a 5k sprint finish. How did this become your official MHR? You already proved the treadmill tests to be wrong. What makes the number you hit at the end of 5k's 10 years ago your MHR? Your heart rate could go higher than it is at the end of a race, trust me. Let's imagine you were at the end of a 5k race and just before you finished, you noticed a random guy with a gun suddenly appear of the course and start shooting people. Do you think your HR would remain the same as it was a couple seconds beforehand?

Only if you're giving 110% effort!

Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...

Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?

Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.

Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?

Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?

Marty DiBergi: I don't know.

Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.

Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.

Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?

Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.

A treadmill test, multiple 5k finishes, multiple 100% efforts at the end of long interval workouts specifically to elicit MHR all resulted in similar numbers... 191 and 189.5. The treadmill test was done at the UC-Davis Performance Lab... twice. The second time, they ran me for 29 minutes. I'm just guessing, but the ability to produce MHR might vary from day to day.

However, the jump between my highest observed HR over the past 6 years (187) and yesterday (sustained HR of 191-192 for over a minute) is a pretty big gap. I need to know if 192 is an anomaly or if it is really my MHR. Those extra five beats make a big difference in training zones.

I forgot add that I'm 60. MHR should be going down a bit over the years, which is why I assumed it had dropped by 4 to 187 over the past 12 years.

Someone on Letsrun used to post under the name, "These go to eleven." I never understood the reference until now.

Thanks.

I have not read all the other replies, but isn't it illogical to ask if HR can exceed 100%?

Max heart rate is max heart rate.

So 13 years ago MHR was 190 ... and you just hit 192 ...

1) were you using the same equipment to measure MHR as you were 13 years ago? no

2) were you using the same procedure as 13 years ago to determine MHR? no

2) is there some inherent error in MHR testing? yes

3) is there some inherent error in the equipment that is used to measure HR? yes.

We are talking about a 1% difference between 2 different pieces of equipment, using 2 different methods and 2 different data points 13 years apart ...

c'mon people get a fvcking clue - put your fvcking thinking caps on.

I've seen heartrate monitor reading at the end of races in hot weather that I am unable to reproduce under less extreme conditions. I've also seen heartrate monitor readings that are obviously bogus whether due to interference, equipment malfunction, operator error, or whatever.

It seems that for training purposes your best estimate of MHR is still around 187.

We are talking about precision without accuracy here!

Who cares if your Max HR is 187 or 192.

As far as using those to calculate training ranges, so many things can change day to day that change your HR that the 5 bpm is irrelevant.

Also Max HR is a kind of worthless number to have. For any type of endurance training the number you want to have to set most workouts off of is your MLSS.

And anything that isn't endurance training is to short to use HR as a indicator of effort or performance.

You want MLSS HR. I am surprised you paid all that money for these tests and no one told you this.

You are also kind of messing up the definition of Max HR. Max HR is basically the level at which you working at your aerobic peak. Many trained athletes (including myself) will actually have their heart rate peak and then fall for the last minute or so of a treadmill test as the effort becomes almost complete anaerobic and therefore the demands of oxygen actually decrease slightly. So, it really isn't the max rate your heart can possibly beat, does that make sense?

Sheesh... I don't use MHR exclusively to compute zones. I've used a HRM for over 14 years, so I know when they can and cannot be used to set training zones.

I'm just wondering why such a difference between the HIGHEST MHR I've reached multiple times over the past several years and a one time jump to a MHR of 192 in my race on Monday. The 187 was reached on BOTH of my current HRMs -- a Polar S120 and a Polar S625X. So, since the 187 was the previous MHR recorded by both monitors several times, it seems illogical that the newer S625X would suddenly be off by four beats in one race.

My question is... and remains... it is possible for heat and humidity to combine to create a sustained one minute burst of HR higher than 100% HR? I think not, but before I adjust my tempo zones to reflect a MHR of 192 instead of 187, I'd like input from others. Thanks.

You realize that you say you don't use MHR to computes zones in the top of you post and then say that you do in the bottom.

MLSS varies greatly as a percentage of MHR and therefore is the sole basis from which you should determine "tempo" pace.

I was trying to help.

In response to your specific question. MHR is not likely effected by heat and 4 beats a minute is well with in the error rate of a Polar HR, especially when sweaty and hot.

This would then be your max HR... you can't exceed your max anything... that is why it is called your max... you MHR might be different on different days for different reasons. someone correct me if I am wrong about this.

How many ways do you have to be told?

The results are within a margin of error. How difficult is this to understand? It is likely the case that if you were to wear both HRMs at the same time, they would give you different results at different times. These devices are not as precise as you think - the same holds true for these damned GPS devices that are coupled with the HRMS ... sorry, but the Boston Marathon wasn't 750m too long despite what your Garmin is telling you!

Ok, let's make it really simple.

100% is MaxHR.

It is, by definition, your maximum.

You cannot get higher than your maximum, because it is your maximum.

If you see a figure higher than what you thought was your maximum, you thought wrong.

"It goes up to eleven" was a great, FUNNY and accurate, observation!