HEart Rate Question, i'm 27.

What is it when you race? You shouldn't be doing 400s at max anyways.

I'd like to hear thoughts on this.

Heartrate climbs slowly. You won't be able to get it up to max with just a 400. If you want to hit your max, try doing something similar to the vO2 max protocol. Do 60-90 second intervals, gradually increasing the intensity until you reach failure.

3 weeks ago I was on a long run and gradually increased speed over 15 miles, at the end i was at my max speed possible for the last mile I was panting so hard and i took my pulse i was still 170. Is this bad or what?

I thini i remember like 2 years ago when i first started running when i pushed real hard my heart rate got to the 180s but i just can't do it now.

bump

No, it's not "bad". You might just have a lower max HR than he does.

If you do a lot of aerobic running and are in excellent aerobic shape, but don't do many intervals and intensity, it can be difficult to get to your max. I've run into this after a long base period before my legs get used to much intensity. It is easier for an out-of-shape person to get their HR up close to max.

If your max is truly in the 170s, and your normal training runs are 150 or higher, there is a problem... but it's not what you think. You are likely doing your normal training runs too hard.

I typically keep my heart rate in the 130-155 range for 2 hours or more on my long runs and don't do much interval stuff or go sprint a mile. I test it once in awhile and just happened to notice i can't get it very high i get so phucking winded that i can't get it above 170, that's holdin ga 5:10-5:20 pace for awhile which is fast for me.

Thank you for this post. I actually searched for this everywhere on the net. I have the same issue as the OP. It is really hard to get to a high heart rate, anywhere near the formula predictions.

I don't do much intensity and have years of aerobic work. That would explain it I guess.

You need longer stuff as someone else suggested. 400 is nowhere near what it would take to reach max. If you really want max, on a warm day, do go about 20 minutes of steady tempo effort. Comfortable, but working hard. After you see your HR plateau for a few minutes, take about a minute break and run an all-out 1k. Or an all-out long hill sprint.

You could have a low HR too. I'm 32 and max out about 185, but my buddy is 34 and maxes at 205, so there's a lot of individual difference.

No you are doing nothing wrong. There is massive variation in max HR across the population. There is no correlation between max HR and performance. Elite performers can be found with high max HRs and low max HRs.

"Heart Rate Monitor Training for the Compleat [sic] Idiot" by John Parker is a good, accessible read if you want to learn more.

hi OP , I'm exactly the same as you, I'm 26, when I do treadmill stuff, I can only hold a pace when my heart rate is 171 for no longer than 30-45 seconds. For longer runs around 10k or longer my heart rate is around 155-160. The moment my heart rate hits 171 I feels like I've run into a wall, even with heavy breathing it feels like I'm holding my breath.

I was always under the impression that the max heart rate is like a "theoretical" number that if you reached it you would collapse immediately haha. But I'm probably wrong on this!

Heart Rate wrote:

When i run i notice my heart rate in a good logn work out is in the 150's but when im all out sprinting even doing 400's at the end ill take my heart rate and it's only 170 but im all out dead beat and can't imagine how i could get it much higher, is this bad?? I've been running for a few years and just started testing my heart rate during work outs but the highest i can get it is 170-175 never ever any higher, i'm 27..

I met a 50 year old guy who said his goes way up to 185 when he works out.. Eh? Am I doing something wrong that my heart won't get that high?

There is a relatively wide range in variation of maxHR. Just as there is wide variation in resting HR.

170 is probably good.... for you? What is your resting HR? Are you using a heart rate monitor?