The American Heart Association (AHA) has set target heart rates, as well as maximum heart rates, that we should strive to obtain while exercising.
For a 25 year old, the target zone working at 85% (the maximum you want to train at) is 166 bpm. For a 30 year old, it is 162 bpm. If you are working at 200 bpm, it means you are working too hard, at the maximum heart rate (100%) for a 20-year old. You can see the complete chart at AHA: Target Heart Rate.
The quick calculation is 220-your age for the maximum heart rate (100%). Your 200 bpm is over this maximum (192 bpm).
This is one gauge to know if you are working/training too hard, and also can be a test for your level of fitness. Another gauge is your resting heart rate. Do you know what your RHR is?
"AHA: Resting Heart Rate:
This is a person's heart rate at rest. The best time to find out your resting heart rate is in the morning, after a good night's sleep, and before you get out of bed.
The heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute when we're at rest. Resting heart rate usually rises with age, and it's generally lower in physically fit people. Resting heart rate is used to determine one's training target heart rate. Athletes sometimes measure their resting heart rate as one way to find out if they're overtrained. The heart rate adapts to changes in the body's need for oxygen, such as during exercise or sleep."
Your RHR is a measure of fitness, and may be more important number to you. "Your MHR is genetically predetermined, and has basically nothing to do with your level of fitness. Some athletes have had MHR's in the 160 BPM-range, while others have rates that exceed 200 beats per minutes. The sole variation in your MHR is a decrease of approximately 1 BPM a year, a process that accompanies aging." (from marathonguide.com).
What's most important: how are you feeling during the times you run? Many marathoners DO walk and run throughout the course. If your body is being taxed by running, it sounds like you have tried many alternatives, but you may just try walking a mile, and see what your heart rate is. Then, walk 1 minute, jog 1 minute (12 minute pace or slower). Monitor your heart rate through this time as well.
You want to train smarter, and use the heart rate monitor as your guide. (You probably already know this?!). When you train at your maximum, you are working anaerobically, and can tax your body if at this level for more than a few minutes, leading to possible injury. You want to make sure you train aerobically, within 50-85% of your target heart rate. Whatever that exercise is...cycling, walking a mile, etc.
Did this information help? Are you able to start slower with your goal of running a mile....and walk a mile first, monitoring your heart rate? You can increase your pace by 30 seconds every-other week, until you are jogging, then running. Or, just mix in a 1-minute jog with walking. You still gain all of the benefits of going a mile, and many athletes walk/jog/run!
Comment Reply
The American Heart Association (AHA) has set target heart rates, as well as maximum heart rates, that we should strive to obtain while exercising.
For a 25 year old, the target zone working at 85% (the maximum you want to train at) is 166 bpm. For a 30 year old, it is 162 bpm. If you are working at 200 bpm, it means you are working too hard, at the maximum heart rate (100%) for a 20-year old. You can see the complete chart at AHA: Target Heart Rate.
The quick calculation is 220-your age for the maximum heart rate (100%). Your 200 bpm is over this maximum (192 bpm).
This is one gauge to know if you are working/training too hard, and also can be a test for your level of fitness. Another gauge is your resting heart rate. Do you know what your RHR is?
"AHA: Resting Heart Rate:
This is a person's heart rate at rest. The best time to find out your resting heart rate is in the morning, after a good night's sleep, and before you get out of bed.
The heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute when we're at rest. Resting heart rate usually rises with age, and it's generally lower in physically fit people. Resting heart rate is used to determine one's training target heart rate. Athletes sometimes measure their resting heart rate as one way to find out if they're overtrained. The heart rate adapts to changes in the body's need for oxygen, such as during exercise or sleep."
Your RHR is a measure of fitness, and may be more important number to you. "Your MHR is genetically predetermined, and has basically nothing to do with your level of fitness. Some athletes have had MHR's in the 160 BPM-range, while others have rates that exceed 200 beats per minutes. The sole variation in your MHR is a decrease of approximately 1 BPM a year, a process that accompanies aging." (from marathonguide.com).
What's most important: how are you feeling during the times you run? Many marathoners DO walk and run throughout the course. If your body is being taxed by running, it sounds like you have tried many alternatives, but you may just try walking a mile, and see what your heart rate is. Then, walk 1 minute, jog 1 minute (12 minute pace or slower). Monitor your heart rate through this time as well.
You want to train smarter, and use the heart rate monitor as your guide. (You probably already know this?!). When you train at your maximum, you are working anaerobically, and can tax your body if at this level for more than a few minutes, leading to possible injury. You want to make sure you train aerobically, within 50-85% of your target heart rate. Whatever that exercise is...cycling, walking a mile, etc.
Did this information help? Are you able to start slower with your goal of running a mile....and walk a mile first, monitoring your heart rate? You can increase your pace by 30 seconds every-other week, until you are jogging, then running. Or, just mix in a 1-minute jog with walking. You still gain all of the benefits of going a mile, and many athletes walk/jog/run!
You might find this article interesting as well: Duathlon: Heart Rate Training by Mark Allen
August 22, 2010 - 7:41pmThis Comment
Reply