Is it normal for my heart rate to reach 200bpm while working out?

I suffer from the same thing. When I do mild physics activity my heartrate spikes. The difference between standing and sitting is huge. When I am exercising, my hearyrate is constantly much higher than my max allowable and sometimes my ears feel blocked and it feels like I can hear my hearyrate through my ears.

Has anybody come up with a diagnosis?

Back in HS when I was actively running XC I had a similar problem. I would start running and would feel great, but then about 20 minutes in i would feel exhausted. My coach got heart monitors for us and when I started running my HR was almost always at about 220 for the first 20 minutes. It would then decrease to 180 and stay steady at pace. At a full sprint it would reach 195 max after that 20 minute period. Once I did have an episode where my HR hit mid 250's. At that point I would say it felt like being hit by a truck. and now 2 1/2 years later i get a semifrequent pain in the left side of my chest when taking a breath.

I am in my mid 20's. I am very fit and have been working out for about 10 years. I have done everything from competitive power lifting to crossfit to a 30mi trail races. In the last year or two I have increased my running a lot and experienced this same event. The only difference is that it takes a little longer 20 or 30 min. I believe I have found a pattern of when it occurs. It all started a little over a year ago and it was happening a lot and the feeling reminded me a lot of exertion head aches that I use to get when "O.D.ing" on pre-workout (crap-ton of caffeine) supplements back in my heavy lifting days. So.. I stopped drinking coffee or in-taking any type of caffeine at all. It was tough but boom problem was gone. The strange part of the pattern is that it did not occur during speed or VO2 max work or long runs but only during tempo run in which i would attempt to keep my heart rate at about 155-160 for 30-45min and at some point around 20 to 30 min BOOM, my lights go out and my heart jumps up to 210. So I stop and wait usually about a minute or so and it makes and immediate jump back down. If I start running again it blasts right back up.. Point is; this hasn't happened in a long time ...UNTIL TODAY, and sure enough I have grown stagnant in my caffeine evasion. By the way I don't believe at all that caffeine is an unhealthy thing. I simply believe my body has reached it's tolerance. I have in taken sooo much of it in my short life that I am rejecting it now. If you intake too much light (say starring at the sun) Bam no more light, your blind. You eat too much sugar, Bam type two diabetes. Now I don't know if there really is a finite amount of caffeine that a given person can in take, but... that has been the evidence in my experience. Hope this helps.

Im so glad Im not the only one. It doesn't happen to me all the time but I just had to leave the gym early because I felt like crap. It happens to me like 80% of the time. I swear after 3 mins my heart is racing. Its so frustrating. I was at 201 bpm. Freaks me out, I get headache and ears feel clogged and I'm light headed. Years ago I had palpitations a lot and would go to ER and of course they would stop. They told me it was anxiety. Irritating. Like no the heart palpitations cause me anxiety. Anyways finally a doc heard the palps and hooked me up and diagnosed me with Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia (PAT). However I stopped drinking diet coke and they calmed down. I have had cancer twice and had to get some heart and pulmonary tests came back normal before I had a stem cell transplant. So granted I have had a lot of treatments but you guys might have PAT it is hard to diagnose unless they hook up up to the EKG while having an episode. Im going to get a stress test done soon. Its so frustrating. I just want to be able to workout or be active without having these episodes.

Individuals have varying heart rates, when I was in my 20's I was in the army there was an obstical course that got me so nervous that would make me puffed out and increase my heart rate before I even attempt it.
In regards to high heart rates you must ask how old you are, weight and fitness levels
I make my heart rate up to 170 but for 30 seconds per time.
Try taking minerals such as COq10, magnesium, and l-arginine. They are great for heart and regulate its rhythms.
But always do your research and check with a doctor

Hey there, I was trying to look for answer as well very very similiar to yours. I too have a heart rate over 160 when I try to run. And i have tried everything in 'the books' to try to make it easier but it never does. I went in for a stress test, and they had to stop it because i reached 170 and was increasing. The cardiologist looked over everything and couldn't find any thing. I'm still not sure what it is, but I also have these "episodes" where about twice a year I'll have a immense pain stemming from underneathish part of my left boob (excuse my language), it feels as though it litterally squeezes the life out of me. Its like someone as if took their fist around whatever is there and squeezes it so tight, where I can't breathe right and can't walk or do anything until it passes. More and more I have them the pain gets worse and the duration of it becomes longer. I have been through so many tests, and still nothing. They already ruled out stress, and anxiety attacks you name it. Still no answer, i'm just hoping one day its not going to get so bad where something awful will happen. I already been through it while i was driving and made it very difficult, that I had to pull into a parking lot for about 45 mins.!!..., I know this has nothing to do with what your talking about, but I wan't to see if you had this similiar thing as well maybe it's connected??? ..., Looking forward to talking with you if you ever see this, Thanks!

My cardiologist recently put me on a betablocker because of heart palps...they would get so bad that I'd wind up in the ER. And now also have a spray type Nitroglycerin that is awesome....if I get the angina I just spray that under my tongue and in seconds feel my blood vessels open and calm.