RRC Archives

Anyone have a good mHR calculator? Or even better a hook up where I can get a free/really cheap clinical test? Running tonight, I was at 104 %mHR, and felt like I could push a little bit more.

maxHR is a personal thing...genetics & all that. Because I couldn't stomach trying to run my heart out on the treadmill (basically you collapse on the darn thing the way they describe the test, didn't sound like fun) I just adjusted maxHR in the watch to a few beats above whatever I saw on the HRM.
two other things, are you sure you weren't seeing RF interference? my HRM is coded, but has seen some 'weirdness' sometimes
also keep in mind maxHR is sport specific (I have to keep this in mind when I'm doing tri's...swimMaxHR < bikeMax < runMax for me...wish I had that neato foreTrex thing, it has multiple maxHR's as i recollect).
-Dale
ps. might a stress test at the Doc's office give you maxHR?

I think there are lots of different ways to calculate your mHR. Of course, there is the generic 220-age, but you can definately find other formulas for it.

Another option is that on a lot of Polar HRM's they offer a fitness test which will estimate your mHR and also your 'OwnIndex', which is supposed to be equivalent to your VO2max. All you have to do is set it to run the test and then sit very still for about 5 minutes.

I am using a Polar HRM, and it has some formula built in. It is one of the more basic ones, though, and I don't think it has the test. It isn't a big deal if it is off a few points, I guess, since I just use %mHR as a guide for when I am training. Just didn't look right when I looked down and saw it was pegged at 100% for a little while, then jumped to %104 when I was doing sprints.

I have heard stories of the clinical VO2max and mHR tests that the do at UK, stuff like cleaning the vomit out of the VO2max breathing tube. Not sure I want/need to know quite that badly.

i asked my buddy the same question last year. he reps for new balance, so i thought i would get some good info...he suggested the less complicated, push yourself until you throw up. while you're bent over take a look a your monitor...that's your max heart rate.

oh yeah, don't try this one on the treadmill at YMCA.

r.r.

what i've heard is that max heart rate will only improve slightly through training, it's mostly a genetic thing and doesn't really vary with age as most people assume. (the amount of abuse your heart can take will vary with age and conditioning level, don't do anything stupid w/o consulting a doctor or something)this seems to match well with my personal experiences also. my mhr at 18 was about 212, and now, ten years later, it's still about 207.(and i'm not in perfect shape either)
Although my perceived exertion is different for different types of exercise, my hr still maxes about the same point for everything(when pushed to failure).
I'm not a doctor or a trainer, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but i do mot of my cardio between 60-85% mhr(calculated as % of the difference between resting and max hr) i also always warm up for at least 8-10 minutes before pushing myself to that level.
I have done the push yourself till you drop thing, and usually only get about another 5 bpm more than what i can hit running or biking really hard(nauseous and out of breath, but not throwing up) I've also found a useful number, around 95%mhr(196 for me personally) my heart rate will kind of plateau, and not go further unless i really push to the point of not feeling well. I try not to go beyond that in daily training, even for sprints and stuff. i really don't think it's a good idea to go into the range of feeling nauseous very often.