With most GPS watches now offering start an exercise schedule as standard, it's never been easier to get insights into how hard your heart is working on the run. But have you ever questioned whether your heart rate is healthy when you exercise? Perhaps you're worried that your heart rate is too high and you're pushing yourself too hard?
How to spot and fix IT band syndrome Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network That’s a really tough question to answer. Heart rate will vary across.
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'With any intensity of exercise, the body needs more oxygenated blood to get into your vital organs. And the way the heart does that is to increase its cardiac output – which is your heart rate times the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat. At rest, that’s usually somewhere between 3-5 litres per minute. During exercise, it can significantly increase – some elite athletes get as high as 30-40 litres per minute.'
start an exercise schedule?
'That’s a really tough question to answer. Heart rate will vary across Why do my shoulders hurt while I run and it will also vary with fitness. If you’re just starting out, you’ll find your heart rate is much higher than if you’re four months into a training programme. What I’d recommend is that if you’re new to exercise, take a broader view of your own health.
Do you have high blood pressure? Are you a smoker? Is there a family history of heart disease? Then, when you start exercising, use a perceived exertion score and try to marry that up with your heart rate. So, if your heart rate is shooting up but you’re not feeling like you’re doing a lot, then that might be worth looking into. Be mindful of your exercise history and what you’re trying to achieve – and don’t push yourself too hard, too soon.'
which is higher than some people might assume at that age?
'I don’t see many people who present with maximum heart rates in the 200s, but if you’re otherwise healthy, you’ll probably be fine, so long as it's in the 200s for only a short amount of time. Some US studies, for example, found that people in their 40s can achieve a peak heart rate of 190 when running on a treadmill, which is higher than some people might assume [at that age].
'When you exercise, your heart tries to make workflow more efficient. And there’s only so high your heart rate will go before it loses that efficiency. What you’ll find is that if you’re a seasoned endurance runner, over time your maximum heart rate will be less, because your heart adjusts physiologically to the amount of exercise you’re doing. So, if you’re exercising aerobically for around three or four hours a week for months, your heart will start to adapt.
'The way it adapts is that the cardiac output has to increase to give the body more blood. That means more blood is leaving the heart, which, in turn, must mean that more blood is returning to the heart. And that’s when the heart starts to become bigger. This is what's called ‘Athlete’s Heart’. If the heart is bigger, the amount of blood it pumps per beat also increases, so your heart rate doesn’t have to be as high to get to the required cardiac output. That’s why your heart rate lowers the fitter you get, and you can get recreational runners with resting heart rates in the 40s.'
age and gender?
'The overall message here is that doing exercise is much better than not doing exercise. If we could put the benefits of exercise into a pill, it would be better than anything I could prescribe to patients in terms of type 2 diabetes prevention, blood pressure, bone density and so on.
'It comes back to what your baseline fitness is. If you're healthy with no risk factors, you will very likely be fine to exercise. If you have cardiac disease, you can also benefit greatly from exercise, but it probably requires a more measured and tailored approach. You might consider seeing a specialist before you decide to start an exercise schedule.
'For the majority of people who have no risk factors and are already healthy, though, pushing themselves to high intensity will be fine. Things go wrong when you don’t have that background training, or when you don’t factor in outside factors such as best heart rate monitors for runners. Having said all that, European guidelines would suggest that healthy adults who are doing 3-4 hours of aerobic exercise a week have a cardiac sports screen once every two years.'
Best Garmin deals Runner’s World, overseeing RW’s new membership programme, set to launch later this year. She has been with the brand for close to three years now – previously working as deputy digital editor, where she covered all manner of running topics, spanning training, health, injury, nutrition and gear. Over the years, she’s interviewed an abundance of awe-inspiring athletes, from top-tier ultrarunners and Olympic champions to everyday runners who have accomplished extraordinary things. Jen has been a sports journalist for 10 years; she is the former editor of Women’s Running magazine and has also worked as Sports Editor at Red Bull. She started running a decade ago and likes to dabble in triathlon a little, too. You’ll find she’s happiest plodding down the Thames path or chowing down on a post-run pastry.
