pic by sunfrog1
As someone who exercises daily, I explored the use of heart rate monitors to get a better workout. I always struggled to get my rate into the max range in interval training.
The standard formula was “220 – the person’s age.” I started playing with heart rate monitors right out of college. Though I did my damnedest to get my heart rate into the 190s, it was near impossible. At 183 beats per minute, I couldn’t talk any more and I could barely breath; it felt like having asthma attack…on purpose. So I gave up on heart rate monitors because the defeated me in every spinning class.
The American Heart Association journal Circulation recently published the findings of a heart rate study, using about 5500 women. Surprise, surprise! Women’s hearts beat to their own drummer, and our maximum heart rate is considerably lower than that of men.
That new formula “206 – (.88*age) is spot on. At 21, my maximum heart rate was 187.5, so it’s no wonder I was struggling so much. I had moved into my real heart rate peak range, though science hadn’t yet acknowledged it.
Me thinks it is time to buy some new batteries for my heart rate monitor.
Recent Comments