max heart rate 235

hello everyone. i've just got in from a 2 and a half hour ride. i had my heart moniter with me which said that my average heart rate was 165, as you can guess it was quite a pacey ride. there were a few hills involved though. one of them is a killer and was probably the hardest thing i've ever done but i didn't look at the heart rate to see what was happening. when i got in i looked at the maximum heart rate and it says that it was 235.
is this normal if you give every thing youve got or was i at a dangerously high level or should i not worry and accept it as progress?

 

When my heart rate monitor succombs to electrical interference out on the road, it almost always displays a reading of around 225. And this is nowhere near my maximum heart rate as per the rest of my ride and max effort data. It is something that happens with the monitor, not my heart.

The last time that mine did it was when the strap battery was just about due for a change. I was in the middle of trying to sustain an extended max effort on a hard climb. My HRM was reading 177 BPM which is right about where it should have been. As I happened to be looking at it, the read-out shot straight to 231.

HRM's in my experience do that, and read like that when they get enough electical interference or even when the HRM or chest strap batteries are going. Not sure what to tell you about yours, but keep the above in mind.

 

Rule62 is right, HRM's can often spike if they encounter interference...

 

Yikes.... 235.

I hope that was an error with your HRM. I take it you didn't have any vision problems or sensation you were about to check out.

People can tolerate that HR, but not for too long. Usually the next thing they will see is me juicing them up with some electricity or an injection of Adenosine .

I've been considering the purchase of a HRM for riding. Is there a brand that is preferred out there over others?

Thanks

 

Agreed, there was probably some electrical interference. Mine does that every once in awhile too. Usually it only spikes to about 210 though.

As for kinds of HRMs, I have a Polar cs200cad computer (comes with heart rate too). This is a nice feature as compared to buying a computer then later buying a HRM. One unit and all wireless is very nice. I have had no problems with the HRM, but have had some issues with the cadence sensor lately. I'd recommend a Polar HRM for you.

 

Erroneous spikes can usually be spotted by looking at the ride file. I get spikes in my HR data all the time. When you look at the ride file, they stand out like Mt. Everest in the middle of West Texas.

 

First post here so go easy on me guys. Some people do have a HR that high. Mine is around 210 max, I was so concerned I did a whole battery of tests. Which you might consider. It could be a few things.

Tachyarda - Which is when a peace of membrane around a valve interupts the flow and the heart compensates by increasing the heart beat.

PVC (Pre-Ventricular Contraction) - Which can be brought on by stress or a few other things. This is where the electrical impulses that cause the very precise process of the different contractions your heart makes starts too early and you get an extra beat in there.

The last one my doc said it was like "White Horse Syndrome" or something like that is when the main nerve down the middle of your heart needs to be fixed or you live with it. The only way they can fix it is crracking you open and carderizing it. No thanks!

There are more than this but I would strongly advise you to just check it out. They'll do an ultra sound and stress test and you'll know.

If you where complaining about sore legs I'd tell you to stop whinning but don't mess with the heart. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

hopefully its just a problem with the HRM and not the heart but thanks anyway for the advise guys.

 

i don't think it's a heart problem. people are just different. i've had my heart rate up past 240 hundreds of times. i hit 276 before. i was concerned, asked around and a trainer once told me he's heard of certain conditions where some peoples hearts sorta just beat real fast and that it's not a problem unless other symptoms accompany it such as chest pain.

 

Sound like you encountered an EMF (Electromagnetic field). That will give you a spike in HR, can also make your computer pause, or the other reading fluctuate. Could be electrical wires, a vehicle passing to closely at a fast speed, a group of cars passing you (even if they don't pass you close), a truck, etc. I think you're self preservation instinct would kick in before your heart rate gets dangerously high, if that's even possible unless your sick or something.

 

Yeah I wondered too about my overall condition...last year I had a checkup and they did an EKG test, everything was fine. Last race I did (1 week ago) my HR avg was 191 for 1:33.00. Interestingly, my max was only at 203 that race, which is right at my VO2 max, and not much higher than my LTHR or avg that race.

 

I agree rudycyclist - the Polar C200 is excellent and easy to set up. Lately, though, I found I can't upload my data to Polar Cycling Coach via the SonicLink - have you had any problems in this area ?
Other than that, it's an excellent piece of kit.

 

Ultimately only you will be able to tell if it was inteference or not. Once you get using the HRM, you generally know what 150 , 165, 180, etc.. beats per minute feels like, and you know within 10 anyway as to how hard you are working. So try to remember your intensity on that ride and if next time you see 180 or 190 for the same perceived intensity, it was almost certainly interference.

As an aside, a friend of mine got a HRM at Christmas and he and his brother decided to see who get go higher. So on the treadmill, one of them got to 205, went to the bathroom, puked, came back and said, "you know, I think I could go higher"! Beyond 190-195 is pretty darn high for most people.

 

I highly doubt that you have hit 276 beats per min. Most people would go into cardiac arrest.

 

Most people can't get much above 200bpm. I can get to 207 with my absolute hardest efforts. There are exceptions though. A guy that comes into the shop I work at regularly works out at heart rates in the 220-230bpm range. We've had him try all sorts of different monitors in multiple areas, and he can always hold around 228bpm for 10-15 minutes.

 

I have seen my heart rate monitor "spike" to 220 many a time and it always was the result of interference, trains, cars etc. There was however one exception. On the 17th of September 2003, I was doing a short ride and I felt my heart rate increase dramatically. I actually stopped the bike and put my hand on my chest and could feel my heart "racing". I looked down at my heart rate monitor and saw it was reading 225bpm. It felt uncomfortable and bit dizzy. Then just as suddenly it dropped back to about 150. The whole thing lasted about 20 seconds. I got such a fright I went home and phoned my doctor (who also happened to be a cyclist, we often went riding together). I told him the whole thing and went to see him the next day. I eventually ended up flying 2000 km to see a cardiologist and did a whole range of tests. They all came up negative. The only unique thing about that day was that I was in an "all day" workshop and had lots of coffee. When I went for the ride I was poorly hydrated.

I have attached a picture of the HRM file.

It has never happened again.

All I can say is that if your heart rate went above 220, you will feel it and know about it and it will probably scare the living daylights out of you!!!!!