High heartrate during exercise

[Randy888]

First off I am 19 years old, soon to be 20, 5'11" tall and weigh 155 lbs. Whenever I use the treadmills at the gym I will place my hands on the heart rate monitor things more for entertainment than anything else. Usually it will register 190-210 bpm if I am working hard and only recently a friend brought it to my attention that this was far higher than usual. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Are there measures I can take to lower my heart rate without sacrificing difficulty of work?

[Tabula Rasa]

190-210? On a treadmill?

How long does it stay that high? Just how hard are you going at it?

190-210 is way beyond the target heart rate for your age. I'd suggest slowing down a bit.

[Serious-Citrus]

Yea. You'll have to work out a lot more. My guess is just that you're out of shape.

[NotABannedUser]

Granted you're not experiencing any pain of discomfort in the chest, I see no reason for you to reduce the intensity of your exercise. While your heart rate is definitely high, it's not harmful. The heart is specifically designed to adapt, expand, and strengthen when faced with rigorous exercise. There are those who believe that your heart rate shouldn't exceed this and that number, but I've been going over said number for years and I've never been healthier or had a stronger cardiovascular system in my life, and my doctors agree. There is, however, a limit to how far you can go. But when you are nearing that limit or get to it, you'll know immediately.

This message was totally not written by Malevolent, btw.

[Laylarlalou]

Heart rate monitors at the gym are generally not that accurate. If you are worried maybe you can be tested by your doctor. Or at home do some exercise (i.e jogging on the spot) then count your heart rate for a minuet!

[David]

Heart rate monitors on treadmills and other gym equipment are notoriously inaccurate. To even consider the rate you listed as slightly valid, I'd want to see it coming from either you self-measuring pulse, or, even better, a heart rate monitor specifically designed for the purpose.

Regardless of that, though, it's nothing to worry about. In our regular team spinning, sprinting, and other high-intensity cardio sessions many people are up around or even occasionally slightly above 200 bpm. It's not necessarily unhealthy.

[*Nick*]

Heart rate monitors on treadmills and other gym equipment are notoriously inaccurate. To even consider the rate you listed as slightly valid, I'd want to see it coming from either you self-measuring pulse, or, even better, a heart rate monitor specifically designed for the purpose.

Regardless of that, though, it's nothing to worry about. In our regular team spinning, sprinting, and other high-intensity cardio sessions many people are up around or even occasionally slightly above 200 bpm. It's not necessarily unhealthy.

Agreed. Now if you were experiencing symptoms such as tightness or tingling in chest and arms, or dizziness, then there's some reason for concern. But go for a physical, if you're that concerned about it.