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Mid-40s man. Is heart rate hitting low 180s during cardio safe, or should this be concerning? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/fitness@lemmy.world
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I'm in my mid-40s and I do cardio 3x weekly, and during my sessions, it's basically HIIT training. I try to keep my HR above 150 during my sessions, but it peaks in the low 180s intermittently.

Is this okay? My doctor noted potential concerns with getting my HR up that high, but it could be fine, she wasn't sure. I don't get any dizziness or anything (generally that happens if I sustain a heart rate above 185 for a bit). I'm not staying at 180 bpm, that's just the peak, I'm targeting an average HR of around 150-155 for my workouts.

In a 60 minute workout, I'll probably spend 10-15 minutes with my HR between 166 and 182 range.

Not sure if I should scale it down a bit or take it easier, or if this is fine.

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[–] [S] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You should expect an effort near your maximum heart rate to be the kind of deal where you basically have to lie down and hyperventilate.

Gotcha, yeah, it’s not like that. More of the standing, hands on knees heavy breathing for a few seconds while I catch my breath. I’ll be gasping at the end of a really hard track, likely as the difficulty moves toward anaerobic near the end, but never like I need a lie down. My heart rate drops pretty quickly as soon as a song ends.

Edit - what you’re talking regarding hyperventilate and lie down is what it feels like if I try to push and sustain anything around 188-190. I start getting lightheaded and have to stop. Anything between 175 and 185 bpm is okay for short periods. The highest reading I’ve ever seen on my watch for my heart rate was 192.

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