Endurance question - Cathe and All....

[AnatW]

Hi Cathe and everyone !

I have soemthing that really bothers me.

I have been exercising consistently for about a year (non-consistent for about 10 years)doing 3-4 times a week 30-45 min aerobics and medium weights. For my step aerobics I have used a 4" step and felt comfortable (heart rate at highest 165).
Yesterday, I decided to increase the height to 6" and my heart rate jumped to 185 and even 190 at times and I had a hard time lowering it. I did not feel out of breath, I felt challenged, but I could probably complete the workout. But the number on the HR monitor freaked me out.
I am 31 yrs old, 5'8, 176 lbs, trying to lose weight. Could it be that being overweight is affecting my HR ? I had a sports doctor check me up and he said that my HR was indeed high to begin with and it indicates that I am not in good shape? How could that be if I have been exercising for a year ? Could 2" increase make such a difference ?
And finally, I do I improve my endurance ?
Can anyone you suggest a program ?

Thanks, Anat.

 

[frostyjan]

Hi,
I've been exercising consistently for 20+ years, with Cathe tapes on an 8 inch step for 1 1/2years. I just started wearing a heart rate monitor (by the way I'm 37)and my heart rate during regular tapes stays around 170, and with Intervals it climbs to 190+. I feel winded but I don't feel like I'm going to drop over. When I ran yesterday, a long hill was part of my route. My heartrate was 190 the whole way up. As soon as I started downhill, it came down. I read somewhere that everyone's maximum heart rate is different. The true test is how fast you can recover. I think there is a thread either here or on videofitness about that subject. If your doctor says not to worry just listen to your body. I had a normal echocardiogram, and holter monitor test and my doctor said I was in great shape. I don't think about it anymore, except when my husband is on the stairmaster sweating bullets and he tells me his heart rate hasn't gotten higher than 135. Then I start to get jealous! I work out an average of 4-5 cardios a week and no matter what I do this does not improve. I remember when I first started doing step tapes, I felt like my heart rate was so fast I couldn't count it accurately. Anyhow, I wanted to let you know that you aren't the only one with a high heart rate. Have a good day. Janet

 

[cherylnb]

I have a high heart rate, too, and I've been exercising pretty consistently for 6 1/2 years. There was an article from the New York Times that was posted here a few months ago, and I found it very encouraging. My doctor said that to some extent your heart rate is hard-wired into your nervous system. Some of us just weren't programmed to get to those low heart rates of 50 and 60 bpm that you read about no matter how much we work out, even though the popular press seems to tout a super-low heart rate as one of the main hallmarks of true fitness.

It's just another weird thing to try not to feel competitive and envious about! We all have to make peace with our bodies, I guess. It's a struggle sometimes!

Happy Easter!

 

[gvaughn]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-31-02 AT 10:19AM (Est)[/font][p]Hey, Anat!

I've been reading a lot about HR and fitness in all these triathlon training books I have. HR is just one indicator of how hard you're working out, and should not be the end-all be-all mark of fitness or exertion. Rate of perceived exertion, and how hard you're breathing, should be considered as well.

As a hard core 4" Cathe stepper: yeah! two inches makes a big difference! ;-) I'm 5'9" and have occasionally survived a CTX workout on 6", but never a full blown step video.

http://www.plauder-smilies.de/pyth.gif Gretchen

 

[AnatW]

thank you all !!!

I'm much more relaxed now that I know I am not the only one...

Have a good day,

Anat.

 

[kristina]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-01-02 AT 04:31PM (Est)[/font][p]I just wanted to add that you said this was the first time you added the extra riser to your step: I personally am not surprised your heart rate jumped. The important thing is you weren't winded or struggling. I am betting it will level back to your normal training range once you get used to it. Any time you do something different, you system takes a while to get used to it. I had the same experience when I first started Spinning- the sprints and heavy climbs got my heart rate way over my top range the first few weeks. Now I can stay within my normal training range as with other cardio activities. IMHO.

 

[Gayle]

Hi AnatW,

I don't know if this helps but, I'm 32 y/o, 5'6" and 135. I've been exercising regularly most of my adult life (Firm since 1990) and doing Cathe's tapes for the last 2-3 years. I've found that no matter what my age was, my heartrate was always higher than the recommended when doing a check, even if my perceived exersion was okay.

A 2" step increase definitely makes a difference. I do most of my Cathe tapes at 6 or 8 inches. I've found that I can tell it's too high when my form gets sloppy. A lot of times I'll start out at 8", but knock the step back to 6" about 1/2 or 2/3 of the way through.

Take care.

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Not just about heart rate . . .

Hi, Anat! Just wanted to chip in my $.02 . . .

When gauging cardiovascular benefits, it truly isn't just about heart rate. Your heart rate can be affected by ambient environmental conditions (heat/cold, humidity, pollutants) and be internal conditions (presence of stimulants or depressants in the system, dehydration or overhydration).

I agree with another poster that rating of perceived exertion is very important. Also, you can self-administer The Talk Test when gauging how hard you're working: you should be able to talk (briefly) but not be able to sing, and you should be breating hard and fast but productively.

Another thing to keep in mind is that stroke volume (i.e. the amount of circulatory blood pumped out with each beat) is even more important than heartrate, for it is the other half of what determines cardiac output. Stroke volume is far more dramatically affected by good, sound cardiovascular training than heart rate, max or otherwise, is.

A good rule of thumb is: your heart should be beating faster than normal, but it should be a strong thudding pulse, not a thready, weak pulse.

Annette

 

[MsChana]

Chiming in here. I do believe that tendency toward a high heart rate can be genetic even in very active people. I'm exactly your height, 5 years younger, but much heavier, and my RHR is very low these days. It used to be over 90 bpm (lying down first thing in the morning), but for me personally, my former high heart rate was tied to my lack of any activity a couple years ago rather than genetics. I wouldn't stress over it, but if it concerns you, of course, you could try taking a supervised stress test from your doctor. Some of us have higher maximums than other people, in which case, your target rate could just be higher than what some formula on paper would say. You didn't say whether your doctor just checked your pulse or whether s/he checked for maximum.

That's great that you can complete Cathe at 6"! For me, 2" makes a world of difference in a step! I stick to 4" until I feel like I've mastered a video.