Talk:Heart rate

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[edit] Miguel Indurain

This reference at the bottom seems questionable. The site that it is referenced from isn't a primary source; and it doesn't give its reference for the fact. Also, I saw an ACSM (American College of Sport Medicine) documentary from 2003 which referenced a cross-country skier (not named) they had measured at 28 RHR BPM. So I'm not sure it's appropriate to include this 'record.' Anyone else have an opinion? 142.25.33.123 15:03, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Training Zones

Can people give examples of how training zones are applied in real sports and the like? [[User: This paragraph seems misleading to me, as it makes people think that by doing a low-intensity exercise they will burn more fat than by doing medium/high-intensity activities... Calories burnt in the unit of time is what matters. Low-intensity training is useless, as you will burn less calories and even if you burn 80% fats, food will replace them.

{I agree with the above paragraph that Calories burnt per unit of time would be an important addition. I dissagree with his statement that Low-intensity training is useless. I have done both and found low intensity more successfull at losing weight, and higher intensity better at increasing fitness and endurance. RWP}

The person above that said he/she lost more weight with low intensity is completely wrong. as stated above, what matters is the calories more minute, therefore, the higher the intensity the more calories expended, the more weight is lost!

[Actually, the person above could be right if they trained at low intensity for a longer period of time. This can use up enough calories and has the advantage of lower injury rates.]

Could a definition of Resting Heart Rate please be added? Specifically, I am wondering if this is the minimum rate when waking up, or the rate sitting quietly, or laying down quietly. Thank you.

[Resting heart rate in this context is usually defined as morning wake up heart rate.]

In the section on MHR, there is written ``Swimming - 14 beats lower ... because the body is partially supported. I believe this is NOT true for swimming. In swimming you do use all your body, that's not the same as cycling or rowing. I believe the cause is the ,,mamals diving reflex instead. Human's heart rate slows down each time we get into the water in order to save oxygen when we dive under the water. I'm not a medician, so please check this with someone experienced before making a correction, but the difference (2/3 rowing, 5/6 cycling and 14(!) swimming) seems enourmous to me and I know about the mammals diving reflex, so I suspect this is related. User:hhanke

This information came from [1]. To quote:
Londeree and Moeschberger also looked at other variables to see if these had an effect on MHR. They found that neither sex nor race makes a difference. However, MHR does vary with activity and fitness level. Studies have shown that MHR on a treadmill is consistently 5 to 6 beats higher than on a bicycle ergometer and 2 to 3 beats higher than on a rowing ergometer. Heart rates while swimming are significantly lower still, around 14bpm, than for treadmill running. Running and Versaclimber [4] show similar MHR. Londeree and Moeschberger also found fitness levels lead to a variation in MHR.
Johnteslade 07:36, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)
This looks like a mistake in the source. "5 to 6 beats higher," "2 to 3 beats higher," "significantly higher still" would make more sense, grammatically and physiologically. This "fact" shouldn't be used unless it's confirmed by another independent source. 67.168.216.176 03:04, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reaction

Hi, I'm a belgium medical student.

Quote from above: "Can people give examples of how training zones are applied in real sports and the like? [[User: This paragraph seems misleading to me, as it makes people think that by doing a low-intensity exercise they will burn more fat than by doing medium/high-intensity activities... Calories burnt in the unit of time is what matters. Low-intensity training is useless, as you will burn less calories and even if you burn 80% fats, food will replace them.

{I agree with the above paragraph that Calories burnt per unit of time would be an important addition. I dissagree with his statement that Low-intensity training is useless. I have done both and found low intensity more successfull at losing weight, and higher intensity better at increasing fitness and endurance. RWP}

The person above that said he/she lost more weight with low intensity is completely wrong. as stated above, what matters is the calories more minute, therefore, the higher the intensity the more calories expended, the more weight is lost!"

End quote You will always burn more calories when you train the same endurance exercise with a higher intensity. For example: when you run 20 kilometers with a speed 15 km/hour you'll burn more calorie then when you run the same 20 kilometers with a speed of 12 km/hour. The misunderstanding among many people is that you'll burn more calories with the lower intensity because they heard that you'll burn more fat, they don't realize though that you'll burn much more glycogen what overcompensates the smaller amount of fatburning.

The best method for training is a good variation, both on the short term as well as on the long term. When you train with a lower intensity your body adapts in a different way from when you train with a high intensity. Variation is the keyword when you want to become a good endurance athlete. The faster and longer you can run the more weight you'll lose on the long term. The big but is that beginners are usually not ready for higher intensity training, their body ain't adapted to it. Most people who start with running train in the wrong way; always the same round, always the same intensity, usually the intensity is too high (they feel ashamed when they run with the correct intensity). The result is overtraining (been there, had it, it sucks big time).


About the maximum heart rate. To my knowledge the biggest factor which decides the maximum heart rate, espcecially for younger people, is the genes. It looks like the maximum heart rate decreases slower among endurance athletes. I don't know though whether their maximum heart rate decreases slower because they are endurance athletes or whether they are endurance athletes because their maximum heart rate decreases slower. If anyone can tell... In past scientists used the formula 220-age + or - 15. The variation can be quite high.

The resting heart rate decreases parallel with the increasement of a persons endurance capacity. That's a well known fact which is very logical because the heart(muscle) gets stronger thanx to the exercise. Excellent endurance athletes have a resting heart rate between 30-40 (little under 30 is even possible), excellent tennissers and footballplayers have often a resting heartrate between 50 and 60, just like many non-excelling endurance sporters. I don't know about any correlation between age and resting heart rate besides the obvious fact that older people don't exercise as much as younger people. Of course the heart rate can be influenced by pathology, older people more often suffer from that.

When it is hot the heart rate can raise because your bodies superficial veing open (sphincters open the connection between the deeper and the more superficial veins). This is what causes the higher heart rate. When more blood flows through the superficial veins your body kan release more heat (a big part of blood is water). There is quite a big difference between indiviuals sensitivity to heat. I personally already get 10 beats more/minute when the temperatur gets close to 25 degrees celcius.

The part about the recovery heart rate doesn't make sense. It's not about the absolute heart rate, it's the heart rate percentage of the maximum heartrate which is important. Since the maximum heartrate differs so mucht it's a very bad habit to talk about exact heart rates with regard to exercise.

[edit] Resting HR decreases with age?

Does anybody have any sources on this? I used to work on a geriatrics ward, and the resting pulse rates were anything from 40 to 120... admittedly they were PRs not HRs, but I wouldn't expect there to be such a huge difference between the two; and if there is a difference then PR must be less than HR. I'm willing to accept that I could have just worked on a freakish ward, but I would like to see some sources for the info!!! I know that the HR decreases from neonate until the end of adolescence, but I haven't seen any specific research about where it goes after that...--John24601 21:21, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

If someone were to find a source for this data, would you please expand the number of years covered. I can't imagine that a 14 year-old is expected to have the same resting heart rate as someone in their 80's. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.53.70.145 (talk) 02:33, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
I found an article that gives the desired information, and changed the table accordingly. However, I don't know how to change the reference, or how to site, on Wikipedia. Here is the website: [2] Maybe someone else with more Wiki skill can...do...something... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.53.70.145 (talk) 02:51, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Measuring HRmax

The article gives Edward's formula as

For males: 210 - 1/2 your age - 1% of total body weight + 4 = HRmax
For females: 210 - 1/2 your age - 1% of total body weight + 0 = HRmax

But the Heartzones website gives

For males: 210 - 1/2 your age - 5% of total body weight + 4 = HRmax
For females: 210 - 1/2 your age - 5% of total body weight + 0 = HRmax

and makes it clear that weight is in pounds.

[edit] MHR revisited

The maximal heart rate is lower for cycling and swimming as stated above. This is due to the number, size, and resistance(or power) of the muscle groups involved. Treadmill is higher because there is high resistance and large muscle groups. Swimming is lowest because although more muscle groups are involved, the resistance that each meets is significantly less than cycling or running (especially uphill). It is my opinion that the target zone does not need to change in exercise on a bicycle or whilst swimming, since it is cardiac specific and not exercise specific. The MHR is calculated whilst running uphill or on a treadmill with incline (after attaining 80-90% MHR on level or slight incline) in order to use the 'target zone' formulae. Unfit people are unlikely to attain their MHR on first attempt at these tests (it takes a degree of stamina to keep running anaerobically up a hill at 100%MHR, typically for 2 minutes at the end of the test, which follows several minutes of 85%MHR) Zeitnot 19:29, 21 July 2006 (UTC)


Could someone Please Please find the citation to "People who have participated in sports and athletic activities in early years will have a higher MHR than those less active as children". I have been trying to get information like this for a long time. I was a former top x-c skier from ages 5 to 19. Now at 37, while -not- trying to relive the glory days, but be competitive in x-c mountain biking and x-c skiing I regularly see 198-201 peak heart rate (mostly while climbing up steep hills, sprints, etc...). Also if I take the standard age based system by training zone at 70% would be 128 bpm. At 128 I feel like I am not doing anything. 140 bpm feels much more like 70%. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.219.58.202 (talk) 15:10, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Target Heart Rate

The section on the Zoladz method need revising, IMHO. The formulas seem to mix two methods without explanation; the section does not explain the meaning of the term "exercise zone"; and the section needs a citation. Andrew.Blucher (talk) 02:39, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Body temp & heart rate

change of 10 beats per minute in heart rate corresponds to the change of one degree Celsius in body temperature sounds like total hogwash to me. When I exercise, I can easily raise my heart rate by 100 beats per minute which according to this would give a a tempurature of 47C which according to Thermoregulation#Human temperature variation effects should result in my certain death.--JBellis 18:31, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Is it perhaps that cause and effect are reversed in the above paragraph? Is the article perhaps saying that an increase in body temperature of 1 degree Celsius would cause an incease in heart rate of 10 bpm assuming that all other factors remain the same.

Steve F.

[edit] Restructuring this article -- lots of info

I just added the restructuring template for this article because, after reading it over, there is a lot of information that is not very well organized. Things like max heart rate, training heart rate, and resting heart rate, for example, could all be organized under an umbrella topic section (cardiovascular health?) and, after a brief definition, could be described in relation to each other towards edification for someone who is not very familiar with any of the seperate topics. Rhetth 01:00, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] MRHR

I removed this section: A more reliable MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) calculation is based on the MRHR (Morning Resting Heart Rate) and your age. MRHR is an average of 3 or more samples of your HR at the moment you wake up from a normal sleep cycle. MRHR is used to calculate MHR. Polar has a free web service that will calculate your MHR based on your MRHR and your age [3]. because:

  • it doesn't make sense without using the polar website
  • using that calculator on the polar website simply calculates MHR = 220-age which is described elsewhere. The MRHR is used for calculating training zones but I think that it needs further reference.--JBellis 20:40, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Possible copyvio

The section on training heart rates seems to be a paraphrase of other websites, changing "calories" to "food energy" (a weird way to phrase it), possibly to avoid being able to catch it by Googling for those phrases.

Anyone got permission or should I list it as a copyvio? --Frank Lofaro Jr. 16:55, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cardiac Pacemakers

In the "Control of Heart Rate" section, the article says:

The heart contains two cardiac pacemakers that spontaneously cause the heart to beat.

Now, I am aware of at least four different kinds of pacemakers, and all myocardial muscle tissue demonstrates automaticity, which means that in theory there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands of potential pacemakers in the heart. Of the four "kinds," there is the Sino-Atrial (SA) node, which is the normal pacemaker; ectopic Atrial pacemakers (usually, one of which fires escape beats faster than the others, and becomes the dominant pacemaker when not overdrive-suppressed by the SA node); the AV node (again, when not overdrive-suppressed by the SA node or an ectopic Atrial pacemaker); and ectopic Ventricular pacemakers (like the Atrial pacemakers, one will normally be slightly more irritable, or fire earlier, than other possible pacemakers unless overdrive-suppressed by the SA, ectopic Atrial, or AV node pacemakers).

I want to edit this section, but before I do I am hoping someone can defend the quoted text (I might learn something!). If not, I will edit it within the next few days. Aramis1250 03:49, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] possible error in formula?

The proposed gender specific formula:

"  For males: 210 - 1/2 your age - 5% of total body weight (in pounds) + 4 = HRmax
   For females: 210 - 1/2 your age - 5% of total body weight (in pounds) + 0 = HRmax "

seems ambiguous: Does the author mean " 214 - 1/2 age -5% (body weight)" or "210 - 1/2 age - 5% (body weight +4)" (which could also be written as "210.2 - 1/2 age - 5% weight."

I would have edited, but wasn't sure exactly which was intended. Meviin 06:29, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Commercial Links

The Sally Edwards/Heart Zones links in the text appear commercial. 81.132.79.241 05:06, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

not my fault —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.147.14.36 (talk) 17:39, 12 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Other Species

This article is very anthropocentric :-) I'm actually interested in finding out about variations in heart rate across species - does anyone know of a good source of data? And if one were to incorporate such info into wikipedia should it go here in this article or should there be a separate article with a disambiguation page, or what? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.225.25.169 (talk) 13:36, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Vandalism

Key terms in this article have been replaced with proper nouns. Can someone go back a couple of edits to before this page was vandalised? (I'm not sure how to) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.59.153.241 (talk) 06:26, 15 March 2008 (UTC)