Exercising at 95 percent of your maximum heart rate is intense, and depending on your current fitness level, it may be impossible or unwise to do. Your maximum heart rate can be determined in two ways: by undergoing a cardiac stress test or by using a simple mathematical formula. Either way, exercising at 95 percent of your maximum rate is extreme.
Cardiac Stress Test
A cardiac stress test is the most accurate way to directly measure your unique maximum heart rate. The test, which is administered by a qualified technician, involves walking or running on a treadmill while you are hooked up to an EKG machine. Several leads are attached to your body to monitor your heart as it responds to exercise. The exercise intensity increases until certain changes are detected in the heart informing the technician that you have reached your max.
Prediction Equation
The second, less accurate but much easier way to figure out your maximum heart rate is by using a prediction equation which is an estimate based on your age. Subtract your age from the number 220. The answer is considered to be your maximum heart rate. For example, if you are 50 years old, your maximum heart rate is 170 beats per minute.
Misconceptions
The validity of this formula has come under attack in recent years, according to the American Council on Exercise. Even if it does represent a reasonable average, a significant number of people will not fit the average and a 10 to 20 beat per minute standard deviation has been observed. Consequently, basing your exercise intensity on a "potentially flawed estimation is somewhat dubious," according to the American Council on Exercise.
Considerations
Calculating 95 percent of your maximum heart rate would mean taking your max and multiplying it by .95. So in our example, if you are 50 years old, 95 percent of your max would be 161.5, or 162 beats per minute. Depending on your fitness level, it is generally recommended that you work out at 60 to 85 percent of your maximum. This is the level that has been determined to be safe and effective for the majority of people. Exercising at 95 percent of maximum would be difficult, if not impossible for most people. The risk of injury increases at this level, making it ill-advised.
Interval Training
If you are a well-conditioned athlete, you may be able to maintain a pace of 95 percent, but the majority of people will have trouble keeping that pace for too long due to quick fatigue and the build up of lactic acid. Interval training is a way to hit that 95 percent number briefly and then let the heart rate fall back into the 60 to 85 percent range, ramp it back up to 95 percent and then let it fall again. Interval training at this level is generally only recommended for well-trained athletes, according to the American Council on Exercise.
References
- American Heart Association: Target Heart Rates
- Ohio State University: Fitness
- Mayo Clinic: Target Heart Rate Calculator
- NYU Cardiac and Vascular Institute: Cardiac Stress Test
- "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 2003
Member Comments
Bryan-LitAR-USA October 2
Hi Becky,
I'm a 50 y/o male cyclist and I train 3-5 days a week on a combination of flat, rolling, and hilly terrain. Yesterday my pacer heart monitor registered 215 as my max, apparently during an all out effort to near the top of a brisk climb. Ave HR was 149 during the 1:37 ride. Today on a 4 hour ride with lots of hills, which I charged hard, my max was 218 with an ave 129 (included some slow pedaling waiting for my friend).
Can this be right?
Bryan
over