An elevated heart rate when you are exercising can be cause for concern. If you have an elevated heart rate, it could be a sign of a medical problem or a sign that you are working out too hard. Your heart rate reacts differently to some forms of exercise, so it is important for you to go into workouts knowing what to look for.
About Heart Rates
A normal resting adult heart rate is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute, but some elite athletes can have rates as low as 40 beats per minute. When you exercise, your heart rate rises as the intensity and type of exercise increases. Fitness trainer Jacki Sorensen's Working Heart Rate Range Chart recommends that no one under 30 exercise with a rate of over 190 beats per minute, and as you get older that number decreases (see Resources). The best way to learn your maximum heart rate is to have a doctor-supervised stress test, but formulas are out there to estimate the heart rate. The easiest way to estimate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220.
Aerobic Exercise
Your heart rate is an accurate assessment of how hard you are working during aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise includes running, power walking, elliptical training, swimming, dancing and many other forms of exercise that you might know as cardiovascular training. During aerobic exercise, the harder you run or work out, the higher your heart rate will go. An elevated heart rate during aerobic exercise would likely produce symptoms like burning lungs, dizziness or nausea.
Strength Training Heart Rate
According to exercise physiologist Cedric Bryant, it is much easier to get an elevated heart rate reading during weightlifting or strength training. Bryant says that an elevated heart rate while lifting weights is due to the nervous system's response to muscle contractions. So it is natural for you to have more of an elevated heart rate when pumping iron.
Too High of a Heart Rate
There are a variety of reasons that can lead to a heart rate that is very high and above your maximum rate. Overtraining, dehydration, sickness, diet pills, decongestants, caffeine, marijuana and cocaine can all lead to an elevated heart rate. If you exceed your maximum heart rate during a workout, you should slow down and decrease the intensity or duration of your next workout. Keeping an eye out for overtraining symptoms like weakness or being about to pass out can help you avoid elevated heart rates.
References
- MayoClinic.com; What's a Normal Resting Heart Rate?; Edward Laskowski; Sept. 2010
- Jacki Sorensen's Fitness Classes: Monitoring Your Heart Rate While Exercising
- American Council on Exercise: Why Is an Elevated Heart Rate Alone Not Always an Effective Indicator of Aerobic-Training Stimulus?; Cedric Bryant; March/April 2004
- Sports Doctor.com; Maximum Heart Rate; Carol Otis, et al.
- National Emergency Medicine Association: What You Should Know About Your Heart Rate or Pulse
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