high heart rate

[jimbo15]

i was rowing in the gym and my heart rate reached 216bpm Is this dangerous ? I am 36 years old and have high blood pressure which is controled with medication. I am reasonably fit but about 2 stones over weight. I am just concerned that this kind of activity may be putting too much strain on my heart. Am I doing myself more harm than good ?

[Buenchico]

A rough guide to your maximum safe heart rate seems to be to subtract your age from 220 which, in your case, gives 184bpm.

As stated, it's only a rough guide but it's widely quoted across many web sites, including where the information comes from qualified doctors. e.g.:
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-06 /01-21-06/04living.htm

Another widely quoted dictum is that you should never embark upon any new exercise regime without consulting your doctor first. This would seem to be particularly important if you're overweight.

Chris

[bushbaby_de]

That does seem on the high side, I'm three stone overweight and mine never gets that high. The readings on the machines are only estimates though, based on the age, weight and height you enter into the machine before you start, so they're not gospel. They also malfunction sometimes, apparently I went from 106 to 176 within about 12 paces the other day!!!

[Velvetee]

How long have you been exercising Jimbo? If you have high blood pressure, then you should probably be working at a moderate intensity until your fitness improves.

Moderate intensity means working at 65% of your maximum capacity, so you should aim to keep your heart rate around 120 beats per minute. It's fine to work at 100%, which would be 184, but only really fit, athletic people, with no heart problems should do this. 216bpm does sound a little too high, considering you also have high blood pressure.

If you are concerned though, you should speak to your doctor.

[bigmamma]

That does sound high jimbo , but can I ask how accurately taken it was ?