I was on a group ride tonight and durring one stage I had to climb a 12% graident for around 400-500 meters. I usually just build up speed on the downhill proceeding the climb, but I had to stop at the bottom because I dropped the chain shifting.

In order to catch up to the group I had to put EVERYTHING into this climb. I starting sucking bad around halfway through and I only made it to the top because I was pumping out of the saddle on the last half. After the feelings of "am I going to throw up" subsided I looked at the heart rate and it was 230bpm! My highest rate ever was 197bpm.

I was using a wireless monitor and at first I tought is was interfearence from other riders and powerlines, but after the ride I checked my wrist mounted Polar and it too said 230. Now I'm starting to think that was dangerously high!

Is this a normal heartrate? something I should be concerned with?

BTW.. I have an appointment with my Doctor next week to get a max rate reading and a Vo2 max . Is this something I should talk with him about?

Thanks

Yeah talk to him about it and try to replicate it. Were you drugged up on caffeine + dehydration?

230 up from 197 is a bit extreme, though...you sure it wasn't interference from something?

I had both a wired and wireless HRM and both measured a max of 230, so I kind of ruled out interfarence. I'm in pretty good shape, I run 1-5 miles daily and swim once a week as well as bike. I never used a HRM while running or swimming, but It would be interesting to find out if I get a high rate then.

I had an energy drink 30 minutes prior to the ride. Not sure of the caffeine content (small sized Burn)

If both HRMs were using data from the same chest strap, then the high reading could be do to your jersey flapping against it.

It is definetly not a normal physiological heart rate - so it is either an equipment error or it is a pathological rate/process (SVT, afib, aflutter etc)

I have the same problem with mine. its either jersey flap (your shirt hitting the chest strap causing interference) or from power lines etc. dont worry about it.

"I had both a wired and wireless HRM and both measured a max of 230"
.
Please explain ??....A "wired" HRM?????
Were you wearing two chest straps??

I was on a group ride tonight and durring one stage I had to climb a 12% graident for around 400-500 meters. I usually just build up speed on the downhill proceeding the climb, but I had to stop at the bottom because I dropped the chain shifting.

In order to catch up to the group I had to put EVERYTHING into this climb. I starting sucking bad around halfway through and I only made it to the top because I was pumping out of the saddle on the last half. After the feelings of "am I going to throw up" subsided I looked at the heart rate and it was 230bpm! My highest rate ever was 197bpm.

I was using a wireless monitor and at first I tought is was interfearence from other riders and powerlines, but after the ride I checked my wrist mounted Polar and it too said 230. Now I'm starting to think that was dangerously high!

Is this a normal heartrate? something I should be concerned with?

BTW.. I have an appointment with my Doctor next week to get a max rate reading and a Vo2 max . Is this something I should talk with him about?

Thanks

Sounds like bad contact between your body and the monitor. My guess is that your strap came a little loose or shifted when you bent over to fix your chain. This has happened to me a number of times when bending over.

I have seen this on my Polar at the gym when other people have been using the same frequency. I switched to Garmin, and have never seen the problem again. my gues is you either have a serious health issue, or there was interference on your monitor

HRM issue. 230 seems to be the default on my Delphi 6.0. Everytime I have checked at the end of a hard ride or race to see what my max HR was it always says 230. I almost always see that number going down hill due to the jersey flap.

HRM issue. 230 seems to be the default on my Delphi 6.0. Everytime I have checked at the end of a hard ride or race to see what my max HR was it always says 230. I almost always see that number going down hill due to the jersey flap.


Interesting... I ride with a Delphi 5.0 and it looks like it may have been some interference that caused it to max out at 230 assuming Blackburn made 230 the max rate. I'll look into it more.

Interference could be a result. I hate when my Nike monitor does that. I guess it's coz my bike computer is wireless(cateye double wireless) so yeah. :mad2:

Dammit.

You might wanna check with your Doc just so you know.

dont worry about it.

Worst advice ever...

Do get it checked out. As another poster suggested, it could be a short episode of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Tell your doctor about it.

Heart anomalies should not be ignored.

Worst advice ever...

Do get it checked out. As another poster suggested, it could be a short episode of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Tell your doctor about it.

Heart anomalies should not be ignored.


I don't think atrial flutter would be picked up by a heart rate monitor. They are sensing the large ventricular depolarization I think.

Mike

I don't think atrial flutter would be picked up by a heart rate monitor.

Yes, it would. My riding partner has had A-Fib intermittently for several years. His Polar hrm would show the abnomal arrythmias very clearly. In fact, he would print out his rides during A-Fib to show his electrophysiologist (coincidentally, also a cyclist.) He has had an ablation procedure and a cardioversion to correct the condition. The A-fib seems to have been reduced, but just two weeks ago he had an episode of Atrial Flutter. Once again, this condition was easily read by the Polar as an elevated rate.

Yes, it would. My riding partner has had A-Fib intermittently for several years. His Polar hrm would show the abnomal arrythmias very clearly. In fact, he would print out his rides during A-Fib to show his electrophysiologist (coincidentally, also a cyclist.) He has had an ablation procedure and a cardioversion to correct the condition. The A-fib seems to have been reduced, but just two weeks ago he had an episode of Atrial Flutter. Once again, this condition was easily read by the Polar as an elevated rate.

Didn't realize they were that sensitive. Cool.... I suspect in this case the guy is experiencing equipment malfunction though. I have also seen HR at 230 on my HRM on several occasions. It was powerline interference. Happens...

Mike

I just started riding bikes but i am a telemetry floor RN, and when it says that take your pulse in your wrist to see if you are getting that same number. I am not sure how those computers work but everyday there is someone who goes into vtach or vfib on the monitor and you walk in and they are just fine. So we always say, dont treat the monitor treat the patient. So my suggestion is check your pulse when the monitor says 230 to see if the mechanical equals the electrical signal. And it could be afib/aflutter those rates are usually 250-300 and is something definitly worth talking to your doctor, if you catch it early its much better than catching it later cause clots form and cardioversion is much more dangerous due to chance of stroke. So my suggestion as an RN is check pulse, and talk to doctor.
Mitch

Excellent advice, Mitcher.

And to the orinal poster, Davoosie, I asked my buddy (53 yrs. old, fit) about the readings on his hrm. Before he was diagnosed with a-fib, he would sometimes start a ride in normal sinus cardiac rhythm, and go into a-fib during the ride. The first couple of times it happened, he suspected a faulty hrm, because his heart rate would show 200+ which was way beyond his max hr. He figured it had to be the monitor. Untimately, he went into chronic a-fibbing and had to be cardioverted. He went back into his Polar training logs, printed out all his recent rides, and showed them to his electrophysiologist. He had been intermittently going in and out of a-fib far more frequenty than he realized. He always attributed the feelings to too much coffee!

it is unlikely that your heart rate was 230. possible, but unlikely..

though not the perfect formula you can go with 220-age. that should be your max heart rate..

which with my assumptions can't be more than 200.. at 230 you're WAY over the limit. you would have probably gone into vtach if you kept it up if your hr was really that high.

there is just way to much that can contribute to that.. most likely it's your jersey flapping, but you never know.. take everything you read on a forum with a grain of salt with the exception of what i am going to say:

CHECK WITH YOUR PCP.

john

it is unlikely that your heart rate was 230. possible, but unlikely..

though not the perfect formula you can go with 220-age. that should be your max heart rate..

which with my assumptions can't be more than 200.. at 230 you're WAY over the limit. you would have probably gone into vtach if you kept it up if your hr was really that high.

john

220-your age is rarely reliable..........I'm 52. 220-52 = 168. So my max s/b 168. I can ride at 168 for hours. My max observable on the bike is 202 (recently). Running I have seen 225. My Tested LT is 182. I think I've met 3 people in the last 30 years that the formula worked for.

As to the OP.......clearly, you should talk to your MD. My guess is that it's interference related. but better safe than sorry.

Len