Can your heart rate get too high during exercise?

Question

For the last year or so I have had a strange thing happening with my heart, it skips beats and beats too hard sometimes. I did see a cardiologist who at the time said it was due to my pregnancy. It has continued since, but I am not worried about it, the echocardiogram showed no problems. I am out of shape and have been working out for the last 3 months trying to work off all that baby fat. I try to follow the guidelines on the machines, but I don't feel like that is enough of a workout. I get way up there with my heartbeat, usually in the 160's. I am 35. The suggested ranges are 120's for fatburn mode, and 140's for cardio. (I think) Could it be bad for my heart to keep it in the 160's and 170's for about 20-30 minutes?

Answer 1

Actually, your heart rate should increase during a work-out or any physical activity because of the added demands for oxygenation during these times.

To make sure that you are within your target heart rate, use this very simple formula. 220-age = maximum heart heart, in your case, it's 185. To be in the aerobic zone, you have to maintain 65-80% of your maximum heart rate for at least 30mins, for your fat burning to be effective. For you, it's 111 to 148.

However, this is just a guideline and some people do go way beyond their target rate with no problem, and sometimes are very near their maximum rate. This is nothing to be worried about if you say you have a normal ECG and are relatively healthy. The more you get in shape, the more efficient your heart will pump (remember your heart is also a muscle you need to train), the slower your heart rate will be during exercising. This is the case with professional athletes who doesn't seem to get tired because their heart is already well conditioned. Good luck!