Is it ok to have a pulse rate of 180 from the elliptical for 15 minutes female 26 years old?

Answer 1

The quick formula for max heart rate is 220 - your age
so that's 220 - 26 = 194 beats per minute.

180 is about 92% of your max heart rate which is working out kind of hard. How are you feeling at 180 beats per minute? Tired? Too tired?

Is it okay? Sure... depends upon what you're doing.

For aerobic exercise the general rule of thumb is to workout at 70% to 80% (some say 85%) of your max heart rate which works out to 135 to 155 (85% is 165) beats per minute.

I found that slowing down a little helps increase the workout time which burns more calories and is easier on your body versus working out very hard for a short period of time.

Answer 2

cadence,

At your age it should present no problem.

When I was thirty I had a doctor who was a friend who for fun (!) put me on a treadmill for a stress test. I hit 180 and he was impressed. Not concerned, not alarmed, just smiling, saying that he rarely saw that since most of his stress-test patients were older and usually diseased.

Now, I was a runner then, too, and more or less used to it, and the one caution that I would give you is that if you are not yet in really good shape do not hit that mark too often. Work up to it, and give yourself plenty of time.

If you've been a marathoner for a while, go ahead. But slow down just a bit--it doesn't have to be much--and gradually increase the intensity of your workout until you hit that mark again. This is only a safety precaution because you haven't suffered any ill effects from the heart rate so there's no real concern. Doing that from time to time should be no problem, but you should keep it that way. So, assuming that you are fairly new to this, go a little slow and be gradual and gentle with yourself. Pretty soon you can go all out and feel exhausted and great.

And eat right, too.

Good luck.

Answer 3

eutychusagain gave a great answer. The only thing I would add is that the formula 'HR(max) = 220 - age' merely represents an average. There is quite a lot of variation among individuals, more than you might expect. For example, at age 55, when I was training to do a 5K run, my heart rate was 188 near the end of a series of wind sprints, and it was about the same for the last 1K of the 5K. According to the formula, that's impossible. My maximum should have been 165. When I asked my cardiologist whether it meant I had the heart of a 32-year-old, he said, "No, it just means that the formula is nearly worthless."

Answer 4

How are you measuring your pulse rate? If you are using the handles that come with the machine, don't bother - they're never right. Invest in a quality heart rate monitor or just feel your pulse & count the beats while looking at a watch.

You should never go above your Maximum Heart Rate.

How do you calculate your MHR?
Your MHR = 70 % x (225 minus your age).

A 35-year-old’s MHR will be:
70/100 x (225 – 35)
= 70/100 x 190
= 133 – 142 (75 % will be 142)