Max HR falling

mattsurf · Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 852 Location: Zug, Switzerland

Now that I have 4 years of data on Garmin connect, I thought that I would have a look at my max HR

2015 age 43 - 192
2016 age 44 - 190
2017 age 45 - 186
2018 age 46 - 185

I am fitter, stronger and faster.... but as I get older my max heart rate is definitely falling

Jorgan · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:51 am Post subject:

Not just age, but because you are getting fitter & stronger, and so is your cardiovascular system. My max HR was 183 when I was 18! (that was after starting 'distance' running from age 12). Bigger the engine, the less revving required. I don't go to MHR these days, but would imagine it's not more than low 170s now, when running. That as function of age rather than fitness gains though.
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iwaters · Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Posts: 448

Its to be expected that it falls as you age. Whilst the 220-Age formula is known to be crap the premises is the same that the older you are the lower your MaxHR will be.

Looking at my Garmin data the average MaxHR for a year has fallen, from 188 in 2016 to 183 last year. However, the absolute MaxHR value has been 191 in every year.

GrahamO · Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 12:15 pm Post subject: Re: Max HR falling

JeffB · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Middlesbrough

I've done various lab Vo2 Max and ramp tests and the highest I got recorded was about 178bpm, that was on a bike and the tester reckoned you could probably add a couple of beats if running.

That is going back exactly 10 years.

I still reach that HR on a hard run, these are a couple of Ave HR for recent races,

Chicago Mara - 160 (3:11)
Half - 167 (1:27)
5k - 167 (19:32) (ave for the last 2k was 173)

IM run - 140 (3:52) included walking the aid stations, normalised HR would have probably been around 145

10k's & 25 TT's are usually around 170bpm.

So, either I'm not pushing myself hard enough on a max test or manage to hold a fairly high HR for a reasonable time. My zones are reasonable close together.

These are when fairly fresh, if I'm tired I'm usually a good 10+ beats down for a similar RPE.

Jeff

Andy916 · Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 712 Location: Cambridge

Heh, with Polar I have data going back 15 years, whereas Garmin connect isn't letting me see session details from 3 years ago (I can see summary details but 'View Details' just takes me back to the calendar; anyone else have this problem...?)

Anyway, as observed above, you can't always or maybe don't want to hit peak HR. Practice a protocol a few times, really focus on it, and typically you'll hit a higher peak with experience.

More meaningful is HR for a given race distance at the same pace. Over 11 years of marathon running I seem to have lost around 15bpm, ie greater than the oft-quoted 1bpm loss per year. I have the same pace though (in fact at shorter distance like 10k I'm a couple of mins faster now - 40mins cf 42). Running efficiency has improved as well as CV capacity.
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Jorgan · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:16 pm Post subject:

^^ this ties-in with Friel's Lactate HR 'test' i.e. the 30 min run. Basically a 'CP30' in running shoes, with HR from the last 20 min taken as the LTHR.
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mattsurf · Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 852 Location: Zug, Switzerland

stenard · Joined: 04 Sep 2013 Posts: 2063

mattsurf · Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 852 Location: Zug, Switzerland

JaRok2300 · Joined: 01 May 2014 Posts: 461 Location: Worcester, UK

I originally started using Garmin Training Centre then bulk uploaded those activities when I started using Garmin Connect.

I only get overall totals for the TC ones with no map or graphs but everything originally on Connect I get full details.

Whisk · Joined: 09 Jun 2005 Posts: 8739 Location: London

If I go into Garmin Connect via the phone app I can see activities going back to May 2019 when I bought my Edge 705, but it's just the summary data and the maps and charts are not there anymore. The full data only seems to be there from 2012 onwards. Before the 705, I had an Edge 205 from 2007, but there is no data showing from that.

If I go into Garmin Connect via my PC, I've got the same summary data from May 2009 to January 2010, but then nothing more recent. All very weird Confused

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Jorgan · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:45 pm Post subject:

I think all the platforms get together and agree that no-one will produce software that gives everyone everything they need Rolling Eyes

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Wheezy · Joined: 10 Oct 2007 Posts: 1889 Location: Sub 3 (elect)

Sort of on topic, I think. Confused

I'm just finishing 'Born to Run' by Chrisopher Mcdougall. I'm sure a lot of you have read it already, but if not, do, it's a great read.

Anyhoo, there's a few chapters at the end where he's talking about the anthropological reasons why we are conditioned to be runners. IIRC, he said something along the lines that for the average person, we would be running our fastest over distance by the time we reach 27 / 28 years old but our slowdown is such that we could still be running as fast as we were when we were 19, when we reach the age of 64. Effectively, we slow down over 36 years the same amount that we get faster over 9 years. have to say, that if true, that's pretty mindblowing and gives me a little bit of hope as a bloke rapidly nearing 50.
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explorerJC · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 16060 Location: Farthingstone