Q: How high should my heart rate get during a personal training session? Can it go too high for safety?
A: The short answer is: your heart rate should get very high, and it should also come down pretty fast.
High heart rate during exercise
- Don’t worry about your heart rate getting too high while performing an exercise.
- A high heart rate during exercise simply means you are working very hard, which is a good thing.
Heart rate recovery (HRR)
- However, you should worry about your heart rate staying too high while you are resting.
- It should drop 18 (or more) beats per minute in a minute of rest if you’re 69 or younger, and 14+ if you’re 70+.
- If you’re 59 or younger you want 21-22 (or more) beats per minute reduction in a minute of rest
- HRR (Heart rate recovery) is a strong predictor of all cause mortality (how likely you are to die for any reason regardless of pre-existing heart issues).
- The good news is that strenuous exercise, including strength training, improves HRR.
Why does your heart rate accelerate during exercise?
The amount your heart rate increases depends on effort and the amount (size) of muscle(s) used. The muscles you are working consume oxygen, make carbon dioxide and burn energy. The harder they work the more deliveries (oxygen and fuel) they need, and the more “waste” (carbon dioxide, lactic acid, etc) they need carried away by your blood. To move more blood your heart must speed up and pump harder for each pump, and your lungs have to work harder to get rid of the carbon dioxide and bring in more oxygen. Hence you also get winded.
For example, if you do a grip exercise (hand and forearm muscles) with maximum effort (to failure) your heart rate won’t get anywhere near as high as if you did moderately challenging squats. This is because the muscles in your thighs and hips dwarf the muscles in just one hand. The oxygen and fuel needs of your thighs are much higher than for your hands.
As a general rule of thumb, lower body exercises get people winded (and heart pounding), and upper body exercises not as much.
What determines your maximum heart rate?
Your maximum heart rate is mostly determined by your age and your genetics. Some medications can reduce your maximum heart rate.
The simplest formula for calculating your predicted maximum heart rate is 220-age. So, at 45 your predicted maximum heart rate would be 175. People can deviate from this prediction by up 20 beats per minute (bpm), so the 45 year old could be anywhere between 155 and 195. A practical way to find your maximum heart rate is see where your heart rate gets when you are so winded you can’t get out one intelligible word.
Beta blockers (a type of blood pressure medication) can lower your maximum heart rate 10-15 bpm. Stimulant medications (ADHD meds) don’t increase your maximum heart rate, but they make your heart rate go higher during all activities. If your doctor has given you any specific recommendations for your heart rate then you should definitely follow those and consult with them before making any adjustments.
Bottom Line How high should my heart rate get?
Being fit does not mean your heart rate won’t go up and you won’t get winded when you exercise. The only way that would happen is if your workouts no longer count as exercise – in other words, you do stuff that is too easy to stimulate the positive changes you get from exercise. Easy physical activity is a good thing, and we all need a lot of it (walking, steps, etc.) but it is not going to replace exercise or your workout.
Hard work and difficult exercises create demand in your muscles that a healthy heart can ramp up to meet. A healthy heart has good heart rate recovery (HRR) – it slows down ~18+ beats per minute within a minute of rest. Consistent and challenging exercise is crucial for a healthy heart.
(Disclaimer: the above is general advice, and not specific to something like atrial fibrillation.)
True 180 Personal Training for Women has been serving the Ballantyne community since 2016. We’re the go-to studio for South Charlotte women. who want real personalized coaching and accountability, not just a room full of equipment and a self-checkout membership.
Josef Brandenburg, best selling author, is the co-owner and a coach at True 180 Personal Training, Charlotte’s most effective personal training studio for women since 2016. With decades of experience and multiple certifications, he shares his research with you including how high should my heart rate get?
Coach Josef Brandenburg — ACE | NASM | Precision Nutrition | Training Peri and Menopausal Women | Pain-Free Performance Specialist Certification | Functional Kettlebell Training | Coaching since 1998 | Specializes in strength training for women over 40.