Maximum Heart Rate

Climbs Of The Heart

Q: I do aerobic dance and have often heard my instructors say that if your heart rate goes over your maximum training rate - 90 percent of your maximum heart rate - you start burning heart muscle. What does this really mean, and what are the short- and long-term effects of this happening?

Also, on occasion, someone will exceed what is supposed to be their maximum heart rate, to which the automatic response is "you're dead." What does "maximum heart rate" really mean, how can a person go over their maximum (without dying!), and what are the implications of going over? C.B. Minneapolis, MN

A: It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to damage a healthy heart with exercise. You do not burn or otherwise damage healthy heart muscle by exceeding 90 percent of your estimated maximum heart rate (MHR). Otherwise, there would be many more elite athletes, who daily push their heart rate to extremes, suffering heart damage.

Your true MHR is the highest pulse rate you can attain during all-out effort, so by definition, it is impossible to exceed this limit. Your MHR is most accurately determined during an exercise stress test, when you run on a treadmill and are connected to an electrocardiogram that measures your pulse during maximal exertion, The easy way to estimate your MHR is to subtract your age from 220.

But this is only an estimate. Because we are all unique human beings of different ages and levels of fitness, our maximum heart rates can vary considerably. As we get older, our maximum heart rate slows down.

Also, regular training has the effect of lowering your maximum heart rate, as well as your resting heart rate. This is because your heart, like other muscles you exercise, becomes stronger and more efficient, pumping a greater volume of blood with each beat.

How can you effectively improve your cardiovascular fitness?

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