Heart rate question...
 

Hi everyone! :) ok, so I am quite new to the whole exercising thing. I am 26, and started going to the gym about 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday I went to the gym, and at level 14 on the cross trainer, doing 65 reps per minute, my heart rate stayed roughly between 145 and 150 bmp, which is fine. Today on the other hand, I went to the gym, and within about 10 minutes at level 14 doing 65 reps per minute, my heart rate was well up over 160. I had to come down to level 12 and 60 reps per min to get it back under 155bmp. Anyone care to speculate why that might be the case?

I don't really want to exercise at over 80% of my max heart rate, as I get so tired and can't carry on for more than a few mins when my HR gets that high. I just don't understand why today was such a difference.... :(

I noticed that my heart rate will fluctuate depending on my breathing. With thought , control, and full breathing I can stabilize my heart rate to carry me through . Im sure rest and stress could show up in heart rate too....Thats about all I know of.

Could be several factors, none that should be a big concern. More sodium in your diet, and the second day in a row for the work out, so you came in with you muscles not fully recovered. Did you do any other exercises before the cross trainer? Was it the same machine? Each machine (even if the same make and model) tends to have its own differences in how they show heart rate, calorie burn, resistance, etc...

I always try to get the same machine but I do my cardio after weights so depending on which weight routine (arms & Shoulders, chest & back or Legs) I do before it effects my heart rate on the machine. I also notice that my heart rate is lower after a rest day than when I work out on consequetive days.

Hi. Thanks for the answers. I had done a 15 min warm up on the bike before, and weights before I got on the cross trainer....BUT I did exactly the same the day before, so yeah, maybe it was that my muscles hadn't recovered...??

I also had almost exactly the same to eat between the 2 days, as it was leftover day, so had exactly the same yesterday as I had the day before ha ha. Anyway, it was annoying as I was getting so tired....and not going today, I really wanted to do 40 mins (I did....I made myself finish it, but it was a monumentous effort!)

Something else to ask, are you using the heart rate monitor that is in the machine, or one that you wear? The ones in the machine I have found are not as accurate. If you are gauging your workout based on heart rate, try taking your own pulse rate against the reading on the machine then adjust based on that.

Yeah I do use the ones on the machines, but whenever I have wondered if they are not correct (as in I feel way more exhausted than the HR monitor is telling me, or vice versa!) I always check it manually.....90% of the time they are fairly accurate actually. I did buy a wrist HR monitor, but it's sh!t ha ha.