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Can you have a naturally high heart rate even if you are fairly fit?

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Liliaicha Jul 2014 3:06pm, 12 Jul 2014 9,107 posts	Quote Pin Liliaicha My OH has just failed his fitness test at work. He completed the 5 level step test, but failed because his heart rate was deemed too high When he finished the test he was pretty tired, but others who only got to level 4 and then collapsed in a heap on the floor got a better result than he did! He is overweight, and has recently lost a stone, but could do with losing another. He has a 29min 5k PB, and runs 2-3 times a week with the occasional Parkrun. He also completed the Sydling Hill race a few weekends ago in 1hr 20 (about 7.5 miles and VERY hilly) He is ADAMANT that he has a naturally high heart rate, but the PTI is having none of it. My OH is furious that he completed the test and still failed, but the PTI keeps banging on about his heart rate. Isn't 220 - age a bit of an old fashioned way of doing things? So, "naturally high heart rate" an excuse, or a real thing?
Curly45 Jul 2014 3:19pm, 12 Jul 2014 2,348 posts	Quote Pin Curly45 I thought recovery of heart rate 2 mins after exercise was a measure of fitness, but it needs a resting comparison. i.e. Looking for the heart to return to a decent level, but there are natural variations in heart rate so you need to compare. Could be completely wrong though...
Rosehip Jul 2014 3:25pm, 12 Jul 2014 3,522 posts	Quote Pin Rosehip I thought that 220- age was a completely meaningless number and agree that rate of return to resting is a much better guage of fitness. That's what they used to use when I had "fitness for airsuit" medicals several years ago.
JohnnyO Jul 2014 3:57pm, 12 Jul 2014 17,725 posts	Quote Pin JohnnyO 220 - age is a perfectly reasonable estimate. More accurate tools exist and may give slightly more accurate results for guiding training, but these differences are minor and probably irrelevant to Lil's husband. It is possible to have a naturally high heart rate. It is also possible for exercise to unmask an abnormal rhythm or for a young man to have heart disease that hasn't yet caused any symptoms but comes to light when the heart is stressed. This is unlikely if he is able to run a 29min 5k and completed the test (though I don't really know what a 5 level step test is), but that doesn't mean it can be simply ignored. I think he needs assessing with something more sensitive than a pulse rate. He should have an exercise ecg and assessment by an appropriately qualified clinician (probably not his GP, unless he has a specific interest in these things). Is there a right of appeal? Can he get assessed by something more sophisticated than the PTI (that isnt to say the PTI isnt any good at his job, but he presumably is just working to a set of criteria and isn't allowed any latitude).
Badger Jul 2014 4:08pm, 12 Jul 2014 4,330 posts	Quote Pin Badger Does he know what the heart rate was? I'm 49, my max is 200. If they told me my HR was 30 beats too high, I'd argue; if they told me it was 50 beats too high, I'd be concerned.
Liliaicha Jul 2014 6:58pm, 12 Jul 2014 9,108 posts	Quote Pin Liliaicha Thanks for all your replies. So 220 - his age 46 = 174 The main issue seems to be that he reached 80% of his maximum HR at level 2 (it was 150bpm) and at level 5 his heart rate was 182.
Derby Tup Jul 2014 7:08pm, 12 Jul 2014 11,369 posts	Quote Pin Derby Tup Is he in the military, or a fireman Liliaicha? 29mins for 5K is "fit" by many standards surely so why's his HR matter?
eL Bee! Jul 2014 7:13pm, 12 Jul 2014 19,547 posts	Quote Pin eL Bee! Sorry to buck the trend, but the various formulae give an average value for an average person. So without a measured Max Heart Rate test, you have to ask 80% of what? A tonne of apples? 80% of my max HR for running type activities (205) is 164 which would be 95% of my "estimated by formula" max HR. Admittedly my values are a significant statistical outlier - but it does illustrate that the numbers are a bit arbitrary!
eL Bee! Jul 2014 7:15pm, 12 Jul 2014 19,548 posts	Quote Pin eL Bee! And I ran marathons at 105% of my formula derived max HR! Good eh!
Liliaicha Jul 2014 7:20pm, 12 Jul 2014 9,109 posts	Quote Pin Liliaicha Derby Tup - fire brigade, it is the Chester Step test eL Bee - my point exactly! His calculated max is 174 (220-46) and then at level 5 his measured HR was 183!