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Resetting Max Heart Rate

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Girlie Jan 2016 10:50am, 10 Jan 2016 10,609 posts	Quote Pin Girlie TodaY I reset my Max HR as it hadn't been done since 2007 when I started running and got a 192bpm This morning I saw 167bpm with a pace of 7:04 for a series of short hill reps near my home. - My legs physically couldn't go round any quicker, although I suspect I could raise the hr slightly more. Anyway, with a RHR of 44bpm this now puts my zones as follows: 70% WHR - 130bpm 80% WHR - 143bpm 85% WHR 148bpm Using the old Max HR my 70% runs were coming in at 148 bpm which is about right- they feel buggerall effort Is that right? I expected my max HR to come down as 9 yrs have elapsed and I am a much fitter bird than I was I welcome advice about the max HR and how to effectively set it.
Huntsman Jan 2016 11:06am, 10 Jan 2016 2,889 posts	Quote Pin Huntsman Your max HR normally reduces as you get older. It's your RHR which comes down. Do a proper max HR test brianmac.co.uk and then work out your % from the test.
eL Bee! Jan 2016 11:07am, 10 Jan 2016 20,018 posts	Quote Pin eL Bee! Girlie - Firstly, its unlikely that your MaxHR would have dropped by 25bpm in that time, so it is probably not a true reflection of your Max. Secondly, you are not a boy, and experience has shown, as widely discussed in the bowels of this thread, that a significant number of female runners fall outwith the prescriptive parameters of the guidelines (which were mostly extrapolated from studies on young, fit males athletes.) Thirdly - being a much fitter bird, you'll find d it harder to actually hit your Max, again a phenomenon that is well recognised and much discussed about a billion pages ago. Fourthly - you've been at this malarkey for a good amount of time, and are probably pretty good at judging
eL Bee! Jan 2016 11:09am, 10 Jan 2016 20,019 posts	Quote Pin eL Bee! ..... your aerobic 70% type running to within a few BPM by feel/experience now!
eL Bee! Jan 2016 11:10am, 10 Jan 2016 20,020 posts	Quote Pin eL Bee! By this thread, I obviously meant the HR thread. Sorry about that
Girlie Jan 2016 11:13am, 10 Jan 2016 10,610 posts	Quote Pin Girlie Both have come down- my RHR originally was around 50-55 9 years ago and has reduced over that time, with regular checks to currently be 44bpm. I cannot get anywhere near the original max of 192bpm anymore, so felt the figure needs reducing- the best I can do anyway is around the 167bpm- I physically cannot go anyfaster to raise it anymore than that, although I suspect I could nudge it to 170 on a spring day.
Huntsman Jan 2016 11:15am, 10 Jan 2016 2,891 posts	Quote Pin Huntsman Girlie have you done a proper stress test?
Girlie Jan 2016 11:18am, 10 Jan 2016 10,611 posts	Quote Pin Girlie Huntsman- in what context- I repeated the test I did 9 years ago on the smae piece of road- it has a reasonable gradient and has sections of approx 100-200m long. Last time I did it I ran the first first section 5 times with recovery being the trot back down it again.
Girlie Jan 2016 11:29am, 10 Jan 2016 10,612 posts	Quote Pin Girlie El-Bee- I think you're right- I may as well continue as I have been and see if I can blast a sprint in a race and get something inbetween the 167 today and 192 original figure. The main difference is I always do my efforts sessions to a HR and am pleasantly surprised at the pace afterwards. As a result I know my 80% whr efforts levels are considerably lower than they were.
eL Bee! Jan 2016 11:34am, 10 Jan 2016 20,021 posts	Quote Pin eL Bee! RHR drops with regular consistent training, as the heart muscle becomes more efficient, and strong, the stroke volume increases which means it needs fewer beats to pump the same volume of blood around your body. Its starting point is genetically linked, but seeing a drop is expected. Stop exercising, and it'll go up again over time as the myocardium atrophies to the appropriate size for your habitual exercise level. MAX HR is entirely genetically determined, and slows year on year, on average by about 1bpm per year (although that IS an average!!) So, assuming that you original MaxHR was accurate, theoretically it should be about 183 now. As I said it's actually pretty difficult to hit your actual Max when you are fitter, and there is far more risk in trying to as we get older. Risks that far outweigh the benefits of knowing that number!!