HIIT Question About Heart Rate

[Demokat]

I think I may be getting my heart rate up too high.

I have been alternating HIIT cardio with strength workouts and one day of steady state cardio. I started doing HIIT for 15 minutes, and I'm up to 20 now. I walk steadily for 5 minutes, then I alternate 2-3 minutes walking at 3.0 on a 4% incline to upping in to 4.0 for 2-3 minutes. My worry is that my heart rate gets too high. I'm 43, and during those intense moments it can reach 160-165 BPM. Then I get it down to about 140-145.

Any advice from the peanut gallery would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[Gostrydr]

Demokat..I'm not sure of your question..

How long do you keep the heartrate up? Do you do durations like 30 seconds high and then a minute down,,?

[Dodger]

Don't worry about your heart rate during HIIT. Just go really hard, then recover, repeat.

[Terry-24]

Can you evaluate your HIIT intervals by assessing your recovery? How hard are you breathing at the end of the high-intensity interval? How long does it take to recover (either return to the HR just prior to the interval or to normal breathing rhythm)? Do you feel dizzy or faint? After a two to five minute recovery, can you undertake a second high-intensity interval? Your heart rate monitor's maximum reading isn't as important as the +2, +5, or +10min recovery reading to help you assess your cardiovascular fitness.

The Wikipedia article covers several of the rule of thumb calculations of HRmax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate), but learning how to read your body is key to HIIT work.

Cheers--
Terry-24

[Demokat]

Gostrydr, I usually keep my heartrate up for 2-3 minutes in the 160s, then down in the 140s for 2-3 minutes.

Terry, I am sweating buckets when my heartrate is in the 160s, and can within 2-3 minutes recover and my heartrate goes back down to the 140s. If I'm 43, should I be aiming for the 130s on the low end? Thanks for the link-I'll check it out.

[dane]

Don't worry about your heart rate during HIIT. Just go really hard, then recover, repeat.
I second this.

[galatia]

I'm almost 52 years old, and my heart rate at the end of my 20 sec. intervals is usually between 170 and 175. I wear a heart rate monitor thing. Not sure if that is at all helpful, but....there it is. :)

[Terry-24]

If I'm 43, should I be aiming for the 130s on the low end?
No, aim for what you can maximally perform at the high end and recover. Although HRmax decreases with age, exercising increases cardiovascular fitness (viz. Galatia's post). You'll probably find both the upper and lower HRs changing, and varying from workout to workout.
Don't worry about your heart rate during HIIT. Just go really hard, then recover, repeat.I third this.

Cheers--
Terry-24