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Max heartrate vs well, max heartrate?

WTAFT
over 1 year ago

After reading several posts about the max heartrate in a recorded activity I noticed that people use that term in two completely different ways. In a recorded activity on my 255s, the stated max heartrate is often way too high.  I believed, and Garmin confirmed, that this number is supposed to be the highest rate my heart reached during the activity.  However, some people refer to it as the watch estimating your overall max heartrate that is often described as subtracting your age from 220 etc., etc. and that is why it is such a high number.  I don't believe that last interpretation is correct.  It seems to me that the max heartrate shown for an activity is supposed to be the highest rate your heart reached during the activity?

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Looking at the log from an activity, the highest achieved heart rate for that workout is listed. But sometimes the watch is also updating your real maximum heart rate as well after a workout. That number is usually a lot higher than what you had during the workout. This number does not belong to the activity, but is stored in your settings if you have automatic maximum heart rate detection.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to ovekvam

    Thanks.  Yes, that confirms what I thought. Especially since on an activity what Garmin lists as your "Max HR" in the activity is also shown as a percentage of what Garmin also calls your "Max HR".  Two different metrics, both called "Max HR".  Therein lies the problem when people start discussing "Max HR".  Some will be referring to the first metric, others the 2nd. 

    There is a long thread, now closed, about inaccuracies in Max HR.  It is a bit confusing to read and sort out as some people in their posts are talking about "Max HR" metric #1, and others are talking about "Max HR" metric #2.  Garmin should really refer to the "Max HR" that is the highest achieved HR for an activity as something other than Max HR.  But I don't really know what else it could clearly be called.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to WTAFT

    It's simple. Your overall Max HR (biological possible) is not the activity Max HR (reached in some activity). But can be the same if you do a Max HR field test and you are able to perform and complete it.  A lot of people can't do this. And Garmin gives us predictions using their own algorithm that works +/-.  How good - is always a trade-off between accuracy and human ability.