Apple watch, 215 Max HR recorded

[Trent0341]

I’m trying to determine if this is even possible and if there are any health implication to this.

Some background:
36 yoa
Weight 170lbs (77.1kg)
Height 5’10” (178cm)
My workouts consist of running 3-4 times a week, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and a fair amount of walking.
I’ve only ever used an apple watch to record my HR during workouts

I have always felt I’ve had an above average (on the top end) heart rate.
My resting heart rate is somewhere in the 60s with the occasional (read at least daily) drop into the 50s.

My previous highest recorded heart rate was 198 (during a 1 mile all out test).

The circumstances behind this HR: It was on a track during a two mile run. I set a PR (at least it was the fastest I’ve run in the last 6-7 years, I’ve had faster in my younger days). I was paced the last 1/8 of a mile or so by someone who is considerably faster than me at this (and probably every other) distance. The times where I recorded this HR seems to coincide with the last 1/8th of a mile although I can’t be 100% certain. Interested in hearing from some of the more knowledgeable among you in regards to this. Thanks!

 

[Julien]

When I first ran I was getting abnormally high HR readings. Tighten up the strap one notch more than normal and move the Watch up your wrist about ½ inch. My HR readings are now almost spot on with my Garmin 620.

Also if interested here are some great MHR calculators.

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

 

[Trent0341]

Thanks for the reply! The thing is I've been using this since the 24th and have not had abnormally high HR readings. I wear it fairly tight as is and *it seems* fairly accurate. I am aware of the various ways to calculate MHR (hence the reason that I posted this as my MHR technically should be in the 180s). It appears that HRs over 200 are not all that uncommon after looking into it a little although it doesn't seem to be a good thing.

I may buy a wahoo tckr (unsure of spelling) and cross reference it with the watch

 

[Pushkar]

Thanks for the reply! The thing is I've been using this since the 24th and have not had abnormally high HR readings. I wear it fairly tight as is and *it seems* fairly accurate. I am aware of the various ways to calculate MHR (hence the reason that I posted this as my MHR technically should be in the 180s). It appears that HRs over 200 are not all that uncommon after looking into it a little although it doesn't seem to be a good thing.

I may buy a wahoo tckr (unsure of spelling) and cross reference it with the watch

It's not uncommon to have a heart rate above 200, although a lot of people swear by the 220- Your age to calculate the max HR.

These optical readers are not as accurate as a HR strap so getting a Wahoo would be worthwhile.

 

[dacreativeguy]

When I first ran I was getting abnormally high HR readings. Tighten up the strap one notch more than normal and move the Watch up your wrist about ½ inch. My HR readings are now almost spot on with my Garmin 620.

Also if interested here are some great MHR calculators.

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

Image

What is wrong with that dude's arm?

 

[Wando64]

The sudden jump from 185 to 215 and then from 202 back dow to 184 would very likely indicate a misreading.
Misreadings are not uncommon with wrist HRMs when/if not worn correctly.
The correct way to wear a HRM is tight and well away from the wrist bone (1 inch away). Definitely not where anyone would normally wear a watch.

By the way, I don't have a Apple Watch, but I do have a wrist HRM from another manufacturer and the principle is identical in all of them.

However, without wanting to worry you unnecessarily, if after you start wearing your watch correctly you still get abnormally high readings I would definitely take them seriously and ask advice from the medical profession (not MacRumors).
Personally, if I were to see an abnormally high reading on my HRM I would immediately stop my activity to ensure all is well.
I don't know if it is possible with the Apple Watch, but on my HRM I can set an alarm to buzz if I exceed a certain heart rate.

 

[Julien]

What is wrong with that dude's arm?

Just check with "that dude" and all seems fine to me. "That dude" did say of all his arms it is the weakest, least coordinated and least favorite. On the plus side "that dude" said he doesn't wipe his but with it.



Here is a pic of "that dude's" same arm sans Watch from another angle.

 

[jimmyjoy]

Interested to see the responses here. I'm pretty new to running, and exercising in general and was going to post a similar question. I'm 30 and around 13 stone.

 

[mdawid]

It is possible for one's HR to go that high. But, it isn't normal and could be a signal of a health issue. I used to race road bicycles and my HR would go from 140 to well over 200 in a matter of seconds. I initially thought my Polar HRM was broken as there was no way my HR could get that high. Turns out it could and was due to a health issue. I was diagnosed with a SVT. The non-technical medical inference is a racing HR. After undergoing 2 procedures - issue was resolved. If you feel funky when your HR registers that high, I would suggest seeing a cardiologist. It could be something more than an equipment hiccup.

 

[Sir Ruben]

Just check with "that dude" and all seems fine to me. "That dude" did say of all his arms it is the weakest, least coordinated and least favorite. On the plus side "that dude" said he doesn't wipe his but with it.



Here is a pic of "that dude's" same arm sans Watch from another angle.

Image

I like that you shave your arms, that's a good look!

 

[TJone]

It is possible for one's HR to go that high. But, it isn't normal and could be a signal of a health issue. I used to race road bicycles and my HR would go from 140 to well over 200 in a matter of seconds. I initially thought my Polar HRM was broken as there was no way my HR could get that high. Turns out it could and was due to a health issue. I was diagnosed with a SVT. The non-technical medical inference is a racing HR. After undergoing 2 procedures - issue was resolved. If you feel funky when your HR registers that high, I would suggest seeing a cardiologist. It could be something more than an equipment hiccup.

Yes it is good to get a checkup to make sure everything is okay. Its never a bad idea to see a cardiologist to get this checked out. SVT can cause this as mdawid said.

 

[Julien]

I like that you shave your arms, that's a good look!

...but I could only afford a dull razor.

 

[Trent0341]

It is possible for one's HR to go that high. But, it isn't normal and could be a signal of a health issue. I used to race road bicycles and my HR would go from 140 to well over 200 in a matter of seconds. I initially thought my Polar HRM was broken as there was no way my HR could get that high. Turns out it could and was due to a health issue. I was diagnosed with a SVT. The non-technical medical inference is a racing HR. After undergoing 2 procedures - issue was resolved. If you feel funky when your HR registers that high, I would suggest seeing a cardiologist. It could be something more than an equipment hiccup.

Didn't feel anything abnormal although it did kick my rear as it always does when I push myself hard. I also didn't know until I went back and looked at it later how high it had gotten (or misread). I will look into SVT as I've never heard of it.

 

[greytmom]

Just check with "that dude" and all seems fine to me. "That dude" did say of all his arms it is the weakest, least coordinated and least favorite. On the plus side "that dude" said he doesn't wipe his but with it.



Here is a pic of "that dude's" same arm sans Watch from another angle.

Image

In case you all were wondering, there is nothing wrong with that dude's arm. Nothing at all.

 

[Trent0341]

The sudden jump from 185 to 215 and then from 202 back dow to 184 would very likely indicate a misreading.
Misreadings are not uncommon with wrist HRMs when/if not worn correctly.
The correct way to wear a HRM is tight and well away from the wrist bone (1 inch away).

I wear it like this when running although maybe not quite tight enough judging by Juliens picture.

Personally, if I were to see an abnormally high reading on my HRM I would immediately stop my activity to ensure all is well.

Honestly I didn't even know it had read that high until an hour or so later when I looked at my heart rate in the health app.

I don't know if it is possible with the Apple Watch, but on my HRM I can set an alarm to buzz if I exceed a certain heart rate.

This isn't possible (that I know of) but hopefully is added in the future as it would be very useful.

On a side note I think I can rule some kind of electric interference as (the best I can tell) this occurred on lap 8 of a quarter mile (400m) track. If it was electric interference of some sort I would guess that it it would have occurred each lap.

 

[MH01]

It's not uncommon to have a heart rate above 200, although a lot of people swear by the 220- Your age to calculate the max HR.

These optical readers are not as accurate as a HR strap so getting a Wahoo would be worthwhile.

For most people, it is very uncommon.

 

[Julien]

I wear it like this when running although maybe not quite tight enough judging by Juliens picture.....

Give it a try on your next run. I hate a tight watch but just tighten up and push up the wrist a little. Once you start running you will not feel the strap (endorphins and other hormones kick in) at all. In 2 runs it will feel natural.

I obsessively cheek my Garmin 620 compared to my Watch and it is almost always within 3 beats (often the same) of one another. Saturday I ran 11.6 miles and my Garmin said my average HR was 149 and my Watch said 150. This is dead accurate for 1:40 of time (hills [1400' vertical] killed me).

If you still get a high reading then you may want to buy a BT strap to test and if still high then consult a cardiologist.

Of course any discomfort or irregular feeling and you should stop running.

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In case you all were wondering, there is nothing wrong with that dude's arm. Nothing at all.

Thanks, I'll let "that dud' know. He has had his left arm hidden behind his back in shame all day long. He has missed all his Watch notifications too.

 

[jthesssin]

might be a stupid questions, but...

Has anyone tried wearing it "upside down" with the sensors on the inside of the wrist? Seems with blood vessels being that close to the surface, a more accurate reading could be realized......

 

[AFDoc]

Thanks for the reply! The thing is I've been using this since the 24th and have not had abnormally high HR readings. I wear it fairly tight as is and *it seems* fairly accurate. I am aware of the various ways to calculate MHR (hence the reason that I posted this as my MHR technically should be in the 180s). It appears that HRs over 200 are not all that uncommon after looking into it a little although it doesn't seem to be a good thing.

I may buy a wahoo tckr (unsure of spelling) and cross reference it with the watch

My wife's pulse is typically high even at resting.... near the 100's. She is "in shape" but not an avid exerciser.

 

[Trent0341]

Give it a try on your next run. I hate a tight watch but just tighten up and push up the wrist a little. Once you start running you will not feel the strap (endorphins and other hormones kick in) at all. In 2 runs it will feel natural.

I obsessively cheek my Garmin 620 compared to my Watch and it is almost always within 3 beats (often the same) of one another. Saturday I ran 11.6 miles and my Garmin said my average HR was 149 and my Watch said 150. This is dead accurate for 1:40 of time (hills [1400' vertical] killed me).

I'll definitely be giving it a try from here on out. The problem is that I've just switched to Mark Allens method of training (You're probably aware of who he is and what his method is but essentially it boils down to running at a fairly low HR to increase efficiency in your cardiovascular system there by improving overall performance) which means I won't be running above a 144 HR for at least two months.

These high heart rates (198 once and 215 once) have only come at the end of all out max effort sessions. Which is why I'm leaning away from SVT. That being said I will be scheduling an appointment in the AM.

Thanks again for you response (and everyone else too!)!

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My wife's pulse is typically high even at resting.... near the 100's. She is "in shape" but not an avid exerciser.

The difference here would be that my resting is in the 60s with the occasional drop into the 50s. Only during physical exercise does it climb high and is generally in the 160s to 180s.

 

[Trent0341]

Had a reading of 209 today (tightened and positioned as Julien and others mentioned). Judging by the surrounding readings this is a false reading.

I've scheduled an appointment with a doctor (not until July though) and ordered the Wahoo Tickr X (due to its vibration alerts). I'm curious how common this issue is with other? Regardless I'm really leaning towards this watch not being very reliable in the HR reading department. From what has been previously said it seems this is common on wrist HR monitors.

 

[Julien]

Had a reading of 209 today (tightened and positioned as Julien and others mentioned). Judging by the surrounding readings this is a false reading.....

All but certainly false readings and not really worth noting. 2 (false reading) samples in the same minute will have a negligible (or none) effect on your average HR reading. Even a hospital administered EKG can have anomalies that are factored out. It is extremely unlikely that your HR could accelerate from 130 BPM to 209 BPM and back down to 131 in one minute. If it did you would have definitely felt it.

 

[Trent0341]

All but certainly false readings and not really worth noting. 2 (false reading) samples in the same minute will have a negligible (or none) effect on your average HR reading. Even a hospital administered EKG can have anomalies that are factored out. It is extremely unlikely that your HR could accelerate from 130 BPM to 209 BPM and back down to 131 in one minute. If it did you would have definitely felt it.

Certainly didn't feel anything... and looking back at it, it took 5 readings in the "13:00" minute meaning that it would have been less than half a minute for the jump to 209. This reading was taken during sit-ups I believe.

Anyway my Tickr should arrive tomorrow so I'll compare the two on my run tomorrow if it arrives in time.

 

[cmChimera]

When I first ran I was getting abnormally high HR readings. Tighten up the strap one notch more than normal and move the Watch up your wrist about ½ inch. My HR readings are now almost spot on with my Garmin 620.

Also if interested here are some great MHR calculators.

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

Image

You have your move goal at 500? I remember you said you run a lot. I currently have my move goal at 820, and I think it's too high. When I first got my watch I was in Memphis for a few days and so I was walking everywhere and I was meeting the goal. But now I'm back to my regular schedule and even after the gym, I'm sitting at 562 right now. Pretty sure I'd have to go run or go to the gym again in order to meet that goal.

Sorry for being a little off-topic.

 

[macduke]

When I was first in college I had to take physical education. I was in reasonably decent shape (5' 10", 175lbs) but my heart rate was in the same range as yours. Professor (if you could even call them that) in the lab (aka the gym) said that I should go to the doctor. Luckily I was still on my parents' insurance and they ran all these tests and echocardiogram stress test and nothing at all was wrong with my heart. They said I just have an abnormally high heart rate. I also have an above average resting heart rate and occasional palpitations. If you have good insurance you should go get it checked out. Otherwise it could cost quite a bit!

Nowadays I'm a little overweight and borderline hypertension. I'm excited to use the Apple Watch to get in better shape. I've been slowly losing some weight counting my steps using my iPhone but hope the Apple Watch will keep me on track even more. I hope future versions or bands allow blood pressure monitoring as it runs in my family. As for the heart sensor, there were comparisons made online of it and a medical chest-strap monitor and it seemed to match those results 99% so it should be pretty accurate.