You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
When I'm out walking/running/riding, I'm normally logging and watching my heart on a Garmin watch. I know all about the limitations of wrist based heart rate measurement, so no need to warn me about that!
So, quite often, I'll put some effort in up a hill and my heart rate will go up a bit, but when I get up the top, back off a bit and take a few deep breaths, it will go up even higher for a couple of minutes. Today, for example, I was walking hard up a hill with my heart reading about 165. Got to the top, eased off the effort and it immediately shot up to 175-180 for a bit. Stopping makes it go higher, continuing at a gradual pace keeps it under control until it starts to drop again. I do know (from experience) that a sudden stop from a very high effort can make me nauseous and dizzy, which may be related.
Googling hasn't helped me with the specific rise AFTER the effort, just during, so I thought I'd try here!
Anyone experience this and/or know why it happens?
Of all the training tools I've ever used the heart rate monitor seems to have been the least useful. Perceived effort is a pretty good way of training and you get the added bonus of being able to look where you're going instead of a computer screen.
Rate of increase will take time to slow so HR will continue to climb to peak?
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01364/full
Are you sure the sudden higher heart rate is real and not an artifact of the watch measurement, which you already know is not as reliable as chest. You could borrow a mate’s chest strap HR monitor and see if that gets the same result, or measure against a watch for say 15sec.
Doesn't heart rate lag behind effort slightly? Ie I've just looked at my last effort on the turbo and max heart rate collated to point I was doing no watts..however max power was 15 seconds before that. So big effort and heart rate has continued to rise after the interval has finished
It goes boom biddy boom biddy boom boomboom
It's HR lag. If I am doing a steady effort then a sudden effort my HR takes between 50 & 60 seconds to reach its new high. Stop the effort and my HR continues at the high level until it begins to decay, again about a minute later.
The "continuing at a steady pace" point is that you are concentrating on keeping the rate under control.
Thanks for the replies all. I'm pretty confident it's real because I've double checked against other measurements in the past, and I can feel the change. HR lag could make sense and is probably the best explanation at the minute. The only thing that makes me doubt it is that this is sustained high effort over minutes, not a short sudden sprint.
One of the weirdest ways it shows itself is if I'm out for a run; have been going for a while and fully warmed up then have to stop for some reason (e.g. let traffic past), I'll get the jump then struggle to keep the rate under control for the rest of the run. I don't run fast or far and can be cruising at around 140-150bpm, then suddenly won't be able to keep it under 170-180 for the rest of the run unless I'm walking!
It might just a an artefact of being really unfit of course... 🤣
tjagain
Full MemberIt goes boom biddy boom biddy boom boomboom
Wish mine did 🙁
Sounds bonkers. You can stop and feel your pulse somewhere on your body to check your monitor is accurate.
I would try a chest strap monitor, or start ignoring yours.
I know you already know but the wrist thingames can be comically bad. Have you tried doing the strap up a notch? If not lag (my first vote) it might be as silly as a lose(ish) straps and more violent arm action at effort meaning the watch misses the odd beat. The instructions tell you to tighten them when exercising.
Yep, I've gone though all the "do I trust the monitor?" steps and, in this case, I do.
There are times it is definitely wrong but I've stopped and checked against a stopwatch a few times now and I'm confident that this is real. I am tempted by a chest strap though to satisfy my geek.
I used to ride with a very good roadie. I always used to get a bit light headed aafter a big climb or exertion if I just stopped. He always said not to just stop after a big climb or burst, His advice was to just ride slowly around if you could as heart rate will then come down more naturally. Not sure how true it is but I still do it and don't get the light headedness i used to get.
If its worrying you, I'd go to your GP. Probably should follow my own advice!
I know that if you feel light headed or dizzy 'during' the effort, thats a definite warning sign, but afterwards when recovering is not unusual.
It sounds like your bodys way of recovering after a sudden stop.
When you keep moving your muscles are aiding the flow of blood so your heart doesn't have to work so hard. But when you suddenly stop, your heart is having to work harder to pump the blood around.
When you keep moving your muscles are aiding the flow of blood
How?
How?
The return of blood to the heart is assisted by the action of the skeletal-muscle pump and by the thoracic pump action of breathing during respiration. As muscles move, they squeeze the veins that run through them. Veins contain a series of one-way valves. As the vein is squeezed, it pushes blood through the valves, which then close to prevent backflow. Standing or sitting for prolonged periods can cause low venous return from venous pooling. In venous pooling, the smooth muscles surrounding the veins become slack and the veins fill with the majority of the blood in the body, keeping blood away from the brain, which can cause unconsciousness.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ap/chapter/the-venous-system/
Cheers.
OP if I were you I would be going to a doctor, or trying a different HRM.
I noticed the exact same thing whilst hiking yesterday, OP. I was climbing a steep hill for about 3-4 minutes and noticed my HR was about 125-130 as I reached the summit. I checked again about 30 seconds later and it was up around 150. This was also using a wrist based HR monitor but I don't see any reason it should have this effect.
The Mrs said she had the same thing (we were 'competing' for who had the lowest HR at the top...)