Change in Heart Rate??

[davesplace80]

Hi All
I am new to Atkins and the diet. I started last week @ 245lbs and I am on day 7 @ 233bls. So far so good. 4 days of drained energy, but I woke up yesterday feeling GREAT. LOTS AND LOTS of energy...I love it! I think I am over that bad stage.

Ok now to the question.

I have been doing the stair master for a few months now using the fat buring workout and a heart monitor. Up until yesterday I had no problems staying right at the 120 bpm during the workout. I am a 35 year old male so that is right in line for what I have been reading. Yesterday and today while doing the exact same workout my heart rate is now in the low 130's but I feel fine and even feel like it seems a little too easy.

I was wondering what the explination for this was?

[2big4mysize]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

your energy fuel is now coming from the fats so you are not getting the lactic acids build up in your muscles which causes an ph change in the tissue and in turn causes more chemical reactions and the burning sensation. You are also getting more energy from the fatty acids then you were from the carbs so you don't have to send out for reinforcements like you did when you ran out of sugar to burn after about 3 min on a high carb workout.

as to the heart rate change that could be some adrinaline from the excitement you are feeling about doing so welkl or any number of factors. if your workout seems too easy but your heart rate is too fast back off for a bit and see if it comes down. then up the resistance instead of the speed and see how you feel.

[Iapetus999]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

I'm not sure where you got the 120 number from.
My calculations put you at a 130-140 range for maximum aerobic function.
I agree with 2big...you're able to do more work without having to stop. The more you work out the higher a HR you can sustain.

I can now sustain a HR of 170-180 over a half an hour (for a 5K race) but my "target" HR for training is 142.

[davesplace80]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

From what I have been reading I should be at 60% - 65% of my max heart rate for MAX fat burning. Then again from what I am reading on this site most of what I am burning is fat anyway due to the fact that I am not eating many carbs. The stair master puts me at 120 also as a default for my age, I could bump it up if I wanted to.

220 - 35 = 185mhr
60% - 111
65% - 120

I would be very intrested to hear the opinion of others as this is a pretty big learning curve.

[Iapetus999]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

Actually if you want to maximize your fat burning in the least amount of time then workout at 100%.

The "fat burn" range doesn't mean you only burn fat in that range...what it means is that you are training your body to burn fat. The more you work out in that zone, the better your body gets at burning fat.

However if you look at HIIT (search this site or google) you'll find that it's about as effective and requires less time.

So there are a lot of options out there. Your best best is to switch it up occasionally and see how you react.

[davesplace80]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

Thank you for the advice.

Actually yesterday I worked out at a 4 minute interval and watched my heart rate go as high as 150 and know what? I felt great. My legs had a steady burn, not like before I would have a very sharp burning, and I didn't run out of energy like before. I guess I don't have to tell you how much better I have been feeling since I chaged my eating. It is like night and day.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

actually a steady burn is not what you want on fat burning! fat burning NEVER creats lactic acid! The burning is the build up of lactic acid from the failure to aerobically metabolize the 6 carbon sugars when you get to the 3 carbon molecule. this failure could be from the fact that your Beta oxidation fo your fatty acids has generated so many 2 carbon molecules all the reaction pathways to procress in that direction are jammed up (which is why your mucle cells create Ketones to remove those excess 2 carbon molecules that can't be burned up fast enough at that site for transportation to other muscle sites like the heart for use as fuel)

But your muscle should have run out of sugars after the first 3 min and be burning fats only from that point on or your body is converting proteins to sugar to fuel you if your intensity is too high during your workout.

[BornToWin]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

I think two sessions is not enough to draw a conclusion. The increased heart rate is showing a need for more oxygen, however the reasons could be many. I would just continue with the program and as your cardiovascular heath improves it will take more effort to get to your target heart rate.

[davesplace80]

Re: Change in Heart Rate??

Thanks for the replys, I will keep on track and see what happens. I felt really good today with not much, if any burning. I still struggle to get my heart rate below 130 even in the low sections. The high sections it is about 150.