I have never seen anything indicating that max hr could increase due to training. You can raise your lactate/anaerobic threshold through training.

Max HR, and HR in general can be greatly affected by a dozen factors such as temp. & humidity, hydration, current nutrition, sleep. etc. Max HR is notoriously hard to pin down.

If you are trying to establish hr training zones you may have much better results using the lactate threshold.

[reply]
Looking for an explanation on the possibility of a changing max heart rate. Approximately 18 months ago I had a HR max test done on a stationary set up that also looked at power etc, etc - I had a similar test done today and my max is now 9 beats per minute Higher - is this possible? Or should I do another test and put one of the first two done as incorrect testing / faulty equipment or something similar? I was under the impression that with an increase in fitness a slight increase was possible however I have been off the road for about 6 months recently for a variety of reasons... [/reply]

Shaun,

Firstly, with increasing fitness HR declines (both submaximal for a given workload, and importantly HRmax). Conversely, the opposite is true, HR increases with decreasing fitness. As you've "been off the road for about 6 months" (which i'm assuming you that you mean either little or no training), then your HRmax will have increased with your declining fitness levels.

Quite a few coaches/sport scientists/exercise physiologists use HRmax for determing training zones when e.g., power is unavailable.

Ric

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http://www.cyclecoach.com

I've had the same question for a while now too. My MHR has dropped over the last few years. What confuse me was that, due to having 2 kids, I'm not pushing as hard as I use to, just run and ride because I enjoy it and to keep my sanity, but I am doing a lot more distance and being very consistant about it. Would this cause my MHR to drop as well. My resting HR has dropped about 7 bpm over the last 3-4 years as well.

Maybe your Max heart rate hasn't changed all that much but your ability to reach it.At certain times in the season my cardio fitness and my muscle strength just don't match up.

Any training that makes you (aerobically) fitter will likely cause a decrease in HRmax. As will ageing, too.

Ric

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http://www.cyclecoach.com

I have seen overtrained riders unable to reach their true max HR on HR max tests. Perhaps you were overtrained the first time you took it.

Here's my take on it based on the book "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" by John L. Parker. The fact that you're not as fit now makes it easier to push yourself to your max HR. Your max, by definition, is the highest heart rate you have observed. So the new higher number should be considered as your true max heart rate.

Richard

Thanks for all the responses - however I have another couple of questions - if HR max decreases with an increase in fitness how often should one test? In addition is it correct to assume cycling HR max to be around 4 to 5 bpm lower than running?

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http://www.endurancesports.ca
Coaching and Training Camps

I'd suggest testing a maximum of four times per year.

Cycling and running HRmax *can* be different, but not always. Trained cyclists can reach 100 - 105% of running HRmax. There's no easy way to tell from what you've written, so it'd be best to test both. (obviously not on the same day!)

Ric

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http://www.cyclecoach.com

Here's a good article on the subject from the Slowtwitch archives:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/...mp;text=heart%20rate

Richard