I have been road riding and racing intensively since I was in my early 20s. I started using a HR strap only in my early 30s. I’m now 39 and recently set a new PR for 20 minute HR (177 if you care, about 10 bpm more than a normal all-out 20 minute effort, and ambient temperatures were fairly cool). I would have thought this should not be possible as HR goes down with age. I also train a lot less volume than I did in my 20s, granted I didn’t use a HR strap then, so this PR is only over the last ~7 years. According to my power meter, my fitness is pretty good right now (close to my ceiling). Should I be worried that my heart is going to explode? This seems to be the age where people find out they have congenital heart issues. Fwiw I have an above average aerobic ability, but not that much above average, so I was hoping my heart was fairly “normal” and not prone to premature breakdowns.
HR is highly variable. I think you are over thinking this.
It is primarily max heart rate that’s reduced as we get older. In trained individuals the decline is considerably less than the commonly claimed 1 beat per year, possibly 1 beat per 2-4 years.
Your ability to work for extended periods at a very high (sub maximal) heart rate is closer related to fitness. It is not at all surprising that you manage to sustain a high heart rate for longer as you have trained for a longer time.
No
Not likely…..but you can always get a work up from a cardiologist, if you are truly concerned.
HR is somewhat trainable…so while it does tend to decrease with age, it can also be offset with improved training / fitness. And sometimes it is nothing more than learning how to suffer more.
But I would not use a a new HR PR as a reason to be concerned about your heart health. But again, get checked out if helps ease your mind.
I’m with @Power13 
I don’t think your heart is going to explode, as setting HR PRs doesn’t mean your heart is straining in a dangerous way—it just means you pushed hard and your heart responded appropriately.
However, if you’re really concerned, you should probably go see a cardiologist as they are experts on the subject.
At 50yo, my 20min HR went 178bpm → 180bpm. And I am happy about it because I do endurance rides by HR Z2 and this raised my allowance +2bpm
I’m older than you are. Max HR is 205. Highest 1h HR average is 193.
HR is highly variable between people even at the same age. Those formulas you see predict average value by age. They have like a +/- 30bpm range around their estimates.
If you feel fine, you are fine.
I’ve always found it nearly impossible to hit my max HR. The only times I’ve hit it was in competitive situations with closely spaced absolute max efforts. In the absence of that, the best I can do is usually 5 or more BPM less. It’s that absolute max that is considered fixed and that slowly decreases with age, not how close you can get to it.
I’ve not hit my MHR in the last 2.25 years but when I hit 90-95% and it feels like my Lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) I’m pretty confident the value I’ve decreased by 1bpm per year its still OK
This checks out. The most notable decline for me was from early 20’s to late 20’s oddly enough, I lost about 1 bpm/yr during this time. Late 20’s to early 40’s has only declined ~3-4 bpm, or 1 bpm every 5 years.