Raupe, what brand is it?

The percentage thing does sound off. But double check the LIMITS you have it on as well. Sometimes that can impact on the percentage.

In relation to how high your going, some people just hit a high HR very quickly when they do strenuous exercise. It isn't always a good indicator of cardiovascular fitness. A much better way to monitor your cardiovascular health is to time how quickly your HR returns to your normal resting HR (RHR) after a work out.

Providing you're asymptomatic (not showing symptoms of distress) when your HR is that high WHILST EXERCISING, I wouldn't be too concerned. Unless it didn't come down quickly again after exercise. Do you get chest pain whilst exercising? Do you get light headed? Dizzy? Pins and needles or tingling in your fingers? They would be warning signs to back off.

I know it would have been scary to learn about the guy at your Mum's gym having a heart attack. But you know what? REALLY fit people have heart attacks exercising too. There are lots of risk factors for heart disease. And you're doing one of the best things for it - EXERCISING. The first thing a cardiologist is going to tell you to do is EXERCISE! Listen to your body.

My Polar HRM played up last year. It was 6 months old. I was getting very abnormal readings. It would read 50 then jump to 200 then down to 90 when I was exercising. I just thought it was a lose connection until I got a resting heart rate reading of 230 when I was sitting at the desk at work. I'd been sitting for 5 min! When I took it manually it was 60!!! I had tried everything including cleaning the connections, I thought maybe there was something wrong with my heart so had an ECG at work. But it was all clear and I sent my HRM off to Polar in SA to be checked out. Turned out the transmitter was faulty. I had it back within a week.

HTH

MG