Safe Heart Rate for Exercise: A Guide for Overweight Individuals

Question
i'm just not sure what a safe heart rate would be. i'm very overweight. i weigh 240 and am 5'10. i should weigh 180 or so. i have started cardio workouts and found that my heart rate for some of the more strenuous excercise machines goes up to 160 or 170 and stays there. that seems excesive to me but i am not an expert. what do you think?

Answer
Hi Matthew,
It may just be that your heart is "out of shape" and is reacting accordingly. You don't give your age or if you have any medical problems. Given the current circumstances, it would be a good idea to get cardiac clearance from your doctor first (stress test and cardiac echo) before doing anything that will stress your heart.