What's your resting heart rate?

[mike8675309]

52bpm 51 years old, cardio workouts 2-3 x a week for the past 2 years, and I'm a runner. High resting heart rates are an indicator of atherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries) and should get checked out. High resting heart rate can be genetic as well, but still, you should get checked out as doctors will put you on meds to drop the heart rate. A high resting heart rate is directly correlated to negative health outcomes.

Resting heart rate and the risk of hypertension and heart failure: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies - PubMed

Resting heart rate shows a linear positive association with the incidence of hypertension and heart failure.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

We identified 13 and 17 cohort studies for hypertension and heart failure, respectively. The risk for each disease, respectively, increased by 11% relative risk: 1.11 (95% confidence interval: 1.07-1.15) and 19% relative risk: 1.19 (95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.25) for each 10 beats-per-minute increment in resting heart rate. The relationship between resting heart rate and hypertension or heart failure was consistent in most subgroup analyses except for gender subgroups, with no significant association observed in the women subgroup. The results provide no evidence of a nonlinear association of elevated resting heart rate with hypertension and heart failure risk.

CONCLUSION:
Resting heart rate shows a linear positive association with the incidence of hypertension and heart failure.

 

[brianmanahan]

before this years mine was 65-75

but now it's consistently 80-90

both this and the blood pressure increases started as soon as i started some stupid new medicine, i wish they would take me off of it

 

[Greenman]

Around 45. Goes into the 30's when I'm sleeping (tested with a heart monitor when the doc thought I needed a pacemaker). I'll be 62 next month.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wonder if coffee plays a role, could that make it higher? Just tested now and I'm at 60 and it's been a while since my last coffee since I just got to work. I always thought 60-70 range was normal though, surprised to see it should be more in the 40-50 range.

I'd have to go without coffee for a few days and see if it lowers.

 

[highland145]

@Red Squirrel 70 is normal. If coffee is a factor then mine should be in the 20's without it.

 

[ArchAngel777]

@Red Squirrel 70 is normal.

If one is sedentary, then this is normal. I don't know many athletes that would have a resting heart rate above 60. I am sure there are exceptions.

In the end, most mammals are good for 1-3 billion heart beats. Humans towards the upper end of that figure.

With 1 hour of exercise per day at 150bpm, and 23 hours at an average of 48, I end up with 75,240 per day. A sedentary individual at 70 for 24 hours is at 100,800. There is evidence that exercise improves heart function, and therefore, the life of the heart. That said, it assumes one doesn't die of other causes first, like cancer.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I've joked about working out being bad for you because your heart is only good for so many ticks before it fails.... is that actually really a thing? (heart being only good for so many ticks)

 

[ArchAngel777]

is that actually really a thing?

As far as observation goes, yes, it is a thing. However, as with almost all things physiological, we differ from each other and so concrete proof is nigh impossible. Our hearts do wear out... However, does a slower heartbeat with more thrust actually reduce wear and tear on the heart versus a more gentle, fast heartbeat? No idea, but it would seem so.

We know what happens to our muscles when we don't work them; they atrophy, and the heart is a muscle. So it would seem reasonable to suggest that exercise, which lowers resting heart rate, and increases the strength of the heart would help with longevity - at least to a point.

I can't say, for example, if extreme endurance training doesn't cause the reverse problem. Running for hours a day seems like excess stress to the heart and is likely to have negative long term effects. Mainly, because without adequate rest, the adaptations are never allowed to fully take place, as the excess stimulus keeps tearing it up. Still, I think this scenario is rare as the body is really good about self preservation. Only the most extreme athletes can really overdo it, long-term, I think.

 

[Elfear]

RHR is 45-46. 41-yrs old. Started running on a regular basis about 10 months ago. Averaged 20-40 miles per week during that time. Eat decently healthy but not great. Most of my day is behind a desk.

 

[highland145]

RHR is 45-46. 41-yrs old. Started running on a regular basis about 10 months ago. Averaged 20-40 miles per week during that time. Eat decently healthy but not great. Most of my day is behind a desk.

What was it before that?

 

[Red Squirrel]

How are you guys getting it so low? Is it certain medications that do that?

 

[brianmanahan]

How are you guys getting it so low? Is it certain medications that do that?

everyone here is basically lance armstrong

it's the roids

 

[highland145]

How are you guys getting it so low? Is it certain medications that do that?

....tldr

interval training with intent.

 

[bigi]

I have to call bull on 50% of those 'reports'. Either we have elite athletes (possible) or dead man walking (possible)

30's, 40's LOL

 

[highland145]

I have to call bull on 50% of those 'reports'. Either we have elite athletes (possible) or dead man walking (possible)

30's, 40's LOL

 

[snoopy7548]

I also have to call BS on some of these, but the ones with 80bpm resting won't be bragging about it.

Every time I have a physical mine is around 55-60. I go to the gym three nights a week and do ~20 minutes of cardio each night I go. I used to run occasionally on the weekends and do hiking once or twice a month, but it has been a while.

Your blood pressure is probably a more important metric to take note of.

 

[rstrohkirch]

Mine seems to average out to around 65. Yesterday it was low 60s and today it's 68-70.

 

[Red Squirrel]

....tldr

interval training with intent.

What exactly does that mean, is there a regimen to train heart rate to be lower that some people do?

 

[highland145]

What exactly does that mean, is there a regimen to train heart rate to be lower that some people do?

Change your rate (running/biking/rowing/elliptical/whatever). 1 min all out, 2 min recovery, 30 sec all out, 1 min recovery, 1 min all out, 30 sec recovery.... Some of the gym equipment will have an interval training mode. By intent, I mean get after it during the all out part. Going from 2 mph to 3mph walking during the "all out" is not getting after it. I'm not as intent as I used to be but I am 55 y.o. and the drive has driven off.

 

[ArchAngel777]

I tend to be a skeptic too, especially when it comes to the internet. However, in this case, I am finding it difficult that anyone would brag about this. I mean, I might brag about an accomplishment, like running a sub 5 minute mile post 35, I can't see bragging about a heart rate. Having a low heart rate doesn't mean one is athletic. Certainly there is some correlation, however.

I grew up lifting and never running. I skipped cardio, except for biking (cuz that is how you get places when you grow up). I believe my heart rate all the way up until around the time I quit lifting at 19 was about 60bpm. I got fat, added about 50 pounds of fat, and at 23 I decided I had enough, starting running. I never ran in my life besides maybe 100m-200m. I couldn't run for more than 1 minute before I was sucking wind. I can't say for certain what my heart rate was prior during my sedentary years, but I would still guess it was in the 60's. Around 1 year later I was back to my normal weight, 180ish pounds and fluctuated 10-15 through the year. I would exercise, then lay off for month, etc... I have no clue what my heart rate was, but I would expect it was low 50s because while I did take some breaks in my training, I still ran 9 months out of the year.

I started to take fitness to new level around the time I was 33. This was because my son was starting to take interest in sports and running and I wanted to be the dad that can actually *try* and keep up my kids for as long as possible. Around that time, my heart rate and body fat had dropped to low levels, sub 10% for a large chunk of the year and my heart rate was often recorded at 44bpm while at rest, during work. Note: clearly not complete rest, but close enough.

Some of my training methods have been haphazard over the last 14 years, but one thing was consistent: I worked damn hard. Maybe too hard. I also suspect that the reason for my unintended 1-2 month breaks per year was a result of over-training/over-reaching. Not sure which, because it would usually take a 1 month or two before I could even muster the mental strength to lift and start any running back up. I suspect this is a big part why my heart rate has decreased so much. Years of training the heart resulted in a strong heart. Indeed, on my physical checkups, I am told my heart is strong. But is that something to brag about? Naw, not really. Not for me. I would trade being able to consistently run a 5 minute mile for a 60bpm resting heart rate.

In either case, I am convinced that cardio, both steady state and interval training will result in a low resting heart rate over time. To be frank, I believe the heart rate must be elevated long enough, and high enough, for those adaptations to take place.

By the way, I am 38 years old. My son is 13 and has surpassed me physically in regards to running. I am coming off of a 3 months hiatus, so we'll see if I can catch him during my peak, but I doubt it. He ran a 5:13 cross country mile just a week ago, so I doubt I'll catch him without specialized training and to be honest, I don't really care much.

The older I get, the more I just want to be decently athletic for my age and avoid injury. Truly, avoiding injury is my primary goal!

 

[ArchAngel777]

Going from 2 mph to 3mph walking during the "all out" is not getting after it

I wanted to quote this, because this is absolutely spot-on. If you are not sucking wind at some level, you are not putting in maximal or near maximal effort.

Some people want to complicate interval training. It isn't complicates at all, and there are a myriad of ways to implement this type of training.

Set aside 30-45 minutes.

Warm up for 10 minutes

Hard Exercise - Do something difficult for 30 seconds to 1 minutes (run-sprint, bike-sprint, row-sprint, swim sprint, etc...) basically any movement activity that will exhaust you in under a 1 minute.

Light Exercise - This is called the "recovery" period. It can be a slow walk, slow jog, slow row, slow swim, etc... The length of this recovery period is really up to you. It doesn't have to be exact, or the same every time. Basically, let your heart rate fall to 50% or so your max heart rate (if you don't have a heart rate monitor, just estimate) and then repeat the process multiple times.

Do this 4-10 times, depending on how you feel (don't wimp out, but don't go so far that you hate your life and wake up needing IBU Profin)

Cool down 5 minutes.

The length of the interval is usually recommended to be 30-60 seconds, but you can certainly go longer and shorter. I sometimes did 75 second fast run/sprints, other times only 30 seconds.

The recovery period is normally suggested at a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. That said, there is not a hard fast rule. You can use a 1:5 if you want, meaning 1 minute of hard exercise to 5 minutes of recovery. As you improve, in theory, you can get away with less recovery OR you can simply make the recovery a bit more difficult (thus slowing it down). Again, a myriad of ways you can configure interval training. About the ONLY way you can screw this up? By not doing it!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Interesting, so doing cardio in specific patterns can cause your resting rate to change? I always figured it was mostly genetic and diet related.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Interesting, so doing cardio in specific patterns can cause your resting rate to change? I always figured it was mostly genetic and diet related.

It is even more simplistic than that... The patterns themselves mean nothing. The premise behind interval training is this: You have three main types of fuels -creatine phophate, glycogen, and fat oxidation. CP is depleted in the first few seconds of the hard bout, which leaves glucose and fat oxidation as the remaining fuel sources.. During the recovery phase, you are restoring CP and clearing lactic acid out from the muscles. Once enough has passed (period of rest), you can do it again. To know you are doing it right? You won't be able to do it much longer than your interval period as said intensity. That means if you set yourself for 30 second intervals, you wouldn'e be able to go a full minute. You litterally couldn't if you wanted too. If you could, then your intensity isn't high enough. So if you set your target for 1 minute at said intensity, to know if you have it right, you shouldn't be able to do 2 minutes before stopping or slowing down severely. In other words, fatigue starts to really hit you towards the end of the 1 minute interval, making two minutes impossible. Hence, the rest and repeat nature of intervals.

No specific patterns, either. But you can chose you keep to a pattern if you like.. Just put in maximal or near maximal effort, rest a bit, repeat. Yes, over time, that will lower the resting heart rate. So will steady state cardio, that is, going on a low medium or slow run for example. Just make sure you warm up first, otherwise you might pull a muscle or something.

 

[Hans Gruber]

I tend to be a skeptic too, especially when it comes to the internet. However, in this case, I am finding it difficult that anyone would brag about this. I mean, I might brag about an accomplishment, like running a sub 5 minute mile post 35, I can't see bragging about a heart rate. Having a low heart rate doesn't mean one is athletic. Certainly there is some correlation, however.

I grew up lifting and never running. I skipped cardio, except for biking (cuz that is how you get places when you grow up). I believe my heart rate all the way up until around the time I quit lifting at 19 was about 60bpm. I got fat, added about 50 pounds of fat, and at 23 I decided I had enough, starting running. I never ran in my life besides maybe 100m-200m. I couldn't run for more than 1 minute before I was sucking wind. I can't say for certain what my heart rate was prior during my sedentary years, but I would still guess it was in the 60's. Around 1 year later I was back to my normal weight, 180ish pounds and fluctuated 10-15 through the year. I would exercise, then lay off for month, etc... I have no clue what my heart rate was, but I would expect it was low 50s because while I did take some breaks in my training, I still ran 9 months out of the year.

I started to take fitness to new level around the time I was 33. This was because my son was starting to take interest in sports and running and I wanted to be the dad that can actually *try* and keep up my kids for as long as possible. Around that time, my heart rate and body fat had dropped to low levels, sub 10% for a large chunk of the year and my heart rate was often recorded at 44bpm while at rest, during work. Note: clearly not complete rest, but close enough.

Some of my training methods have been haphazard over the last 14 years, but one thing was consistent: I worked damn hard. Maybe too hard. I also suspect that the reason for my unintended 1-2 month breaks per year was a result of over-training/over-reaching. Not sure which, because it would usually take a 1 month or two before I could even muster the mental strength to lift and start any running back up. I suspect this is a big part why my heart rate has decreased so much. Years of training the heart resulted in a strong heart. Indeed, on my physical checkups, I am told my heart is strong. But is that something to brag about? Naw, not really. Not for me. I would trade being able to consistently run a 5 minute mile for a 60bpm resting heart rate.

In either case, I am convinced that cardio, both steady state and interval training will result in a low resting heart rate over time. To be frank, I believe the heart rate must be elevated long enough, and high enough, for those adaptations to take place.

By the way, I am 38 years old. My son is 13 and has surpassed me physically in regards to running. I am coming off of a 3 months hiatus, so we'll see if I can catch him during my peak, but I doubt it. He ran a 5:13 cross country mile just a week ago, so I doubt I'll catch him without specialized training and to be honest, I don't really care much.

The older I get, the more I just want to be decently athletic for my age and avoid injury. Truly, avoiding injury is my primary goal!

You sound like you use supplements. Eg. Steroids and other boosters such as uppers to jack yourself up when working out either before or after. A whatever it takes and I need something to give me an edge or something to take the edge off.

 

[ArchAngel777]

You sound like you use supplements. Eg. Steroids and other boosters such as uppers to jack yourself up when working out either before or after.

I have never used any known substance besides caffeine, ephedrine, creatine and NSAIDs. I haven't used ephedrine in 8 years, and I rarely use NSAIDS after an ulcer last year. I still use caffeine and creatine, however.

If my post didn't reflect it properly, I apologize, as I am far from elite. If I ever gave the impression that I am some top level athlete, I assure you, I am not. I am certainly not in bad shape, and am relatively proud of what I have accomplished, I just am not someone who others would think: drugs! 😀