Resting pulse rate

geoff_ss

I was reading the article in Cycling+ about the four team members which include Popette and Howard and noticed that one of Howard's objectives was to reduce his resting pulse rate from 95 to 60 bpm. A very worthwhile objective but I was struck by the high starting rate and wondered what was 'normal'.

I'm 68 and retired nearly 13 years ago but when I was bored in meetings (ie often!) would check my pulse rate which I could just about guarantee was 52bpm. That was after a 13 mile morning commute. If I check it now it'll be about 48 bpm. My maximum on the turbo (which I rarely use) is around 160 bpm. I never use a HRM on the road so I've no idea what my pulse rate is whilst actually cycling.

I cycled regularly from the age of 35 when we took it up to get fit for sailing but I've only just started to get serious again after a lack lustre 4 or 5 years.

What's 'normal'?

Geoff

popette

I checked mine this morning and it was about 44 - resting is where you haven't got out of bed yet right?

God, those meetings must have been good Geoff!

heavymental

I sometimes put my hrm on whilst lying in bed (alone ) and took an average over 15 minutes or something. HR can soon go up with just a bit of faffing with the hrm and moving about.

Which gets me thinking....has anyone ever used their hrm for any more interesting exercise? :shock:

Adamskii

A resting HR of 95bpm does seem on the high side. It would probably be lower before getting out of bed in the morning. Mine is in the 50-55bpm region which I think is considered pretty good. I wonder if there is a minimum resting HR value that is considered 'safe'?!

jonginge

51 just now sat at my desk. Not exactly an optimum measurement

Geoff, I seem to recall reading somewhere that resting heart rate rises slightly with age so I'd say you were pretty fit (we knew that anyway). What's normal? 70 is the usually quoted 'average' for an adult male and 75 for a female. I would expect anybody who does aerobic sports to be at 60bpm or under. (But then there are people with 230+ max heartrates so I guess their resting levels would be higher too)

Popette.44! Blimey that training for the etape is having an effect. Just a bit more training to reach Merckx (33) or Indurain (28) levels


Caveat emptor: I am not an expert so take the above with a pinch of salt, but no more than 6g coz that would be bad

Bronzie

Mine is 39...........went for an ECG a couple of years back following some heart palpitation problems, and the nurse didn't want me to leave the surgery without seeing the doctor - she thought I was about to peg it I think!

Adamskii

Bronzie - What was the verdict re:the heart palpitations? I used to get them but haven't had any for a while. I hoped it was just down to my heart 'growing' or something!

god1406

i used to get palpitations if i really pushed myself on long climbs, but apparently thinking about my heart racing was enough to make it race.

not thinking or worrying about it happening seems to help.

Bronzie

Inconclusive really - saw a cardiologist who got me to wear a portable ECG recorder for 24 hours. Didn't have any palpitations when I had it on (needless to say) and the conclusion was probably nothing to worry about and to go back if it got worse.

Still have the odd heart flutter, but I think most people seem to get those. Very rarely I get a more sustained period of heart flutter which seems to be more prevalent just after I've woken up / before I get out of bed. Once I get up and the heart has something more useful to do than twiddle its thumbs, it seems to be ok.

huggy

70ish is the general average. I have a hr of 43, though I would say its not only your resting hr, but your recovery rate, that is most important. Usually on a ride I can go down pretty quick from 140bpm to 50bpm, though I haven't really timed it, but most likely be under a minute. However, some people who are unfit my take 5 minutes or so to get back down to a lower pulse.

lateralus

around 55 for me. Was around 70 when I wasn't exercising.

oldwelshman

Well women on average have higher RHR than men.
It normally gets lower with age.
95 does seem slightly high and it may be naturally high so reducing to 60 is very optimistic in that case.
Mine is about 44 currently but once after surgery I was in recovery and it was 33 and I could hear the nurses talking and they were a bit worried, as I came round and felt the pain it soon shot up !!
That is about as low as is safe, I think Seb Coe was low 30's and possibly Indurain.
I used to coach two top level junior squash players, both with extreme opposites, one I monitored during a match and he hit 235 max in a rally and at rest was about 60.
The other was naturally low and RHR was 35 and never went above 100 even in a match !!! So it is best to monitor your own RHR and HRMAX and not make comparisons to others , we are all unique with respect to HR

nwallace

Once had a race on gym bikes with a mate, see who could get the most "distance" in a minute. Both put the machine to show HRM. I was hitting 210 ish (we were 19 at the time) and too knackered, he got past 240 and decided it was too much so started backing off.

HR just now is 80ish used to bother about how it recovered but it's difficult to measure when your still gasping for air! Seem to finally got my breathing while exercising sorted now. Only took 26 years.

geoff_ss

popette wrote:

I checked mine this morning and it was about 44 - resting is where you haven't got out of bed yet right?

God, those meetings must have been good Geoff!

I didn't mind the technical/design meetings but the management gobbledegook ones were terminally tedious. Perhaps that's why the pulse rate dropped

In my case 'resting' meant sitting here doing nothing but typing. I do seem to remember that the correct way is, in fact, to check before getting out of bed. Yours does seem to be quite low. SWMBO's is around 60 I think. Out of curiosity I'll see what mine is before getting up - at my age there's not much to raise it when I'm in bed

Geoff

drewfromrisca

When I was big into my running a few pre injury months ago my r.h.r. was 39. I was well happy with that! It did cause a bit of a scare though when I went in for an operation and the nurse took my vitals and that come up!!! She called the doc thinking there was something wrong but it wasn't until I explained my running miles that they realised I was just super-fit...sigh they were the days!!!

Mike Healey

Last time my pulse rate rested they gave me CPR

Mike Healey

Last time my pulse rate rested they gave me CPR

hammerite

I rarely check mine, but I think I average low 40's. Although I tested out the OH's HRM and at one point it went down to 37. I was in marathon training at the time though so was pretty fit.