Heart Rates and Calcium Blockers
Gothmeister
Posts: 62
Hi
I am 58 and have been put on Calcium Blockers for high blood pressure by my GP.
Using a Heart Rate Monitor and also my Blood Pressure Monitor, I have measured (several times) my resting heart rate at 53, apparently making me an Olympic-level superathlete, which I am patently NOT!! I assume, therefore, that the drugs I am taking are lowering my RHR.
Based on the more "accurate" of the various formulae (I am too frightened to do a REAL test), my MHR comes out at about 163, making my Fat-burning range 120-130. Does this all sound correct, it all seems VERY low and, keeping within this range on the bike, I am hardly working, let alone moving!!!
Should I be working to any different sort of regime, or using different assumptions, while taking Calcium Blockers?
I am 58 and have been put on Calcium Blockers for high blood pressure by my GP.
Using a Heart Rate Monitor and also my Blood Pressure Monitor, I have measured (several times) my resting heart rate at 53, apparently making me an Olympic-level superathlete, which I am patently NOT!! I assume, therefore, that the drugs I am taking are lowering my RHR.
Based on the more "accurate" of the various formulae (I am too frightened to do a REAL test), my MHR comes out at about 163, making my Fat-burning range 120-130. Does this all sound correct, it all seems VERY low and, keeping within this range on the bike, I am hardly working, let alone moving!!!
Should I be working to any different sort of regime, or using different assumptions, while taking Calcium Blockers?
0
Comments
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Hi there,
As you get older your RHR drops.
Your fat burning rate should be at about 60% of your MHR which is easiest to figure out based on the rate of percieved exersion....in other words how hard do you feel you are working on a scale of 1 to 10.
So 1 would be lying on the sofa and 10 would be lungs exploding !
Fat burning therefore is about 6 .... you should be able to hold a conversation whilst exercising. The secret to fat burning when cycling is quantity im afraid....aim for at least 40 mins of constant cycling (first 20 mins only burns carbs)....to improve fitness it is tackled slightly differently (although depending on your current level of fitness the above will also improve that) .
Interval training on the bike, including uphills and sprints, will be the most time effective way of building fitness.
Any cycling is alawys good though so even if its a short blast its still worth doing
Live Each Day0 -
Best to speak with the doctor about Calcium Channel Blockers. They work by reducing the force of contraction of the heart muscle (but via a different way to beta blockers) and by dilating the arteries. My understanding that some CCB can reduce heart rate at rest and during exercie, and raise it in certain situations, ie postural hypotension (baro reflex)
I have been on a mixture of BP medications for the last 6 years, including beta blockers, alpha blockers, ACE inhibitors, CCBs and diuretics, and found that beta blockers had the most pronounced effect and reduced MHR and exercise tolerance. It is all about getting a combo that works for you!
When on the wrong dose of beta blockers, my RHR dropped to 38!0 -
Calcium channel blockers come in three classes with different effects on heart rate
This any help?
http://www.cks.library.nhs.uk/hypertension#-3605000
