Does a low resting heart rate effect max heart rate?

chris_bass
chris_bass Posts: 4,913
edited November 2012 in Training, fitness and health
Hi

my resting heart rate is usually around 40-45 bpm, i've gone on a few sites to see hwat my max heart rate should be and they all just ask for age (i'm 28 btw!) and say it should be about 180 bpm. given that this is over 4 times my resting heart rate is this accurate?

i'm very new to all this heart rate stuff but just got a turbo trainer and want to start monitoring it more.
www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes

Comments

  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    Chris Bass wrote:
    Hi

    my resting heart rate is usually around 40-45 bpm, i've gone on a few sites to see hwat my max heart rate should be and they all just ask for age (i'm 28 btw!) and say it should be about 180 bpm. given that this is over 4 times my resting heart rate is this accurate?

    i'm very new to all this heart rate stuff but just got a turbo trainer and want to start monitoring it more.

    I have used a heart rate monitor on and off since 1981. As time goes by the more I know heart rate really is not worth worrying about. As a general rule my resting heart rate is lower the fitter I am but my max heart rate is stable, only the loss of 6 to 10 beats in 30 years. There are so many factors which affect it. Coffee, tiredness, training fatigue, stress, temperature, alcohol, food etc etc. 'Feel' is far more important. Power & Feel is best.

    Everyone's max heart rate is different, don't go by age, you must test properly to establish your max.
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    danowat wrote:
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.

    If someone asks a question politely it deserves a polite answer, the guy said he was new to this subject.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    It's pretty irrelevant (not completely since some of the physical characteristics of your heart that gives you a low resting HR (yours is not that low really) also can limit your maximum HR.

    Over 4 times your resting is very, very normal in a fit individual.
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    danowat wrote:
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.

    sorry, as i said i'm new to all this!

    thanks for the advice, maybe i wont worry about it too much then!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • Trev The Rev
    Trev The Rev Posts: 1,040
    Chris Bass wrote:
    danowat wrote:
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.

    sorry, as i said i'm new to all this!

    thanks for the advice, maybe i wont worry about it too much then!

    Chris,

    No need to apologise to Danowat - he belongs on timetrialling forum.

    Trev.
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    Chris Bass wrote:
    danowat wrote:
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.

    sorry, as i said i'm new to all this!

    thanks for the advice, maybe i wont worry about it too much then!

    If you search, you will see this has been discussed, at length, many, many times.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    sorry, i dont really come on this section of the forums too often so didnt realise.
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • ajmitchell
    ajmitchell Posts: 203
    HI Chris,

    There is only a weak relationship between resting and max HR. In general a trained individual will have a low resting HR and more capacity to at any given HR (because of better stroke volume, lower capillary resistance etc) so in general resting HR is associated with low HR during "hard work". Although max HR is probably fairly static (by definition)....in my opinion hard training does positively influence perceived maximum heart rate. For more on this see Sports Medicine, Volume 29, Number 1, 1 January 2000 , pp. 13-26(14).

    Theres also a nice review online here http://www.cptips.com/hrmntr.htm (extracted below)

    "With every heart beat (contraction of the heart pump), a certain amount of blood (stroke volume) is pushed through the system. The contraction frequency of the heart is the heart rate (HR). The amount of blood moved to the cells of the body every minute is the product of the heart rate and stroke volume (HR x strove volume).

    With physical activity (exercise) more oxygen is required by the muscle cells, and the circulatory system responds by increasing the heart rate (and the cardiac output). With aerobic training, the actual amount of blood pumped per heart beat (stroke volume) increases and the efficiency of the exchange process at the capillary level improves. The result is a lower heart rate for any level of physical activity in the trained versus the untrained individual. Thus aerobic training benefits include:

    a lower resting heart rate
    a lower heart rate for a specific level of exertion
    an increased exercise capacity at an individual's maximum heart rate. "
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    thanks for that, that's pretty interesting.

    so it may suggest that if my heart rate is low I'd need to 'work harder' to get a higher heart rate.

    so is it best for me to monitor my heart rate at different levels of work and then try to maintain that rather than aim for some figure set as a 'standard' for everyone?
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • ajmitchell
    ajmitchell Posts: 203
    >>so it may suggest that if my heart rate is low I'd need to 'work harder' to get a higher heart rate

    yes although its usually phrased as you can work harder for any given heart rate because your efficiency/ability is likely to be high. Although note, some people have consistutionally low resting HR without being particular fit.

    >>so is it best for me to monitor my heart rate at different levels of work and then try to maintain that rather than aim for some figure set as a 'standard' for everyone?

    set personal goals, yes
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    yeah, welll my mum also has a low resting heart rate so i think its probably naturally quite low anyway but i think i am pretty fit in the grand scheme of things!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • lef
    lef Posts: 728
    danowat wrote:
    Chris Bass wrote:
    danowat wrote:
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.

    sorry, as i said i'm new to all this!

    thanks for the advice, maybe i wont worry about it too much then!

    If you search, you will see this has been discussed, at length, many, many times.

    As are most other things on this forum but so what. No need to be a tit about it.
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    lef wrote:
    danowat wrote:
    Chris Bass wrote:
    danowat wrote:
    Jesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.

    sorry, as i said i'm new to all this!

    thanks for the advice, maybe i wont worry about it too much then!

    If you search, you will see this has been discussed, at length, many, many times.

    As are most other things on this forum but so what. No need to be a tit about it.

    At least I posted some relevant information along with being a "tit", unlike your post........ :roll:
  • Stevie2wheels
    Stevie2wheels Posts: 85
    [quoteJesus............

    At the risk of repeating this for the millionth time........

    Your max has little to do with the resting HR, your max is NOT derived from some equation, it's unique to you, and the only way to find it is to do a max HR test.][/quote]

    The very reason people get put off going on forums! A little civility wouldn't go amiss here!
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    If you are going to use MHR then as Trev says also use some other means of effort as well, speed or rate of perceived excertion (RPE)
    HR can be quite finicky, so dont get too hung up on the exact number of beats, % of MHR is easier to follow.
    http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/b ... c_bcf.html

    The obvious answer for you is to buy a set of SRM cranks :idea:

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