Resting Heart Rate Revisited
I have measured my resting heart rate a month and a half ago and it came out to about 52 bpm based on recording my heart rate while asleep. Since then I have been training hard, running hard and losing fat hard. I figured all this must have some kind of effect on my resting heart rate. But what really drove the message home happened to me on Monday just before my recovery run of 3 miles.
As I was standing out in front of my house waiting for my GPS to lock onto the satellite signals I was looking at my heart rate monitor to see what my heart rate was. And right there, just standing and waiting it was reading 50 bpm. I wasn’t sure if it was a fluke so I wiggled the chest strap but the reading stayed at 50 bpm and hasn’t moved. So I knew something was up and my resting heart rate must be even lower than my standing heart rate waiting to start my slow 3 mile recovery run.
I did my 3 miler went to work but I have decided that I would repeat the resting heart rate test from last time to see just where my resting heart rate really stands. I recoded two hours worth of data while asleep, over 5,000 heart beats, and plotted them on a distribution chart similar to the one I did last time. I was shocked! My resting heart rate dropped drastically. I’m not talking about 1-2 beats per minute. I’m taking about over 13 beats towards the low end and over 20 beats at the high end. You can see all this in the comparison chart with my last set of data.
My resting heart rate is in the 30s now. High 30s, closer to 40 actually, but 2% of my heart beats were below 40 for the two hour period. The lowest heart rate that I registered was 32 bpm. During my last test the 2% cutoff was at 52bpm and the lowest heart rate registered was at 46bpm. You can also see that the slope of the distribution graph is a lot more level indicating a more steady resting heart rate. I could bore you with the R-R frequency analysis of the data but the bottom line is that I’m just tickled pink about my new resting heart rate as it converts into greatly improved working zones when it comes to running. My body never seizes to amaze me just how responsive it is to training, exercise and proper diet!
Wow that’s a big difference. Very cool. When they say being unhealthy is bad for the heart guess they’re not kidding. It does so much more work when you add it up. Thanks for the insight.
David´s last blog ..Shaking it up on easy day
It really is amazing how our bodies are such finely tuned machines, isn’t it? They really do respond to what we demand of them/put into them.
Chad´s last blog ..Weighing In After My Night on the Town
Wow that is low! I’ve never done the overnight test. My test is normally done just before bed. If I remember I’ll do it tonight!
AndrewENZ´s last blog ..New RoadID and a run in the dark
So cool! I never really thought about improvements in RHR, I think I will have to check mine out! Love the detailed info you give.
I remember a story that my 6th grade teacher told me about his father that worked on the loading docks in NYC. He was such a strong old guy that his heart rate was in low 60′s. I have always used a low resting heart beat as one of the physical aspects of my well-being.
Frank Dobner´s last blog ..The Truth About Loose Skin
[...] 5 hours of aerobic activity a week I don’t quite qualify to be called an athlete avan if my resting heart rate is in the 40s. But I wouldn’t consider myself sedentary either. Just out of curiosity I had changed my [...]