# resting heart rate



## bobg (5 Apr 2008)

While I'm in message posting mode ....
I bought a heart rate monitor ( cos they were cheap in Aldi and I love gadgets ) and checked my resting heart rate 3 times over the last few days - its averaging 48. According to the chart I'm an athlete ... I think not!!!! Maybe its broken!! After 45 minutes full on on the spinner, I'm knackered and it only reads 120? Am I some kind of a mutant or is this usual.


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## fossyant (5 Apr 2008)

Manually try and take your pulse as well - or does the HRM have a flashing heart symbol that you can see if it flashes at the same time as your heart beats.

Have you used a HRM before ?


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## bobg (5 Apr 2008)

fossyant said:


> Manually try and take your pulse as well - or does the HRM have a flashing heart symbol that you can see if it flashes at the same time as your heart beats.
> 
> Have you used a HRM before ?



1. OK Will have another bash tomorrow when I wake up.. Do'h never thought of that!!
2. Yes I believe it did but I'm a man and dont read instructions...
3 No never


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## yello (5 Apr 2008)

bobg said:


> Will have another bash tomorrow when I wake up.



That should get the heart rate soaring. Who will you be thinking of? 

I would have thought that 45 "full on" minutes on a trainer would put you over 120. Sounds like something is up... perhaps not a good contact on the chest strap. I think I read a bit of spit on it helps.


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## bobg (5 Apr 2008)

yello said:


> That should get the heart rate soaring. Who will you be thinking of?
> 
> I would have thought that 45 "full on" minutes on a trainer would put you over 120. Sounds like something is up... perhaps not a good contact on the chest strap. I think I read a bit of spit on it helps.



A Mercian Vincentore


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## caz (5 Apr 2008)

Yes Yello's right. You need to wet the contacts on the chest strap, otherwise you won't get a proper reading.


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## bobg (5 Apr 2008)

That could be tricky cos it goes round my wrist - it's meant for runners... You put your thumb and first finger on couple of buttons and it reads after about 4 seconds . Maybe I should sell it on E bay and get a proper one?


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## bonj2 (5 Apr 2008)

bobg said:


> While I'm in message posting mode ....
> I bought a heart rate monitor ( cos they were cheap in Aldi and I love gadgets ) and checked my resting heart rate 3 times over the last few days - *its averaging 48. According to the chart I'm an athlete ... I think not!!!! Maybe its broken!! *After 45 minutes full on on the spinner, I'm knackered and it only reads 120? Am I some kind of a mutant or is this usual.



Maybe you're not holding it close enough to your heart 

Either that or just you're another low-heart-rate-boaster


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## caz (5 Apr 2008)

bobg said:


> That could be tricky cos it goes round my wrist - it's meant for runners... You put your thumb and first finger on couple of buttons and it reads after about 4 seconds . *Maybe I should sell it on E bay and get a proper one*?



I believe you can buy cheap ones (about a tenner) from Lloyds chemist or from Aldi, when they're on offer, or you can pay a lot more for an all singing all dancing one that records lots of different info! Depends how much you want to spend and what info you want to know!


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## Horace Goes Skiing (5 Apr 2008)

I reckon you've got one of them there Fahrenheit HRMs. You need to convert it to Celcius.

Serious question: how are you going to take a reading when you are on the road?


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## ASC1951 (6 Apr 2008)

Horace Goes Skiing said:


> I reckon you've got one of them there Fahrenheit HRMs. You need to convert it to Celcius.


That would be even more frightening for bobg - a resting pulse of 21.


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## bobg (6 Apr 2008)

You sussed me bonj .. I.m a low heart rate boaster .  Tested it with wet fingers ( this is sounding gross) again 5 times today just after I woke up and it consistently read between 54 and 59 
( that's quite warm for the time of year) and it was pretty much in line with my pulse taken manually. It did say in the instructions that if your heart rate was low you were either an athlete of had a heart condition. The question now is am I a hypochondriac or an optimist... probably the former. Good point about using it while riding ??? I'll stop  Actually I bought if cos the HR meters on the stuff at the gym are broken + I thought I was going to die after using the spinner for the first time.

Just putting aside whats gone before here, am I supposed to keep my HR within the range of 50%/75% of 220 - age to gain maximum aerobic benefit ?? .. or am I misunderstanding something cos that doesnt seem to take the resting rate into account??


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## walker (7 Apr 2008)

The 220 minus age theory is rubbish, you need to work out your max HR properly. best done on a stationary trainer but you can do it on the road.


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## bobg (7 Apr 2008)

walker said:


> The 220 minus age theory is rubbish, you need to work out your max HR properly. best done on a stationary trainer but you can do it on the road.



Thanks very much Walker, thats what they told me at the gym but I've since googled and have found what seems to be some pretty helpful stuff to get me on the right track. Also grateful thanks to all who helpemd me with this


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## fossyant (8 Apr 2008)

Just get used to riding with a pulse meter - it's a good indicator but don't 100% rely upon it - use judgement as well.

It's good when you are hanging onto a clubmate's wheel and your HR is topping 205......you are about to die..... or climbing a hill and it's topping out.....


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## bobg (8 Apr 2008)

just noticed that they've got 'em in Lidl for £12.99 with a chest strap. Trouble is its a bit big but I'm tempted cos at least I can see the readout. I thought cycling was just about turning the pedals and looking at the view before I found cyclechat. I thought cunnilingus was an airline too Not sure my HR has reached 205 yet.. not knowingly anyway...


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## Fiona N (8 Apr 2008)

Bobg you'll be much better off with a HRM with a chest strap than the wrist version. I had one of these years ago and it was consistency completely inaccurate over about 100bpm compared to the Polar HRM I bought when I got fed up of it not working. If yours was the same sort of system as mine - it was an optical system working on the blood flow in the finger tip and could be affected by the firmness with which you pressed on the sensor. So I'm not at all surprised that you get a max HR around 120bpm.


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## bobg (8 Apr 2008)

Fiona N said:


> Bobg you'll be much better off with a HRM with a chest strap than the wrist version. I had one of these years ago and it was consistency completely inaccurate over about 100bpm compared to the Polar HRM I bought when I got fed up of it not working. If yours was the same sort of system as mine - it was an optical system working on the blood flow in the finger tip and could be affected by the firmness with which you pressed on the sensor. So I'm not at all surprised that you get a max HR around 120bpm.



Thanks very much Fiona, thats VERY helpful!! I got it up to 135 today which purely for the sake of research involved sticking the bike in crazy gear and standing on the pedals for about 1/2 hour. I was in the "about to die mode" by the end.


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## HLaB (8 Apr 2008)

I got a new Garmin 305 with HR monitor and once set up it gave me a value of 71-74 bpm resting. I'don't know if that good or bad, suppose at least its beating.


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