# Resting Heart Rate



## Norry1 (19 Jan 2011)

In order to obtain my Resting Heart Rate, I wore my Garmin HR chest strap last night and set my Garmin 705 on to record my heart rate overnight. 

The trace hops around a bit with quite a few spikes and the average is 50 bpm, but the lowest point is 41 bpm.

What should I take as my resting heart rate?

Martin


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## pubrunner (19 Jan 2011)

Norry1 said:


> In order to obtain my Resting Heart Rate, I wore my Garmin HR chest strap last night and set my Garmin 705 on to record my heart rate overnight.
> 
> The trace hops around a bit with quite a few spikes and the *average* is 50 bpm, but the lowest point is 41 bpm.
> 
> ...



Well if the average is 50, then that is what I'd use.


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## Dan B (19 Jan 2011)

I'd take my RHR by counting it for 30 seconds on waking. Reason being, if you want to see how it changes you're going to be measuring it regularly, and you (presumably) don't want to be doing that by wearing the garmin bra to bed every night. Even if it's not the most super-accurate method it'll have the same degree of inaccuracy each time you do it so you'll be able to see trends.


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## adscrim (19 Jan 2011)

I was always told to measure your heart rate after waking and while still lying in bed. Average out the result for a week and use this - be aware of anything that would affect your results such as ilness or stress.


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## Ticktockmy (19 Jan 2011)

Norry1 said:


> In order to obtain my Resting Heart Rate, I wore my Garmin HR chest strap last night and set my Garmin 705 on to record my heart rate overnight.
> 
> The trace hops around a bit with quite a few spikes and the average is 50 bpm, but the lowest point is 41 bpm.
> 
> ...



Your method, is not such a good way, because during our sleeping periods our brainswhich can be more active than during the day, a bit like IT systems backing up information, also of course depening on your dream cycle and thoughts it can increase or decrease the heart rate.

I normally wake up, lay around for about 5 minutes, and take my pulse, then do it 5 minutes later. this days it is about 48 which is not so bad for a old wrinkly, when I was mid 20's it used to be as low as 38.

So you can see it varies.


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## Fiona N (19 Jan 2011)

If you got a good night's sleep - you should be able to see the REM/non-REM sleep cycles. These result in HR varying over about a 2 hour period - you can usually see the same pattern repeated three or 4 times a night. Spikes in the trace are usually turning over in bed and similar short bouts of activity. 

I used to regularly measure my heart rate over night as it was so low in a morning (typically 28 -30) that counting wasn't very accurate when you're looking for 1-2 bpm fluctuations from day to day. I used the upper value during REM sleep, averaged over the deepest three cycles, which I found a very good guide. You kind of need to work out what's best for yourself if you're serious about using RHR as a measure of recovery and condition. FWIW I never found wearing the chest belt a big deal - I mean some people go to bed fully dressed in pyjamas and stuff.

Note, if you count your pulse on a morning, the fullness of your bladder can also influence your HR.


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## heliphil (20 Jan 2011)

I got a new Garmin FR60 for xmas and did the same - wore it overnight just to see what happened - I got an average of 44 with a low of 36 ( several times during the night) I also got peaks of around 65 - strange things must be happening in our brains....

I was quite happy to take an average of 44 - its similar to what I get just lying down resting - If I try real hard I can get to 50 standing up which got some surprises at the running club the other night!!!


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## Zoiders (20 Jan 2011)

Never ask the resting heart rate question on a cycling forum as just like when someone asks the question "top speed on a bike?" people will spin you tales of bullshit figures plucked from thin air that always mysteriously match that of the elite level riders they hero worship.

The average is 70, if you are a bit fitter then it _might _be lower but this is not set in stone, age will also reduce it.

I swear blind that every bugger claims to have a low resting heart beat since it was published in the paper years ago that Chris Boardman had one of about 30 something.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Mass_hysteria

See also 

http://en.wikipedia....ersion_disorder


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## Pottsy (20 Jan 2011)

I completely agree with Zoiders. Resting heart rate isn't even a good indication of fitness, but many see it as a great point to show off about. It's a useful measure for comparative analysis over a period of time but the absolute number isn't really very relevant. 

Maybe I'm a bit older but I blame the legendary Miguel Indurain with his RHR of 28 bpm and heart the size of an ox and lungs 6x normal capacity etc.


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## gb155 (20 Jan 2011)

I have gotten my RHR to the low 40's

Check it in bed


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## Norry1 (20 Jan 2011)

I wasn't seeking a view on whether the rate was good, bad or indifferent - I just wanted views on which figure I should use. At least the trace is on Garmin Connect, so I can compare future ones. I'm still unsure which figure to put in the RHR box on the calculations  

Martin


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## fossyant (20 Jan 2011)

TBH you are better off using a rate at a set time in the day - i.e. first thing in the morning - it's a good indicator for illness. Me, not that bothered these days - sitting at a desk it's in the 50's.

As folk have said, its your personal to you. My club mate had a low 40's resting HR, but he would max at 160, me it was about 50 with a max of over 200. Everyone is different.


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## HLaB (20 Jan 2011)

Norry,

I don't know much about heart rate other than if its still beating you are alive 

By coincidence however a link to a br web site was in my email; it seems to offer a good description of how HR work and how to determine your resting heart rate:



> The best way to get your resting HR is to take it ﬁrst thing in the morning every day for a week and work out the average. Make sure you're well rested and not ill or under any stress. Put your HR strap on and just lie there for a couple of minutes, trying to relax as much as possible. Note the lowest ﬁgure you see and repeat the procedure the following day.
> 
> At the end of the week you’ll know what your resting HR average is and you can conﬁdently use this ﬁgure as the basis of your training. But don’t be fooled by thinking that having a low resting HR means you are super-ﬁt. “Generally speaking, a low resting HR is indicative of a well trained athlete,” explains Fletcher, “but it’s not always the case. There are people who have a genetically low HR regardless of ﬁtness.”


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## JoniL (20 Jan 2011)

Hi Martin,
You're method isn't likely to give you an accurate resting heart rate. During sleep you experience several sleep cycles, which display their own specific physiological signs. For example, during sleep, most people experience REM or "Rapid Eye Movement" sleep. During this sleep stage our brain is incredibly active so this is where most dreaming occurs. Because these dreams may cause us to move, our voluntary muscles are paralysed, so the heart only works to supply oxygenated blood to vital organs, which would explain the low reading given by your heart rate monitor. But also during light sleep, which can still occur in the middle of the night, the body can toss and turn, which will increase the heart rate a little. 

The most appropriate way to measure your resting heart rate would for you to lie down while at rest. Don't physically exert yourself beforehand and wait 10 or 15 minutes for you heart rate to slow. Then use your heart rate monitor, taking the average HR over a few minutes.


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## montage (21 Jan 2011)

I think what people are trying to say is that claiming your resting heart rate as your lowest whilst sleeping is cheating! 

Heart rate means diddly squat when compared to other people's....much better to look at how quickly you can bring your heart rate down from max to resting (or there abouts). Whilst spending a week with the marines, a sergeant once told me "Fitness is the ability to recover".....(then lead on to say "so right now your fitness doesn't matter as you do not need to recover, you need to move your arse faster"....marine logic)


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## henshaw11 (21 Jan 2011)

>I was always told to measure your heart rate after waking and while still lying in bed.

ISTR that was the Polar recommendation - sounds fine enough, you're resting, been doing nothing strenuous for a while - note the 'on waking'  - and it ought to be fairly consistent from day to day.


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## big al 83 (22 Jan 2011)

I wish I could get my RHR below 65. I'm 52, weigh 81kg and ride regularly and consder myself fairly fit.
When out on a ride my pulse is easily in the 160 - 175 bpm. Max HR 200 bpm.

I recall reading an article a while back that said approx. 20% of the population have a high HR and 20% have a low HR.
I must be in the high group.

A guy I work with who never exercises, is slightly overweight, has high blood pressure and is 62 yo. has a resting HR of 55 BPM ??

I also think that using RH as a fitness indicator is not a good indicator of fitness.


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## Garz (22 Jan 2011)

Yep, RHR is not an indication that you are in great shape as it relates largely down to genetics. Referring to RHR, MHR and recovery are just ways of helping you train smarter and give you a better overall indication.


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## lowerstill (22 Jan 2011)

Some interesting stuff to read for a newbie to the site. For my two penneth, after several years of measuring rhr (as soon as I got up); I remember it did get lower as I got fitter, a logical link between heart chamber volumes & beat timing. If nothing else measuring as soon as you get up should be when your body is at its most rested... well depending on how you slept I guess!

For me it became a pretty good time to review what condition I was in & how my body felt. Also gave me a chance to take stock my and think about the day... think maybe i'll start measuring it again!


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## Garz (22 Jan 2011)

I tried this once..

by the time I grabbed the strap, put it on and paired it to the watch and got back into bed, 'rested' position my heart rate had raised above 60 from whatever it was at. What would be interesting is the lowest value while you drifted off to sleep. Maybe it would be easier to refer to it as the 'sedentary seated' rate!


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## Dan B (22 Jan 2011)

I think mine was about 48 at its lowest, a few years ago when I was bothereing to measure it. But that could as easily have been hypothyroid-related bradycardia as anything to do with fitness, so I'm not inclined to but too much stock by it. As others have said, it's the changes that are important, and I suspect they're most important for knowing when you're off form and should back off from hard training


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## byegad (27 Jan 2011)

If I sit still and relax I can get mine down to under 40. When I was 15 and very fit it would drop to under 30. IIRC my lowest ever, in a trance like state, was 25bpm.


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## iAmiAdam (27 Jan 2011)

When I started training properly it was about 70, it's now 54. I see this as an improvement to my fitness. I also only really use RHR to calibrate zones. Before I ditched the HRM all together because it's a pile.


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