Resting pulse rate

sven27

I've read that your resting pulse rate is a good indicator of fitness, and if it is raised by 10 beats or more per minute that to ease off training due to a virus coming on etc..

How true is this?

Is there a link between RPR and fitness, for instance I have been injured for a month now ( no running in all that time )
My RPR a month ago was between 40 - 45 bpm, it is now 50 - 53.

What training is best for lowering rpr long slow runs or more vo2 max work?

Does anyone else track their rpr?

cougie

When I used to track my morning pulse I was cycling and after a hard 80 miler on the Sunday, the Monday pulse was always about 5 beats higher than normal.

WOuld it not be high effort interval work that would stress your heart and therefore give you a lower RHR eventually ?

[Deleted User]

lower rhr = bigger stroke volume (I think).

Interval work to make the pump bigger, slow runs for mitochondrial proliferation, capillary enriching, lactic clearance and all that jazz.

Therefore, I guess your rise in rhr is from the relatively rapid adaptation of heart muscle to your lack of training - should improve again rapidly too.

Other aspects of your fitness (I know from previous threads that you are very speedy) should survive better.

Terry B

Your heart’s purpose (in this context) is to pump oxygen-carrying blood from your lungs to your working muscles. The more oxygen your muscles need, the faster your heart beats.

The limiting factor for most people is the amount of oxygen that your muscles can extract from your blood stream (i.e. much of it just flows straight past). What you want to do is to open up more capillary beds, so that more of the oxygen can be extracted from each beat. The more oxygen that is extracted with each beat, the less often your heart needs to beat = lower HR.

The best way to open up more capillary beds is long slow running.

cougie

Sounds right FFG.

I had a medical once and they diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy, which means the left side of my heart is bigger than normal (i think !).

After a specialist had looked at it, they were OK when they knew I'd been racing for years.

So yeah - big heart - low rhr.

cougie

Oops - cross posted.

I think probably a mix of the two would be best really ?

RunRabbit RunRabbit

Mine averages 41/42 bpm. Initially I was a tad concerned because I thought this was too slow but my mind was put at rest by doctor after a general check-up. She was not concerned at all. Steady beats with no irregularity.

I am disappointed that I can't run as fast as our Paula though.

I live in hope )

Terry B

Cougie - agreed.....as long as both are well developed.

i.e. no point in pumping more than the muscles can extract.

[Deleted User]

I'm not trying to say interval work is more valuable than steady miles in becoming the best runner you can be, just that it should be the thing that has the most direct influence on rhr.

Terry B

FFG - on second thoughts you are probably right....I was talking about working muscles, rather than resting.

In which case I'd say that RHR is not going to tell you much about fitness (in absolute terms).

candy ollier

if its suddenly gone up, either you are ill (virus or whatever) or you've been overreaching (unlikely as you haven't been training) or its a lack of hard intervals-style training

candy ollier

should soon revert if you go back to speed work

[Deleted User]

I was talking to a guy who used to be the GB olympic team doctor, and now runs a sports medicine clinic. One of his triathlite patients has a resting heart rate of 28!!! Now, if I met this guy on the hospital wards, I think I'd be considering a quick shot of atropine and a temporary pacing wire, but his slow RHR was just because he was SO fit that his heart could pump the requisite amount of blood around his body by only beating once every 2seconds.

The moral is that a lower RHR probably does indicate better overall cardiovascular 'fitness', but don't look to deaply at this - there are far better indices of overall fitness.

What cougie says in interesting about the effects of exercise on your heart. I took an ECG (electrical heart tracing) of myself and got a bit of a shock. Firstly, I had an electrical conduction delay, which is probably normal, BUT, my ECG also showed signs of a heart attack!! Bearing in mind that I'm a fit, healthy 22year old, this seemed rather odd! I took it to show a cardiologist and he reckoned that the 'illusion' if a heart attack was caused by a) having a trained heart, and b) being pretty thin (I'm 139lb at last weigh in).

Moral: Don't analyse these things too deeply!! Feeling fit and performing well are the best markers of your overall well-being.

Muttley

Cougie was just trying to tell us he's all heart