I've always known that I have a pretty high resting pulse rate, and today I had my first ever ECG it it read 70.
I know that all my riding contempories have seen their rates fall over time, yet mine has stayed high or stood still.
And anyone who knows me will tell you I'm no slouch. I can race and everything.
My diet? well I don't avoid anything including meat and dairy fats. The only thing I avoid is prepared meals mainly because of their chemical content. I don't smoke and drinking is minimal probably four units a month.
Riding wise I get out Tuesday nights for a fast club ride and Sunday a long ride or race, I also do two turbo sessions a week and sometimes commute.
The only thing that is unknown is my working pulse rate as I've never used a HRM. But for some reason I think my pulse might not vary much at all between resting and working hard? though that's just a feeling.
Can you think of any little tips that might help or any natural supplements that could help.
Ta.

why do you want to get it down?

You need to check it when you first wake in the morning.

Guarantee this will be a lot lower than when checked at/by your GP/local gym etc.

IIRC mine was 10-15 bpm higher when checked by a third party.

I wouldn't worry about it. You will get characters on here who will tell you they have the resting heart rate of indurain but probably half the fitness you have.
As far as I understand it regularly recording resting hr on first waking gives you an early indication of things like illness or over training. I suspect for most average riders resting hr is a bit like max hr is of no use when comparing fitness with others.

Tis a good question Twodogs, I think it stems from the fact that most people on here can boast a low pulse rate due to their riding. So I suppose in reality I want to know why mine is high.
I should have mentioned that the function of my circulation seems actually better than most peoples.
Just had my first ever check up as well today, they took four bloods for testing as well.
Jase it is high in the morning.

Maybe just a high metabolism?

My thyroid gland doesn't work too well so I need to take a hormone supplement [Levothyroxine]
Before I started taking it my RHR was ~45-50
Pretty soon after I started taking it – it went up to around 55-60

In other words, as soon as they upped my metabolism, my RHR went up, which sounds fairly obvious to me

I think you should buy an HRM and see what your HR is like when you are out on a bike 'working hard'. I'm pretty sure you'll see it is considerably higher than your resting pulse rate of 70 bpm.

Natural supplements? Forget it. Your diet sounds fine and your alcohol consumption is way lower than most.

If it ain't broke…

DWH sorting a HRM out now, it'll be interesting to see the results. I realise it'll go far higher than the 70, but my gut feeling is that the band will be smaller than most peoples.
I'd also be interested in someone interpeting my results, rather than the GP just saying they're fine.

Any luck with finding the hub rubber boot yet?

Sorry sputnik, keep putting it somewhere safe? This is the bit…..

Don't worry about it. If you're fit, you're fit.

Your heart rates are apparently genetically determined by the relative sizes of atria and ventricles, or something.

I did lots of endurance training (v long slow rides) and my working heart rate at a given pace went down as my body was able to ride better in fat burning zones hence lower heart rate. My max hasn't changed, and neither has my resting HR much at all.

As above.
The only issue I have is that for men, and that includes me, I think that Morning Glory can disrupt that Rest HR figure somewhat!
Try is several times during the day, without stimulants such as coffee, tea and not directly after meals.

The repeat throughout the year, as your fitness improves, likely your rest HR will drop a little but it seems you do more CV based training than the majority of the UK's population, so I'd not lose any sleep over it.

PS – eating gunpowder can adjust your HR & it's one trick unwilling combatants used to fail their medicals during conscription, but can be dangerous, especially around naked flames! ❗

i wouldn't worry about the 70 BPM

you were in a "stressful" environment

so long as you keep active the measurement doesn't really matter too much
rest HR changes from day-to-day depending upon many factors
IIRC my lowest RHR is/was 39, doesn't make me any fitter than you

more important than RHR is heart rate recovery
i.e. if you hammer up a hill at 90% HRR(max) then stop at the top to re-group, how long is it until your heart rate drops to a "sensible" figure?
or another way…
during the climb you'll feel like throwing up; how does it take for the feeling to subside?

Hi Carl, yup, that is it! Do you still have my address?

you may find this of some interest

I was reading it from 1/2 way down, 26 days to go.

PS HR recovery is, as far as I'm aware, the definition of "fitness"; how long your HR returns to rest HR after exercise. Some will tell about VO2 measurements too.

Yes I do.

Hi dOugal my recovery is good, my warm up time is an age at about an hour?

If you're really bothered about getting an accurate resting HR then get a logging HRM and wear it in bed (no, not that sort of in bed – though I suppose it might have some interest value, who will be the first to post their HR graph up?)

If you've been having an ECG then I presume you've been having your heart rhythm looked at in general? If not then with as abnormal a heart rate response as that (it's a normal resting HR for somebody inactive, but not normal for what you do) I'd suggest you get yourself checked out properly, as it can be a sign of something wrong with the rhythm.

As to comparing your HR with others, totally pointless. I'm no longer even convinced that resting HR is that good an indicator of fitness in an individual. I'm the most unfit I've been for almost 20 years right now – 25% to 30% down on running speed compared to what I have been in the past based on how I performed yesterday against people I was competitive with only a year or so ago. Yet testing my resting HR sitting here right now it's still 48, which is what I'd always have considered a decent RHR for when I was slightly unfit (still able to run 20% faster than I can now). That's even with the fatigue of my hardest days exercise for months working it's way out (for those who have a Suunto HRM or otherwise understand these things, I managed a TE of 5.0 when I can't even remember seeing over 4 before!) Of course if I'd never trained at all I wouldn't have such a low HR, but it seems the response isn't anything like seems to be suggested.

70 is fine and remember you would be a little nervous and apprehensive so that has to be taken into account.

Don't worry about it – you'll only increase your HR!

Whenever testing my (resting) HR I was suprised that I was always pretty high, around 70 and even 80, even though I was pretty dang fit (training every day). Wife took it when I was asleep and it was waaaaay lower 40 or something – soon as I woke up it shot up (hmmm prehaps it has something to do with her)!

You may just be a 'high beater' (so to speak). I use HRM to train, but not bothered about trying to lower it, just see how it changes.

Wore it in an event once – that was waaay high just from the adrenaline of doing the event I imagine as we were pootling along.

I'm getting some sort of monitor thing tonight.
Anyway I did some simple tests thoughout the week, and my HR seems to drop to about 58/60 during the afternoon and stays like that during the evening.
Which seems odd. So I'm wondering if it is anything to do with being a very poor sleeper i.e 2-5 hours a night, or more but on and off. I can't help but now wonder if there is a link?

Only problem found was a slight delay in the left and right ventricle? opening and closing, getting refered for that, but told to carry on as usual and I don't need any form of prescription.
All bloods fine, cholesterol 3.8 whatever the **** that means.

Only problem found was a slight delay in the left and right ventricle? opening and closing, getting refered for that, but told to carry on as usual and I don't need any form of prescription.

By chance I found through an ECG (which the doc made me have for an Étape entry a couple of years ago) that I have Right Bundle Branch Block (essentially, of the three nerves that cause the left and right atria to pump, two are broken, so I rely on the signal from the remaining left nerve to cross the heart muscle and cause the right atrium to "fire"). I'm told that this isn't an uncommon finding, and that it means no restriction on exercise. Only thing is I get an annual check up with a cariologist to make sure that the left nerve is still working (as any disease or damage means a pacemaker).

After finally doing some proper training, I'm about to embark on my first road racing season (and last! – child on the way…).

I should think you'll be fine. Just keep riding hard – it's the best thing, isn't it?

Interesting. Though I'm not sure how to react to the new info.

Good luck with the season. I'm returning after a 15 year lay off. I did a bit two years ago with the LVRC and got mullered, then last year got written off because of an accident, thoughI did get a full cross season in. But this year I'm racing under a BC license.

Drac – Member
70 is fine and remember you would be a little nervous and apprehensive so that has to be taken into account.

Due to slightly high BP I had an ECG a week or so ago. Doc was scanning his screen going mmmmm, everything looks good, you are pretty fit. Oh wait a min your HR is only 50, is that normal? Seen it lower says I. He is still worried and monitoring 😐

Think I am a couple of yrs older than oldgit btw…. and asthmatic

I know this isn't the question asked but you can reduce your heart rate (like when you get to the top of a hill) really quick if you make yourself breathe out for twice as long as you take to breathe in. You feel you're about to suffocate but it really works.

Uplink said

My thyroid gland doesn't work too well so I need to take a hormone supplement [Levothyroxine]

Me too, for the past 25 years. Resting heart rate about 40.

I'm no longer even convinced that resting HR is that good an indicator of fitness in an individual.

With my coaching head on, I agree entirely. You really can't compare between individuals.
What it is good for is for comparing against yourself
and thus letting you know if you should maybe ease off on the training a little.

@AndyP that's conclusion I'm coming to.
I should say the problem is so slight the referal might not go ahead, we'll see.
Quite looking forward to getting my first HRM as well.

If you've been given the all clear then you need to start riding 3 times a week min at 70%+ your max heart rate so you increase cardiac output at lower heart rate.

I've got my pulse down to 59-60 and when lardy/not training -75 but it depends on your age and goal.

Zaskar
I'm 50 and the next goal is road racing.
I've just done a season of cross and did ok.
The last ten years I've been doing 12 and 24 solos and a few teams, plus lots of enduros and all the riding associated with doing them.
Prior to that my road racing goes back to when I started at 12 years old. So my base fitness isn't a problem,
I first picked up on having a high HR back in about 1985. Before that training was no drinking water and scoffing steak and pasta for breakfast HRMs were for the dying back then.
Like AndyP implies, it will be about tailoring what I've got.
I do want at least another 15 years of racing.

Forgot to mention, I'm doing the Carmicheal time crunched sessions at the moment.

Eat healthy, don't overtrain and check your HR monitor for zones.

And be patient, you're not old at all but you should add good recovery time and nutrition after a tough workout.

Just enjoy the workouts (Remember not everyone fits the medical range of stats of the bell curve-just something to compare).

"I'm no longer even convinced that resting HR is that good an indicator of fitness in an individual."

With my coaching head on, I agree entirely. You really can't compare between individuals.
What it is good for is for comparing against yourself
and thus letting you know if you should maybe ease off on the training a little.
You're misunderstanding me – easy to do if you take that quote in isolation admittedly, but surely the previous sentence "As to comparing your HR with others, totally pointless" and the following bit should have made it clear? I'm suggesting that comparing against yourself isn't even that good an indication of fitness. Sure it's a sign that you might be overdoing things a bit when it's raised, but actual background resting HR when you are properly rested is a rubbish way of measuring fitness for somebody who has at some point been well trained. See my previous post for evidence. Admittedly last night I was running better, and actually won the event, so maybe I'm not quite as unfit as I thought. But the win was probably more due to skill than speed, being a night orienteering event which is something I'm a bit of a specialist at, and I'm still my least fit for 20 years.

ourmaininthenorth
I spoke to my GP last night, basically because I wasn't expecting the info I got last week, and I had a few questions for him. One was about racing and push my HR limits. Although further tests are yet to carried out he did advise me to keep riding and working hard, but not to train to the point were I can't communicate normally. I breifly discussed HR limits and although he couldn't be very specific he did tell me to stay well within my 'considered' limits for now. The possibility that it would be best not to 'race hard' is looking quite strong.
So I was wondering if you were given any sports related advice.
If I was going to race tomorrow I'd do an enduro as opposed to a Crit right now.