Originally Posted by oboeguy
Naturally both are important. Low RHR and high LT ==> lots of beats to use for endurance sports. I remember that there was at least one Europro who had 60bpm RHR (can't remember). Honestly, though, 36-40bpm is off the charts!
When I was training with a heart-rate monitor (lost the chest strap some time ago and haven't been motivated to replace it.) I regularly recorded a resting pulse rate of 40 bpm. I thought "That's odd, I don't feel *that* fit."
Turns out, I'm probably not, it's more likely related to a condition known as bradycardia (I haven't actually been "officially" diagnosed, but the description of symptoms found in internet literature on the subject all seems to match.). Symptoms of which include abnormally low resting heart-rate, and dizziness. Y'know that feeling when you sit up too fast and get all dizzy? That happens to me *all the time*.
-Trevor