I have been monitoring my resting Heart Rate almost every morning for a few months now and the results seem a bit unusual. There has been a general downward trend (down to 42 on a low day), but the results vary dramatically between 42 and 53. I know that a higher than average resting heart rate can be a sign of over training, but there does not seen to be a correlation between hard riding days and increased Heart Rates.

Any Ideas?

Nice dreams?

Cole

often times a resting heart rate is not a reflection of JUST the day before...but of the DAYS before. Keep that in mind. Also...you are going to have lower RHR on days that you get a longer period of sleep. Days with 6 hours of sleep should have a slightly higher RHR than those of 8+.

It depends on a lot of things, diet, sleep, peace of mind, fittness, general health etc etc and 42 to 53 doesn't sound like anything significant, 53 is still quite low.
If you're concerned, talk to your GP.

Hey mine is double yours! Woo hoo!

I can spike my heart rate 11 beats just by clenching my fists for a few seconds. Why worry over such a trivial amount. 53 is great, 42 is even better. Relax.

My HR goes up to about 80-90 as I'm preparing for a ride (I'll put my monitor on first before dressing), but it's due to the excitement and nervousness of the upcoming ride. I used to wear the monitor to bed on occasion to get a good average resting rate, but then I read somewhere that your HR actually increases slightly while you sleep (digestion and repair). I now try to take it early morning, before I eat or drink anything.

dont worry to much. my heart rate in the morning is usually around 180, after the 3 or 4 cups of coffee it usually takes to get me to work....

180!!?? Maybe its you that should be worried, even with all that coffee....

I read on Armstrong's website that his resting heart rate is 32-34! :eek:

check it out!

wow

RHR is a check where you are not awake when it is taken but in sleep around 4 am in the morning. Your average American RHR is 70 :eek: so unless you take an average over time with a HR monitor that you can plug into a computer and see when it was lowest during sleep- being awake can jump it alot. Also although it is true that your stroke volume can increase with exercise and a RHR can show that- it can only go so far down - not showing you if you have become more fit. What it can show is that you may have a need for more rest.
Velocity

In my case, the most reliable thing that RHR indicates is how deep asleep I was just before the measurement. (If the alarm clock wakes me from a deep sleep, RHR is around 34; if I wake on my own and end up lying in bed until the alarm goes off, RHR is more like 40)

When I first got an HRM, I'd wear it at odd times for fun. On a few occasions in the office, and in the afternoon, I noticed that mine would be in the low 40s and sometimes drop into the high 30s. Made me think I should consider a more exciting field.

My RHR is in the high 40's, and during the day it is around 54 or so, it could go lower though, it does go up to about 80 before a ride and nearly 100 before a race!

I've never used a HR monitor, just taken my pulse before getting out of bed in the morning.

For those of you with monitors, does your HR drop lower when you are actually sleeping?

I used to be an avid runner, putting on 25 - 35 miles per week. My resting heart rate was going lower and lower the longer I was in training. On a low day in the morning (not immediately after waking) it went into the low 40's and for a while in the middle 30's like 34- 36. Somewhere I read that a low resting pulse is an indication that your cardiovascular system is in very good condition. It has been a while since I was in that condition - 20 years. I am getting back into running, now in my 50's (age, not heart rate), but it's a long hard raod! ;)

If LA's is low 30's,i have a hard time beliving someone on here could be the same but i guess i could be wrong.

Heart rate variability is a sign of health. A heart rate that is constant is not a good sign.

Your heart rate will even go up and down with your breathing cycle.

I think pro cyclists are all in this range. I know that one of the concerns that I've read about - in the days of doping (as if it has ended!) was team doctors waking up guys in the middle of the night whose RHR was in the 20's -- afraid that with EPO thickening up the blood, their heart might stop.

LA is not a superman.. I had surgurey last week. My hear rate when in pre-op was 39.. That was before drugs... The nurse knew I ride[alot] and said, gotta lova that athletic heart. What I'm getting at is if you are athletic these numbers are attainable.

Cheers.

I've measured mine as low as 39 in the morning after waking up on my own but it's typically between 43 and 46. I used a HRM to measure.

I think I'll try this again since I've had better training the past 8 months since I measured. Just have to hope the 9 month old doesn't get us up at 3am!

LA's RHR is about equal to that of an elephant. At least I heard somewhere that elepants have RHR in the low 30's.

My RHR is typically varies between 45 and 52. sometimes it's in the mid 50s if I wake up with the alarm clock and then find I have to use the bathroom right away. If I wake up naturally and don't have to answer a call of nature, then it is always on the lower side.

I don't really know what I'm talking about, but it seems like you should get a good comparative rate over time if you measure it the same time of day under the same general conditions each day. That may be easiest if it's right when you wake up.

One thing that I have not seen mentioned on this thread is heredity. You can be lucky enough to have a slow heart rate in comparison to other people with the same relative (pun intended) fitness level.

Polar will also tell you that you can have a slow heart rate at the same effort level (hard to get your heart rate up) due to over training. And, your heart rate can be abnormally high due to over training. Kind of a catch 22.

I was told in high school that I had a naturally slow heart getting a physical for sports. When I was skiing every day I had a nurse take my pulse 3 times to get it to 44 because she could not believe her watch. In the later stages of training for a marathon I had my HR monitor on before an evening run (I hate running in the morning) sitting on the couch and noticed it read 28. I've seen 32 many times with moderate training.