Heybales - Resting HR?

decblessings

Heybales, I've noticed you asking people about their HR a lot. I just saw in one thread that you asked someone what their resting HR is. Do you mean a "just out of bed" resting heart rate? I've been sitting at my desk at work and just took mine with a phone app, and it was 65 bpm. Should this tell me valuable information? I've also seen you ask people about their HR dropping after HIIT. My HR gets pretty much to the max HR when I'm at full effort, but it drops into the "target" range within a minute. I have a HRM, just curious what I should be looking for with it other than calories burned...

Greenrun99

Not sure why he might ask that, he will probably let you know.. but a more valuable number in terms of HR is from max hr to rest how long does it take your heart to come back to rest.. that is a fit level indicator.

heybales

Yep, usually ask for both for exactly that reason.

And it's a measure of cardio fitness.

It's because a good level of cardio fitness can actually lower your metabolism, and TDEE, for very valid reasons that just have to be dealt with, not really any improvement needed, except getting cardio unfit, which I suppose could be an option.

Is the phone app a mere stop clock, or one of those supposedly measures HR using camera and finger?
Skip that latter method, just use a watch in the morning after waking up. Well, unless the alarm clock freaked you out and heart is racing now.

With HRM, very much easier for resting and recovery rate.
Just wet electrodes in the am and press gently to chest. I can actually hold in both hands and get HR.

Then just calmly observe what it gets down to.

Can do the same thing at work. After walking around, what does it get up to, and how fast does it drop to low level after sitting, merely have to grip it likely. Or wear all day to see what avgHR is all day with no exercise. Forget the calorie count in that case, invalid info.

And of course after workout, but in that case, not how long, but how much movement in say 1 or 2 min.

For instance, my own example last year. I'd always used VO2max test to calculate calorie burns, and it had been awhile.

Well, I had a month leading up to some races, so I kept deficit minor, around 200-250 calories, and that was based on Katch BMR based on Bodpod tested BF%, so easily within 5% accuracy and about 25 calorie range. Eating back exercise calories.
No weight change. That's fine, I'm doing endurance cardio which is stressful, and totally expected.

After a tri, got another VO2max test. Included in results was the 5 min sitting baseline values. Not true RMR test, but good enough to compare.
It was good 200 lower than expected for known LBM, probably lower actually if true RMR test. I didn't realize endurance cardio could make that level of improvement, I knew some. Starting researching, and indeed, endurance cardio lowers RMR and HRmax too.
So I actually had no deficit in place, hence my results of dropping inches and staying same weight, I at least was making improvements.

But at least I started on the high side, so no suppression.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales?month=201302

65 isn't to that level yet really, normally lower than 50, unless you always have an elevated resting HR and 65 is really low compared to say 80.

As to the HRM calculated HRmax, if that max effort is slowly reached by increasing effort, your HRmax is actually higher. If it was fast ramping like intervals, then could be true. But usually when you hit true HRmax for few seconds, you won't be doing anything afterwards, like more workout. Just heaving and breathing and maybe puking.

decblessings

LOL to the puking. I wasn't doing anything resembling THAT.

Yeah the 65 is just with the little cell phone camera app. I do have a HRM and I know that it's read just below 50 before while sitting calmly, watching my kids in their class at the Y before going to workout. I'll try to take a true resting HR this weekend and see what I get.

I was doing endurance cardio for quite some time. Worked my way up to a half marathon and other than a random 30 mile bike ride or some other uncommon physical activity, I haven't done anything that hard core, endurance wise, since spring time... interesting info...

heybales

I think I'm going to have to correct my understanding on the potential severity of endurance cardio, if any.

While some have tested lower RMR, I'm beginning to think like me, they had a bigger deficit than expected, and therefore had expected lowering of metabolism.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss?page=10#posts-16854293