Low resting heart rate

_Waffle_ wrote: »

Talk to a cardiologist.

I second this. I understand a lot of athletes have a resting heart rate around 40.

However, I once had a colleague who had a heart rate under 30 who was instructed not to exercise in a way to specifically strengthen his heart further. He explained that a weak heart pumps lightly but frequently. A strong heart pumps powerfully but infrequently. Apparently an extremely powerful heart can pump so hard that it can strain the valves that it is attached too.

I experienced this last year. I had been doing cardio last summer (cycling) for a few months. My resting heart rate during the day was high 40's - upper 50 and sometimes would dip to mid-40s. Now i know when you are fit your resting heart rate can easily go into the low 40s. Even though i was working out, i was still very obese, so i was concerned so i went to see my family doctor.

I explained to the doctor my concern about my RHR and she says, "it's not unusual for athletes to have a low RHR..." I laughed out loud and said, "Do i LOOK like an athlete???"

She sent me to a cardiologist. I explained everything to the Dr. They did an EKG. I also explained that i would push myself to hit my max HR fairly often when riding. I explained that i would occasional do the two minute heart rate recovery test and my recovery rate was fine.

What he came back with was since basically I doing my own stress tests and I had no symptoms what so ever, that my low RHR was completely normal!

So i would say you are perfectly fine, but that is just my completely uneducated guess... it certainly wouldn't hurt to see your doctor and talk about it, if nothing more for the peace of mind!