My resting heart rate.

After reading all the replies I think my heart is going to explode! My resting heart rate is 92! When I exercise it gets up to 170. Maybe I should schedule an EKG?!

Does anyone know if you have a lower resting HR and lower HR in general if it means you burn less calories doing the same exercise as someone who has higher HR? I mean physically you would think the same, but everyone seems to always assume higher HR = higher calories

Interesting but the drop in HR in one minute from exercise is more important than resting HR.

Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »

Does anyone know if you have a lower resting HR and lower HR in general if it means you burn less calories doing the same exercise as someone who has higher HR? I mean physically you would think the same, but everyone seems to always assume higher HR = higher calories

@Noreenmarie1234
Nope. Most likely is that someone with a lower HR has a greater heart pumping efficiency or stroke volume. Moving the same amount of blood with fewer beats in other words.

HR is used as a proxy for oxygen uptake during aerobic exercise but it's impractical for most people to exercise hooked up to breathing apparatus analysing their gas exchange!
It's one of the many limitations of using HRMs to estimate calorie burns - you may get an average but the outliers (both ways, very fit and unfit) will be way off the average.

Extreme example - I was on a power meter equipped bike trainer putting out 200 watts of power at 150bpm.
An exceptional cyclist next to me was putting out about 20% more power (hence 20% more calories) than I was but at only 130bpm. That would badly confuse a HRM.

Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »

Does anyone know if you have a lower resting HR and lower HR in general if it means you burn less calories doing the same exercise as someone who has higher HR? I mean physically you would think the same, but everyone seems to always assume higher HR = higher calories

Physics says it will always be the same calories you are doing work moving a mass from a to b you might be more inefficient i.e. produce more heat. The issues the zones your body is working in Z2 burns more fat than say Z5 if you are unfit your heart / body will be working in Z4 and Z5 i.e. burning carbs not fat, if you keep to Z2 then you burn more fat. Z1 is 50-60 of your max, 60-70 is Z2, 70-80 is Z3, 80-90 Z4 and 90-100% is Z5 now that is the simple method say you have a max of 180 and you RHR is 110 you will not be in Z2 at rest.

6pkdreamer wrote: »

Interesting but the drop in HR in one minute from exercise is more important than resting HR.

Mine drops quick when I reduce effort. When I first started exercising I would be out of breath and shaky long after I had a cool down and quit. That doesn't happen anymore, I feel so much better.

My current average is 48, but right this second (sitting on a couch messing around on my phone) it's 59...so clearly it fluctuates quite a bit.

Low 40s.

Just measured mine - 69.

Mine was high 80s average resting before I started exercising. Now the average resting is 59. Also, it drops much faster after I stop exercising, so I know the exercise has made me healthier!

WOW my resting heart rate is higher than most.

Before I started doing any physical activity, my resting heart rate was always in the high 70s.

But I noticed ever since I dropped some weight and started walking everyday for at least 45 minutes, my resting heart rate is in the low 60s.

This morning I checked my resting heart rate and it was 59!!! That's the first time ever.. Hopefully it gets better!!!

If I'm sitting on the couch, low 40's. Lying down and being still like they tell you to measure I've been in the mid 30's

MsBuzzkillington wrote: »

When is low too low? 40s seems really low. What's the difference between an athlete with a HR of 44 and someone who is anorexic? I mean, in one scenario doctors are very concerned. It just seems really low. Is lower much better? When is it concerning and when is it really healthy? I've asked the same question different ways I guess. I am just curious about things.

There was a time many many years ago when the dieting and exercise thing got a bit out of control on accident and I spent a night in the hospital. My HR went down to 32 while sleeping and the doctor freaked out.

Been there done that, will not exercise that much any more. (20% of bulimics purge by exercise; I was one of them.) my resting rate is 64 and I am fine with that.

When I got my FitBit last August and saw a RHR figure in the low 50s I was a little concerned. But I checked with my GP, who looked at my office visit vitals for the past three years; and in the course of my "fitness and weight loss journey" it does appear that I've gone from a RHR of 75-90 bpm (!) in 2013 (@255 lbs) to one that sits generally in the high 40s/lower 50s (@175 lbs). I've stepped up my exercise program considerably this past 6 months, and 49 bpm is now the current norm. One interesting thing: I'd heard that a cold/flu can cause the RHR to rise for the duration of the illness, and I discovered recently that it's true:

Mine is 62