Best way to decrease resting HR?
WombatHat42
Posts: 192 Member
So got a new fitbit today since the last one has been broken the past year. My resting HR is 75avg and is 83(current) laying in bed and high 90s earlier laying on the couch. Honestly think the 75avg is low since it said I had nearly 4 hours of exercise today and I have only been at work. Granted it is a high stress environment, I dont feel my HR should be this high even at work and want to lower it.
Currently, I walk about 40-60minutes on the treadmill 3 times a week and lift. Been doing this about a month, but have a bum foot atm so havent been in a week.
I used to do sprints on alternating days but am unable to run do to a back injury. Thought about biking 10-30sec at high intensity then 2 minutes low but every time im on the stationary, my back or knee start to have issues. I'd like to hear any suggestions on ways to decrease it and how long until i see any results?
Currently, I walk about 40-60minutes on the treadmill 3 times a week and lift. Been doing this about a month, but have a bum foot atm so havent been in a week.
I used to do sprints on alternating days but am unable to run do to a back injury. Thought about biking 10-30sec at high intensity then 2 minutes low but every time im on the stationary, my back or knee start to have issues. I'd like to hear any suggestions on ways to decrease it and how long until i see any results?
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Replies
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Unfortunately that's something that takes a while of working out, stress reduction, good sleep, and weight loss to show a trend down. Keep in mind your heart rate can stay elevated for a few hours after exercise and can fluctuate to stress, activity, coffee intake, and even caloric intake. Stop judging your resting heart rate several times a day, just look at your watch in the morning right after you wake up and before you get out of bed.4
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Go for long, moderate intensity bike rides. Aim for 75 miles per week.2
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I ride a bicycle between 100 and 200 miles per week and my resting heart rate is quite low. I've seen it as low as the upper 40's but I suspect that is partly due to genetics rather than exercise.0
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40 to 60, your quite the athlete... it should be 60 to 100. hmm., I am around 57 to 60, when I drink any alcohol, goes up higher., sleep is a big one. you should get around 7 hours to keep it pretty good, and yes, its all about your movement, I go all day long, the longer you sit all day. the higher it will be. stress, caffeine. oh, so many factors!, I have a fitbit. message me. and I will add you.3
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It may be worth noting that Fitbits become more accurate over time with more data - it might be worth giving it a few days before starting to worry just based on that number.
Otherwise, long steady-state exercise is anecdotally best for reducing resting heart-rate, although I've not looked for studies to prove it.0 -
I haven't used a fitbit in quite a while, but I was under the impression that their HR monitors were pretty inaccurate. In anycase OP, your HR will fluctuate throughout the day. Even with that variance most people are still within the "normal" range (which you fall into).
Most often the way to decrease it is by exercising. I do minimal cardio (none) and I was Sinus Brady during my last 2 EKGs (<60). Despite the fact that i only lift, it still increases my HR (squatting the most if I had to guess).
I couldn't actually tell you WHEN my RHR started to decrease, as I've never tracked it.1 -
I started the c25k program four weeks ago and my heart rate has decreased by 4 bpm since I started it.1
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Keep in mind that genetics play a role. Some people just have higher resting HRs than others.
Weight loss and exercise will lower your HR but no need for intense exercise. Easy cardiovascular work will do (HR below 80% of max, fully conversational during effort, barely breathing hard). This can be as simple as walking at a brisker pace than normal or doing a very light jog.
The great thing about easy CV work is that it's truly easy and you can actually do as much of it as you want. I used to be a believer that all exercise had to be at 'ugly' efforts but once I discovered how to work out easy, I found that I actually wanted to and could work out more frequently.
With little to no intense exercise, I dropped my resting HR from the low 70's to the mid-50's in just under four months. I mainly did easy runs with some elliptical thrown in on bad weather days. About 30 minutes per day 5 days per week. I should also note that I lost about 40 pounds over the same period (diet did most of the work, but easy effort exercises burn just about the same amount of calories as tough effort exercises).
I still do some intensity work if I'm training for a race or just want to mix things up but for the most part 80%-85% of my exercise is at easy effort.1 -
I used to do sprints on alternating days but am unable to run do to a back injury. Thought about biking 10-30sec at high intensity then 2 minutes low but every time im on the stationary, my back or knee start to have issues. I'd like to hear any suggestions on ways to decrease it and how long until i see any results?
It's down to improve aerobic capacity, so increasing your stroke volume. That's down to sustained duration, easy paced aerobic range training.
Walking is a reasonable start, but interval training is only a mechanism to train yourself to operate for longer periods. Couch to 5K will get you to the stage of running for 30 minutes.
Personally my RHR will reduce fairly quickly, but in truth is not something to worry about.
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Best way to decrease resting HR?
- Get fit.
- Lose weight.
- Reduce stress.
Cycling got me fitter than ever. A mixture of low and high intensity, short and long (to very long) duration.
Initial base fitness building is normally done at low intensity for long duration.
Resting HR dropped from low 60's when I was quite fit but 30lbs overweight down to high 40s now I'm very fit and the correct weight.
Anecdote on how stress can affect resting HR....
My normal resting HR was around 63 at the time but an early morning gym assessment came up with a number in the 80's - that was purely the affect of riding a motorcycle in heavy city traffic.5 -
I've long read that an RHR between 60 and 100 is fine. Lately, however, I seem to be getting the impression that many think that even the 70s is not low enough. I'm coming up empty when I try to find something indicating that though. Does anybody have research on this? My RHR is generally 72, which I've thought was fine but now I'm wondering.1
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My resting HR was 48 last time I checked.....as other have said, lose weight & lots of low to medium intensity cardio but it takes time.
This mornings run was a fairly relaxed 5 miles, my avg HR was 135......the same run a few years ago would have had me in the 150s. Patience and consistency are your friends.0 -
I've long read that an RHR between 60 and 100 is fine. Lately, however, I seem to be getting the impression that many think that even the 70s is not low enough. I'm coming up empty when I try to find something indicating that though. Does anybody have research on this? My RHR is generally 72, which I've thought was fine but now I'm wondering.
A RHR in the 70's is fine. It's not something you have to worry about.
I'm guessing that most of us didn't target to specifically reduce our RHRs when we started losing weight/exercising. It just came with the package. I can say that after moving from the low 70's to below 60 I can actually feel the difference. I feel much more relaxed overall and it seems like I'm carrying significantly less tension in my body. Of course, this could also be related to my weight loss and improved CV conditioning but I'll take it either way.1 -
I've long read that an RHR between 60 and 100 is fine. Lately, however, I seem to be getting the impression that many think that even the 70s is not low enough. I'm coming up empty when I try to find something indicating that though. Does anybody have research on this? My RHR is generally 72, which I've thought was fine but now I'm wondering.
A RHR in the 70's is fine. It's not something you have to worry about.
I'm guessing that most of us didn't target to specifically reduce our RHRs when we started losing weight/exercising. It just came with the package. I can say that after moving from the low 70's to below 60 I can actually feel the difference. I feel much more relaxed overall and it seems like I'm carrying significantly less tension in my body. Of course, this could also be related to my weight loss and improved CV conditioning but I'll take it either way.
I really have no idea what my RHR was before I started exercising and lost 50 pounds. I'm assuming it went down but I can't pinpoint it as having made me feel any different since I was losing weight, becoming more fit in general, etc. all at the same time. It's interesting that you can feel the difference now that yours has reduced more. I guess it's something I'll wait to see if I ever notice.0 -
Dunno about the OP's question of how to best lower your heart rate. I haven't seen any data or systematic study. Anecdotally, I saw my RHR immediately go down when I changed my focus from powerlifting to triathlons. When I measure my heart rate with my Garmin Heart Rate Monitor I can report my own RHR is 42 at age 54 when doing about 15 hours of cardio per week of varying intensity and duration.
It doesn't seem to be uncommon among cardio athletes. Another guy on my triathlon team who is 67 has the same RHR as I do. I've heard of athletes, specifically category 1-3 bicycle racers with resting heart rates in the high 20s, but those are young guys in peak condition.0 -
alexsuffell wrote: »Otherwise, long steady-state exercise is anecdotally best for reducing resting heart-rate, although I've not looked for studies to prove it.
When I was in the ER, the alarm on the ECG they had me hooked up to kept going off every time my HR feel below 50 (?) bpm. After a few times, the nurse said something about it, I told him I'm a cyclist, and he disabled the alarm. Cyclists have strong hearts, large stroke volume.
Cycling is as far as you can get from a steady state though.0 -
Cycling and swimming though it takes commitment and time.0
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See http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Endurance_Adaptations.
In F. Scharhag-Rosenberger, et al, Time course of changes in endurance capacity: a 1-yr training study, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19346973, they found that resting HR decreased by a total of 9 +/- 6 min(-1) after 3 to 6 months in eighteen previously untrained subjects after completing a 12-month jogging/walking program on 3 d x wk(-1) 45 min per session with a constant HR prescription of 60% HR reserve.
It took me about 3 years to drop my resting HR from high 70s to low 40s. Cycling is my primary sport with weekday lunch walks. Over that period I dropped 40 pounds. I went from 146 hours in 2014, 410 hours in 2015, 413 hours in 2016, and only 203 hours this year due to an injury at end of 2016 and other distractions (cycling, don't track my walks as religiously). Millage-wise, 2261 miles in 2014, 7012 miles in 2015, 6378 miles in 2016 (through mid November), and 2689 miles so far this year. I do a great deal of training indoors so take the yearly mileage with a grain of salt.2 -
This is a timely thread for me. HR is not something I used to pay much attention to honestly. However I was looking at some random graphs on my fitness tracker readouts last week and I noticed that my resting HR is now down to 53 from in the low 80's when I started a year ago. When I first saw this I honestly freaked out a bit and went on a Google search binge. I also made a note to ask my Doc about since since I had a checkup appointment coming up anyway.
I took up running 8 months ago, and my distance and speed has steadily increased over time. I am in the 30-35 miles per week range now. According to my doctor my increased cardiovascular fitness is the cause of the low heart rate and it's a trend he often sees in runners and endurance athletes. Due to regular running, some permanent changes in my heart have occurred. The heart walls have thickened and it's now pumping more blood with each beat. This explains why my heart rate has become lower.
Maybe you should take up running?0 -
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A normal resting HR for an adult is 60-100 BPM...so you're normal.
Lowering your resting HR takes time...regular cardiovascular exercise of moderate intensity. I only do high intensity training about once per week. I typically cycle between 50-60 miles per week or so...conversational pace for the most part.
My RHR is usually around 70 but in the 60s sometimes...I'm hereditarily pre-disposed to a higher RHR. Prior to regular cardiovascular exercise, it was around 110.3 -
KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »40 to 60, your quite the athlete... it should be 60 to 100. hmm., I am around 57 to 60, when I drink any alcohol, goes up higher., sleep is a big one. you should get around 7 hours to keep it pretty good, and yes, its all about your movement, I go all day long, the longer you sit all day. the higher it will be. stress, caffeine. oh, so many factors!, I have a fitbit. message me. and I will add you.
One needn't be a stellar athlete to get a heart rate below 60, even well below 60. Mine was running around 48 first thing in the morning at last check, and I'm just a reasonably fit and (long-term) active li'l ol' lady. Genetics may help, dunno. Low BMI is not vital; my RHR got this low when I was still obese (but very active).
I'm another person who kept setting off the low heart rate alarm in pre-op, before any drugs. I finally resorted to waving my arms & legs in the air above the bed.
My physician called it "fitness induced bradycardia" - LOL!
OP, I don't understand why you want to reduce your RHR. In itself, it isn't good for anything.
Good cardiovascular health, which is worth pursuing, will get you there, and volume of cardiovascular base training is the most helpful component. High volume inherently means mostly low intensity (a.k.a. steady state, LISS, LSD, etc.) because intensity limits volume.
So, work up your volume of low-to-moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise, anything that's fun but doesn't aggravate your injuries, and you should begin seeing gradual RHR reduction in weeks to a small number of months.
Once you get a decent base, then consider starting to add occasional more-intense interval training for fun, variety and other benefits, if your injuries permit.4 -
I've long read that an RHR between 60 and 100 is fine. Lately, however, I seem to be getting the impression that many think that even the 70s is not low enough. I'm coming up empty when I try to find something indicating that though. Does anybody have research on this? My RHR is generally 72, which I've thought was fine but now I'm wondering.
A RHR in the 70's is fine. It's not something you have to worry about.
I'm guessing that most of us didn't target to specifically reduce our RHRs when we started losing weight/exercising. It just came with the package. I can say that after moving from the low 70's to below 60 I can actually feel the difference. I feel much more relaxed overall and it seems like I'm carrying significantly less tension in my body. Of course, this could also be related to my weight loss and improved CV conditioning but I'll take it either way.
I really have no idea what my RHR was before I started exercising and lost 50 pounds. I'm assuming it went down but I can't pinpoint it as having made me feel any different since I was losing weight, becoming more fit in general, etc. all at the same time. It's interesting that you can feel the difference now that yours has reduced more. I guess it's something I'll wait to see if I ever notice.
I know what mine was because I remember being surprised how high it was when the nurses mentioned it during my migraine botox visits.
I'm one of those who has a genetically higher RHR, and it used to be in the mid 80's when I was obese. I remember the nurse saying "86".
Three years after starting to exercise, it's now down around 62-63. It's funny that some consider that to still be high, but I guess it's all relative. For me, that's obviously a vast improvement.
OP, I've done C25K, which ... yay, interval training, but something else which helps is that I get up and move throughout the day. We recently went on vacation and I wasn't quite as active throughout the day, and my RHR shot up. Now that I'm back to my normal routine, it's trending right back down. I have a Fitbit with hourly move reminders. I get up and walk briskly for 5-10 minutes every hour, and I had no idea the impact that had on my RHR until now.
Edit again: As for Fitbit accuracy, my Fitbit records my RHR and those records jive with what the nurses get when they take my pulse at doctor's visits.2 -
I agree that a lot of resting heart rate is genetic. My husband's RHR is in the low 40s, and his exercise consists of playing soft ball twice per week (in the summer) and hockey once a week (in the winter). He also cycles about a mile (to the bar) once or twice per week.
I, on the other hand, have been running 3-4 times per week for 45 minutes up to 2 hours (long run) for the past year and my RHR is in the mid to high 60s to low 70s.1 -
I agree that a lot of resting heart rate is genetic. My husband's RHR is in the low 40s, and his exercise consists of playing soft ball twice per week (in the summer) and hockey once a week (in the winter). He also cycles about a mile (to the bar) once or twice per week.
I, on the other hand, have been running 3-4 times per week for 45 minutes up to 2 hours (long run) for the past year and my RHR is in the mid to high 60s to low 70s.
Odd, these genetics. My DH has always had a low-ish heart rate, even when obese. My RHR when obese and inactive was 100+ bpm, nowadays, as a normal weight (not yet at goal though) and a much fitter person, it's 50-60 bpm.
My 17-year old daughter is petite, slim (at the lower end of normal BMI) and has a RHR of 100-120bpm. She walks a couple of miles a day, and runs three times a week but that's pretty well it for exercise. She appears to be fine though, not dizzy/faint/anything else that may cause concern - she actually went to our GP about it as all her friends (who exercise even less than she does) had RHR in the 60-70 bpm range and caused her to worry. GP listened to her heart and lungs and declared her perfectly well, so hopefully she's stopped worrying about it so much.0 -
The OP could try a good quality fish oil supplement coupled with regular cardio exercise. When I first started with MFP I weighed in at 305lbs or more, my resting HR was somewhere in the 80's and it didn't take a whole lot to wear me out. I started walking for exercise, kept that up for months which helped (walking fast enough to raise my heart rate, for up to 4 miles at a time), then I started to take a good Fish Oil supplement. Together with the regular exercise I do my resting HR today, a little over 900 days into my journey is high 40's. I can easily exercise in the 150-160 range if I want, even push higher for short bursts, and my heart goes right back down to where it is supposed to go afterward. I feel I'm in pretty good cardiovascular shape now, but back then I was a bit worried. It is going to take time and effort to build up endurance and your heart, after all, it's a muscle too.1
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NorthCascades wrote: »alexsuffell wrote: »Otherwise, long steady-state exercise is anecdotally best for reducing resting heart-rate, although I've not looked for studies to prove it.
When I was in the ER, the alarm on the ECG they had me hooked up to kept going off every time my HR feel below 50 (?) bpm. After a few times, the nurse said something about it, I told him I'm a cyclist, and he disabled the alarm. Cyclists have strong hearts, large stroke volume.
Cycling is as far as you can get from a steady state though.
LOL.
When I had my appendix removed and was coming out of anesthesia, they were watching me like a hawk! The alarms were going off with a low 30s HR AND I was setting off the bp alarms, something like 40/80. But that was a couple days after podiuming a 5k with appendicitis2 -
scorpio516 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »alexsuffell wrote: »Otherwise, long steady-state exercise is anecdotally best for reducing resting heart-rate, although I've not looked for studies to prove it.
When I was in the ER, the alarm on the ECG they had me hooked up to kept going off every time my HR feel below 50 (?) bpm. After a few times, the nurse said something about it, I told him I'm a cyclist, and he disabled the alarm. Cyclists have strong hearts, large stroke volume.
Cycling is as far as you can get from a steady state though.
LOL.
When I had my appendix removed and was coming out of anesthesia, they were watching me like a hawk! The alarms were going off with a low 30s HR AND I was setting off the bp alarms, something like 40/80. But that was a couple days after podiuming a 5k with appendicitis
Haha, yup! Same here. At my annual checkup my MD took my pulse and said, "If I didn't know you, right now I'd be screaming for the nurse and busting out the paddles to shock you back to life!!"
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By getting fitter and lowering your stress levels. There's no ONE WAY to do it. You personally have to find out what works for you to get fitter and learn how to destress by trial and error.
I will say that when you find time to do stuff you like BY YOURSELF, it seems that stress levels reduce pretty well.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Your heart rate is in the healthy zone.0
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