Resting heart rate

I’ve been working on my cardio fitness this year to get my resting heart rate down from mid 60s. Just thought I would share this morning. I couldn’t be happier that it’s paying off. I’m happy with this. kd4quraqqped.png
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Replies

  • Hanibanani2020
    Hanibanani2020 Posts: 523 Member
    Oops, posted before the question. Who else focuses on resting heart rate as part of their regime?
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,036 Member
    I don't have goals related to my resting heart rate. But my fitness tracker keeps track of it and I do see a lower RHR as proof that my fitness level is improving.
  • Geneveremfp
    Geneveremfp Posts: 504 Member
    Great job!

    I definitely have it as a fitness goal. I've got a smart watch and love that I get an average resting heart rate over the course of a day or a month or even a year. It's so great seeing it coming down over time.
  • watts6151
    watts6151 Posts: 887 Member
    It’s something I track not just for fitness
    But more a sign of fatigue and an indicator of when to deload while resistance training
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    I've used my fitbit to track mine so I can keep track of my increasingly erratic cycles through menopause. Even with 6 months plus between periods, I've not been caught out by one, yet.
  • Ariennalee
    Ariennalee Posts: 7 Member
    Oh well done! Just got down to 57 myself :)
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    Great job!

    I track it and want to see it go down, but it’s not something I explicitly work towards. For me it’s a pretty good indicator of stress and when to take a break and rest more, and it has taught me why alcohol is horrible for recovery. I’ve had a Fitbit since 2016 and I can tell dates of most hangovers pretty much by just looking for peaks in the graph.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    Oops, posted before the question. Who else focuses on resting heart rate as part of their regime?

    Focus? No. Consider? Sure.

    Gradually lower, good, but will stabilize (roughly) at a certain point (maybe because I don't devote the whole focus of my life to fitness improvement ;) ). Gradually higher, not so good, but what to do depends on circumstances - could be overtraining, could be slacking off, could be aftereffect of one day over-goal eating , or lots of other possibilities.

    Fitness-wise, I think heart rate drift and recovery is usually more interesting, along with heart rate at a known/metered output across X-length workout duration, and that sort of thing. If I'm faster for a given duration at a given HR, that's improvement that's meaningful to me. Resting HR is more of side effect. I'm not very technically well-informed or structured about it, though: It's more of a spitball thing.
  • Hanibanani2020
    Hanibanani2020 Posts: 523 Member
    Fitness is my main focus now. Weightloss is secondary and a nice side effect of increased fitness. Love it! Totally addicted to seeing my heart rate and recovery. Just really enjoying it 😁
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,036 Member
    I hope you don't get worried when it drops below 50, like me. I always have a lower RHR during my period, it drops to the high 40's and always freaks me out a little, lol.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    That's great!

    I personally don't since mine is always been higher despite my fitness levels. It used to bug me a little but I'm ok with it now.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Oops, posted before the question. Who else focuses on resting heart rate as part of their regime?

    Fitness was the focus and RHR dropping was a consequence of that.
    Monitoring RHR casually does give me feedback on stress levels and something I'll watch quite closely during a particularly hard training block - elevated RHR can be a sign of overtraining.

    Of more interest to me was the big increase in power at the same HR - not just at close to max sustainable HR but also for LISS and MISS. 25% - 30% increase in power at same HR gave me a significant performance boost for my sport.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    I have the opposite kind of goal. My resting heart rate now regularly drops into the 30s when I am sitting quietly. That hasn't been an issue as far as I can tell until recently (yes, I have an appt in a couple of weeks with primary care to discuss this) and when I was going to the gym a few times a week, mostly lifting but some interval work too, my resting HR always maintained in the mid 40s. When I would take time off from the workouts, and if the reason wasn't because I was on vacation hiking in high altitudes, HR again dipped. I haven't been to the gym since February and I just can't seem to make myself do the kind of hard workout I did there.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    edited July 2020
    My only 'goal' is to make the alarms go off when they check my pulse with the machine during my annual physical :D If it drops below 50 the alarm sounds (my RHR is in the low 40's so this isn't that hard for me to do).

    I do track it and use it as one indicator of when I am over training or getting sick. I look for patterns. For example HR over 50 for more than a day or 2 tells me there is an issue that has to be addressed.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 429 Member
    Not a focus, but I do watch it with interest. It varies with tiredness and hormones for me.
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    I wouldn't say it's the focus, but I'm always aware of my heart rate, and I do track it.

    One of my biggest problems is to do with my sleep, and a lack of sleep directly correlates to stalled weight/weight gain for me. When I'm not getting enough sleep, my resting rate spikes up, so it's another useful warning sign for me that I need to redouble my efforts with getting some extra Zzzs.

    I can also typically tell if I'm coming down with a cold a day before I develop any actual symptoms based on my heart rate, so again, it's another early warning sign for me.
  • xGreatWhiteNorthx
    xGreatWhiteNorthx Posts: 335 Member
    I dont focus on its but I have congenital heart defects and have to take a beta blocker when my palpitations act up. My BP and resting heart rate have to be at a certain point or I cant take the beta blocker so I do have to check it sometimes.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    I feel I’m pretty out of shape. My resting heart rate ranges from 55-65. But with exercise it goes up to 170.