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Resting heart rate


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Ive been MTBing for about 5 months now. In the beginning I could only manage a little ride on a Saturday. After a while I could do Sat plus Sunday. Now I do 5 hours on the week-end plus spinning interval training once a week in the week. Every month I am slowly getting faster and stronger. Im 41 year of age, My resting HR started at close to 80 and dropped to 64 after 3 months. For the last 2 months its still 64 even though Im getting stronger and faster.

 

What determines resting heart rate? What type of training will this drop a bit more? How important is resting HR in determining fitness?

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Resting Hr is an indication of efficiency!

 

You hart now pumps more blood/volume per stroke - thus less effort to get the same result.

 

Resting HR is not the alpha & omega but is a good indication - keep in mind that genetics still play a huge roll.

 

Use your RHR as an indication of over training or on coming illness. If you RHR jumps by more than 6 - 8 over 2 days, you might be getting sick or over training.

 

Dont sweat the small stuff - its a guideline not a rule set in stone.

 

Good to hear you are making improvements - that is the biggest factor - enjoy your training and everything else will follow!

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After reading through all the good (and bad) info out there on RHR, MHR and the different formula's used to calculate whatever, it sounds like it's not a precise science and, when cornered, the experts will use the "it's probably just genetics" get-out-of-lecture-without-looking-like-a-timewasting-twat card.

 

Don't read too much into it and just enjoy your bike. It sounds like you've made some great improvements already, so as long as you're still having fun you're doing it right.

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Haha Chris - ek het eenkeer my HR gemeet in vlug en selfs in 'n rowwe thermal was dit maar dieselle as om vinnig te stap. Ek vlieg al 20 jaar en het verseker nie maar geword van in 'n harnas sit nie. Cheers Robo

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If you want to try and drop your RHR further you probably need to start doing some hill repeats and interval training. But as everyone else has said it's mostly abt genetics.

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I have been a "semi-serious" mountain biker now for about a year - entering races and such, but my concern stared a few months ago when I told 1 of the guys at my work what my average HR over a 30Km race was 185 bpm (I am 34yrs old so

the old method of 220 - 34 = 186) so my Max HR should be 184, but this seems to be my norm....

 

 

They said that , that was quite high and that if their HR goes anything over 170 they feel like falling off their bike !

I stated asking the other cyclists here at work and they all seem to agree with the fact that my HR is way to high and I should really be taking it a bit more easy, but when I cycle I'm normally in the middle of the pack, buy way out of breath.

 

- Sorry to barge in on this forum sad.gif but I would just like to ask if this is something I should get checked out ? Or should I be more concerned ? Or just forget it and keep on riding :) ?

 

Thanks guys

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I have been a "semi-serious" mountain biker now for about a year - entering races and such, but my concern stared a few months ago when I told 1 of the guys at my work what my average HR over a 30Km race was 185 bpm (I am 34yrs old so

the old method of 220 - 34 = 186) so my Max HR should be 184, but this seems to be my norm....

 

 

They said that , that was quite high and that if their HR goes anything over 170 they feel like falling off their bike !

I stated asking the other cyclists here at work and they all seem to agree with the fact that my HR is way to high and I should really be taking it a bit more easy, but when I cycle I'm normally in the middle of the pack, buy way out of breath.

 

- Sorry to barge in on this forum sad.gif but I would just like to ask if this is something I should get checked out ? Or should I be more concerned ? Or just forget it and keep on riding :) ?

 

Thanks guys

 

 

Do a search, this comes up regularly and last time Eldron or Edman posted some great stuff about how virtually no-one fits the 220 - age thing; was 2 wks or so ago.

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Well done Robo, ek is trots op jou vordering! Ek is beig om te oeven vir die Desert Dash solo die jaar in Namibia, dink daaraan om te kom speel hier in die sandbox!

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I have been a "semi-serious" mountain biker now for about a year - entering races and such, but my concern stared a few months ago when I told 1 of the guys at my work what my average HR over a 30Km race was 185 bpm (I am 34yrs old so

the old method of 220 - 34 = 186) so my Max HR should be 184, but this seems to be my norm....

 

 

They said that , that was quite high and that if their HR goes anything over 170 they feel like falling off their bike !

I stated asking the other cyclists here at work and they all seem to agree with the fact that my HR is way to high and I should really be taking it a bit more easy, but when I cycle I'm normally in the middle of the pack, buy way out of breath.

 

- Sorry to barge in on this forum sad.gif but I would just like to ask if this is something I should get checked out ? Or should I be more concerned ? Or just forget it and keep on riding :) ?

 

Thanks guys

 

 

I'm the same....quite fit and my hr domes goes to close to 190

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Makes me feel really unfit when cycling up a mountain and then the guys I am cycling with are like : "hey, lets pick up the pace" and I feel like saying "No ways mate" busy dying over here...Heart feels like it's gonna jump out my chest LOL

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I've also been wondering about how best to measure HRR. I can sleep with a HR monitor on - but what value do I then take - the lowest it went or what it was just before the alarm went off and spikes :huh: it (which means I can't pretty much check it "when I wake up")

 

Or do I have to wait for a nice rainy Sat morning and hope I wake "naturally". Or just wear it when I plan to doze off in front of the telly and see what it is when I wake up?

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I just pick a day in the week, usually Wed or Thursday....make some coffee...put on the polar belt...and then lie down for a minute or so. The measurement will vary, I usually take the 2nd lowest number I get e.g. the HR may for a moment show 63 but I know its more like 64. My RHH is usually on Sunday about 5 beats higher than my Sat RHR because of the training. Monday is even higher and then it drops again.

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