Fast Running Blog

I'm kind of curious- what is everyone's resting heart rates?  I wonder who has the highest and lowest.  Mine is 40-41 bpm.

Mine is 48. Has been that way since I turned 16.

Usually 40-50. Occasionally it will dip down in the low 40s.

Duh. I meant to say usually 45-50.

When I was in the ER having my heart checked last year I got it down to 37 while hooked up to the monitor.

Just took it and it was 50, but do you count staring at a computer all day resting, I feel tired.

Tim - mine is usually lowest right before I go to bed. Obviously it will be higher the more active you've been, but it will also be higher right after a meal.

It's usually lowest when you are sleeping.  Then right after you wake up, assuming you don't have an alarm wake you up and scare you half to death.  I had to wear an EKG machine for 24 hours in high school and they said my sleeping rate was 41.  I think it has gotten a bit lower since then as I age, am in better shape (my out-of-shape is ~50 bpm), and am bigger.

Six months ago mine lowest mark was 43.  One month ago I was holding steady at 40.

I measure mine on mornings when I wake up without an alarm and before I get up and move, other than to reach over, grab my HRM and put it on.

Maybe we should have a RHR board too...

I am usually just right around 40, but when I wore a heart monitor trying to figure out what caused my stroke; the doctor who read the results said I was either almost dead at night or an endurance athlete - I guess while sleeping I dropped below 20!

44-46

Just got a physcal and had a 42 resting heart rate.

45

When I can actually get my heart rate completely down, it's usually 48-50.

39 when I was at the doctors a couple months ago.

38

I counted a 38 sunday morning.

mine was 43-44 when i had it tested for stress management

60-62 last May...49 this morning.

Dave, what has brought on the great drop?

Well, I hope it's just the time of day, my loss of 20 lbs, and the fact that I'm running 2x as much.  During my college days it was always 55-60 (played baseball).  The last few years it has been high 50's, low 60's.  Not once do I remember dipping into the 40's, so hopefully it's been the increase running. 

That is most likely the reason, Dave.  I know my RHR is about 10-15+ beats per minute higher if I haven't been working out for a while.

Question for everyone... is it true that lower heart rates can be negative too? I thought I heard on Disc. Health CHannel that since your heart is stronger it can pump more blood with less beats, but is this bad? i.e. does it contribute to plaque buildup and stuff? And I thought I heard somewhere that Lance Armstrong is at risk too since he has an enlarged heart. Do all runners get enlarged hearts? or just elites.

For someone who is not a trained athlete, heart rates like those listed on this thread are abnormal and not good (the medical term is bradycardia). You go to a new doctor and they take your pulse without asking your history, they probably start panicking.

As for me, I've had a very hard time getting an accurate RHR number, but I don't think it's much below 60, certainly not in the 40s.

40-43 normally, I've seen 36 but only if I'm half asleep!

I have mine measured every week for clinic procedures...it's always between 36-38.  My professors and classmates question how I'm alive every time haha....just no fun that I am ALWAYS cold!!

Mine has been in the high 40's since 2001.

Yesterday 37! Lowest I think I've ever seen it. Typically about 10-15 higher.

42-44 at the ripe old age of 50.  Was 38-40 just 5 years ago and 36 in high school, but I understand that your resting rate goes up with age.

It's interesting your resting heart rate goes up since they say your max heart rate goes down.

Does it for an active person?

Yes, Sasha. Not sure if you meant resting or active rate. From what I learned in jogging class at school, your max rate decreases with age. From what I was told:

Max Heart Rate =  220bpm - chronological age = max rate (ex. I am 23 so 220 - 23 = 197 max bpm)

Resting heart rate I believe will go up with both age and inactivity. You have to remember that the heart is a muscle and even if it is used on a regular basis, you won't have the same output when you are 60 or 70 as when 20 or 30. Also once you get that old you are not running the 100+ mile weeks so that will impact heart rate too. Just what I remember.

Benn:

Take that formula with a big grain salt. According to that formula in between 2000 and 2004 I got 20 years older, and then have not been getting any older since :-) All while my PRs improved on every distance from the mile to the marathon.

And, according to it, the unnamed runner that Jack Daniels mentions in Running Formula who had max HR of 148 would have had to be 72 years old, yet I would guess he could run no slower than 29:00 in the 10 K. In fact, I would not be surprised if that runner was Gerri Lindgren. Does anybody know for sure?

As far as resting HR, mine has not changed since the age of 16.

I remember reading the guy who Daniels mentioned as running some *very* high mileage was Lindgren (don't have the book to hand but it was high!) and Daniels did coach Lindgren

Yes - once Lidgren came to Salt Lake and I talked to him at the expo of the Salt Lake Marathon. He confirmed that he indeed was that runner.

Mine is 48-50.