Heart Rate

[Agent]

Loads of things I seem to read say the opposite to each other, so can someone give me a solid list of heart rate range and its effects on the body.

Is there a % system, as I naturally have a low heart rate so I would assume it should be lower than others when exercising?

For example, x% above resting = cardio etc...

Thanks

[Steve B]

How do you mean is there a % system?
What's your blood pressure now, less than 120/80?

[Agent]

I've been told that x% above rest is fat burning, y% is for general fitness / cardio / z% offers little / no gain. That kinda thing.

I'll check my heart rate in a sec.

[Steve B]

Ahh ok, so different levels of heart rate during exercise correspond to differing efficiency of exercise?

[SiM]

You work out your maximum by subtracting your age from a fixed number (220 iirc)... Its a crap approximation though...

It "officially" goes something like this iirc.... 60% of maximum is "best for burning fat" and 80% is "best for cardio"... I believe that is nonsense and its best to do HIIT for both cardio and fat loss

[Saracen]

What's your heart rate now, less than 120/80?

That's blood pressure, not heart rate. Though they're related.

I hesitate to point you at Wikipedia, Agent, but there's a pretty decent article that's should give you a starting point for getting your answer - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate

[SiM]

Also, if you are serious about cardio/exercise it is worth getting a heart rate monitor... I have one of these and its fantastic...

It measures so many things... itbeeps when your heart rate is too high or low for the desire exercise level. It also measures the recovery time after exercise amongst other things...

[Agent]

That's blood pressure, not heart rate. Though they're related.

I hesitate to point you at Wikipedia, Agent, but there's a pretty decent article that's should give you a starting point for getting your answer - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate

Ah thanks, the chart even has the %ages on it which should be helpful Not sure how I missed WP.

My heart rate just measured 3 times came out at 54/50/53.

[Lowe]

You work out your maximum by subtracting your age from a fixed number (220 iirc)... Its a crap approximation though...

It "officially" goes something like this iirc.... 60% of maximum is "best for burning fat" and 80% is "best for cardio"... I believe that is nonsense and its best to do HIIT for both cardio and fat loss

Another recommendation for HIIT, however you need a decent amount of fitness in the first place to be able to cope. It's extremely punishing in every respect but does give you the best results. This is one of the reasons why Kickboxing/TKD type sparring is brilliant for fitness, because the way it works is pretty similar to a HIIT workout.

[SiM]

Even some sports, like squash, is HIIT... I used to do HIIT to help with my sparring fitness... It did help

[Malt_Vinegar]

Ah thanks, the chart even has the %ages on it which should be helpful Not sure how I missed WP.

My heart rate just measured 3 times came out at 54/50/53.

Its best to take you resting pulse rate first thing in the morning, literally as you wake up. This should give you a pretty good idea of it lowest reading.

I just did mine now, and after a coffee and a stressfull morning so far, im sat at 52, i would expect to be mid to high 40's in the early morning.

Just out of interest, what method are you using, and which point are you measuring your pulse from?

[Lucio]

I just did mine now, and after a coffee and a stressfull morning so far, im sat at 52, i would expect to be mid to high 40's in the early morning.

Just out of interest, what method are you using, and which point are you measuring your pulse from?

Mid to high 40's would be a symptom of bradycardia and in hospital would add a couple of points to your Patient at Risk score in most circumstances.

Thing to remember about heart rate is it's only a rough indicator, because what really matters to your body is blood flow rate. If you think of it in PC terms, you can have either a 1 litre pump running at 20rpm, or a 100ml pump running at 200rpm, both pump the same volume and keep the system just as cool, but it's more likely that the 100ml pump will break down first.


There's no definate "safe" or "recomended" heart rates for exercising, because it's totally individual, but as a guesstimate Agent, with 50bpm at rest, you're aiming for around 100-120bpm under exercise for moderate exercise and up to 160 would start making you feel unwell if sustained for a long period of time. In essence, you're looking at +50% for moderate exercise, and +100% for heavy exercise.

[Malt_Vinegar]

Bradycardia is relative, and a healthy fit person in the mid-high 40's is quite normal.

I am cyclist, and often cycle over 40 miles in a day when i leave my car at home for work, i also play hockey, and keep myself healthy.

My brother had a similarly low heart rate (also very fit) and he became unwell with what i believe was an infection in his heart, wether this was because of his Bracycardia or just bad luck, I guess we will never know!

A little example: (taken from wiki)

At the top of his career, Miguel Indurain had a physique that was not only superior when compared to average people, but also when compared to his fellow athletes. His blood circulation had the ability to circulate 7 litres of oxygen around his body per minute, compared to the average amount of 3-4 litres of an ordinary person and the 5-6 litres of his fellow riders. Also, Indurain's lung capacity was 8 litres, compared to an average of 6 litres. In addition, Indurain's resting pulse was as low as 28 BPM, compared to a normal human's 60-80 bpm , which meant his heart would be less strained in the tough mountain stages. His VO2 max was 88 ml/kg/min; in comparison, Lance Armstrong's was 82 ml/kg/min.

[Rave]

A few years ago (probably 8 or 9 years now, so when I was around 20) when my father bought a heart rate monitor I borrowed it and used it for training. I then left it on in the evening to see what my lowest resting heart rate was, and found that sat around reading a book it dropped as low as 47bpm.

I bought a monitor from Lidl about a year ago for no particularly good reason, so I've put it on now to see how I'm doing. Having had a couple of drinks and a smoke though, I'm not expecting a particularly low result.....

Anyway, I always worked it as 50-60% of your maximum was fat burning, 60-70% was moderate cardio and 70-80% was intense cardio. 80+% is getting into anaerobic territory and you'll tire before long. However, just because 50-60% is called the fat burning zone, doesn't mean you won't burn more fat if you exercise harder- you will.

[Lowe]

Crazy VO2 scores there. I'm about 55ish. Going to run a test later on in the summer to see how all this cycling has effected my fitness.

[menthel]

Mid to high 40's would be a symptom of bradycardia and in hospital would add a couple of points to your Patient at Risk score in most circumstances.

That is the problem with those proformas, they are designed for sick people and not healthy ones. One positive for a little underlying knowledge rather than box ticking.

Mid to high 40's is perfectly possible for anyone who is youg, fit and healthy. If you are none of those then perhaps you should worry!