High Resting HR - cause for concern?

Hi,

I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am a
male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg speed, can
easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke about 5
cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.

My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm) ... at a recent bbq a lot of my friends (all less
fit than me) tested their HR and mine was the highest!

My readings are as follows:

Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my normal rate) I can work out at 150 -
160 bpm for over 1/2 hour I get back down to 110 bpm within a few minutes of strenuous exercise I
cannot stay over 180 bpm for very long (nausea / dizziness sets in)

Should I be worried or consult a doctor or is it 'genetic' for me to have a higher HR?

Can I reduce my HR?

Finally, I weigh 80 kg and am 6 feet tall ... and have always been active.

I do appreciate any insight or advice.

Dimitri

My first recommendation would be to stop smoking. Considering that nicotine is a stimulant, its no surprise that you would experience an elevated heart rate. Its not to say that you don't normally have a higher heart rate, but do yourself a favor and dump the cancer sticks.

In article <a447ea1d.0306230158.14ab6b08@posting.google.com>, dimitri_z
<dzafiriadis@hoovers.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am a
> male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg speed,
> can easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke about 5
> cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.
>
> My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm) ... at a recent bbq a lot of my friends (all
> less fit than me) tested their HR and mine was the highest!
>
> My readings are as follows:
>
> Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my normal rate)

That doesn't sound high to me. What is your "wake-up" reading?

-WG

You resting sounds a little high, I would think that could be because of the stimulant factor of the
nicotine (much like if you drink a couple shots of espresso then take your heart rate about an hour
or so afterward).

I do think that only returning to 110 after a few minutes is a little high also. I have a pretty low
resting (49) not insanely low by any means but low enough that doctors look at me like I'm weird
when my vitals are taken. But If I go out and do intervals and my heart rate gets up to 190-194
after 2 minutes I am back below 100 (riding very very easy after the interval).

I would suggest you quit smoking, I would say at 176lb and 72" you're particularly heavy (for racing
yeah, for general life, nah).

You can reduce your heart rate, quit smoking (make your cardio vascular system healthier) will do
pretty quickly, then just good consistent aerobic work will help you out.

Hope that helps some,

Rope

"dimitri_z" <dzafiriadis@hoovers.com> wrote in message
news:a447ea1d.0306230158.14ab6b08@posting.google.com...
> Hi,
>
> I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am a
> male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg speed,
> can easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke about 5
> cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.
>
> My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm) ... at a recent bbq a lot of my friends (all
> less fit than me) tested their HR and mine was the highest!
>
> My readings are as follows:
>
> Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my normal rate) I can work out at 150
> - 160 bpm for over 1/2 hour I get back down to 110 bpm within a few minutes of strenuous exercise
> I cannot stay over 180 bpm for very long (nausea / dizziness sets in)
>
> Should I be worried or consult a doctor or is it 'genetic' for me to have a higher HR?
>
> Can I reduce my HR?
>
> Finally, I weigh 80 kg and am 6 feet tall ... and have always been active.
>
> I do appreciate any insight or advice.
>
> Dimitri

"dimitri_z" <dzafiriadis@hoovers.com> wrote: " My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm)"

Normal resting HR is 70-100. Athletic individuals will commonly have a physiologic bradycardia at
rest, i.e. they will have a resting HR that is less than normal, but not having a lower than normal
resting HR is certainly not any reason for concern.
--
Mike Murray MD

dzafiriadis@hoovers.com (dimitri_z) wrote in message
news:<a447ea1d.0306230158.14ab6b08@posting.google.com>...
> Hi,
>
> I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am a
> male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg speed,
> can easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke about 5
> cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.
>
> My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm) ... at a recent bbq a lot of my friends (all
> less fit than me) tested their HR and mine was the highest!
>
> My readings are as follows:
>
> Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my normal rate) I can work out at 150
> - 160 bpm for over 1/2 hour I get back down to 110 bpm within a few minutes of strenuous exercise
> I cannot stay over 180 bpm for very long (nausea / dizziness sets in)
>
> Should I be worried or consult a doctor or is it 'genetic' for me to have a higher HR?
>
> Can I reduce my HR?
>
> Finally, I weigh 80 kg and am 6 feet tall ... and have always been active.
>
> I do appreciate any insight or advice.

Your resting HR is normal for the average adult but a little on the high side for a very fit
cyclist. Your ability to raise your HR to a normal maximum is a good indication even though your
recovery may be a tad slow. Quitting smoking should help reduce more serious health concerns.

I have a normal resting HR in the mid 40s but will undergo infrequent episodes (5 in the last 20
years)of it dipping into the high 30s with irregular beating. My latest episode was accompanied
with my not being able to raise my HR above 130 (Chronotropic Incompetence) versus my normal max of
160. After sitting in the doctors waiting room amid people who are really sick, it comes as no
surprise to be treated with less concern. Yes, the doctor has signed me up for some tests to rule
out any serious heart problems and barring this, the prognosis for my Bradycardia episodes doesn't
warrant serious concern. Given the option of a pace maker or a legal dose of caffeine, I'm in favor
of the latter.

Phil Holman

> My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm)

That is not "REALLY high", or even high. Normal is 50-90, 70 is average.

George

Mike Murray can give you a more comforting answer I think, but I wonder how long you've been
exercising. The fact that you can ride at 160 beats suggests to me that you are in pretty good
physical shape. That your heart rate drops only to 110 after a couple of minutes bothers me but I
would expect that to be normal for someone that is just getting around to serious exercise.

You have to be careful when you're describing your fitness. Being able to run 6.5 minute miles isn't
good condition, it's youth and having no apparent debilitating health problems. Riding a 18.5 mph
average is probably more an indication of some talent than of fitness.

If I were going to suggest anything to you I'd say that you should 1) STOP SMOKING COMPLETELY - what
are you, some kinda nut? 2) Take your rest heart rate when you wake up in the morning not when it's
10-15 beats higher just standing around. 3) Don't worry about your fitness if you are serious about
your cycling. It will come with the territory.

If you have just started working out and you don't have a history of exercising I would suggest you
find a local sports doctor to give you a quick once over. Don't attack cycling as a series of
personal goals that must be met on a time table. Ride and have fun. Join a club and ride with the
rest of the guys that are your speed or a little faster. Don't try to ride all the time with the
guys who are a lot faster than you. Straining to achieve results isn't going to work in 9 cases out
of 10. I would have said 10 out of 10 but I've seen quite a few naturally talented individuals that
respond to rapidly and easily to training that I'm jealous as hell.

"dimitri_z" <dzafiriadis@hoovers.com> wrote in message
news:a447ea1d.0306230158.14ab6b08@posting.google.com...
> Hi,
>
> I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am a
> male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg speed,
> can easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke about 5
> cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.
>
> My resting heart rate is REALLY high (70 - 80bpm) ... at a recent
bbq
> a lot of my friends (all less fit than me) tested their HR and mine was the highest!
>
> My readings are as follows:
>
> Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my
normal
> rate) I can work out at 150 - 160 bpm for over 1/2 hour I get back down to 110 bpm within a few
> minutes of strenuous
exercise
> I cannot stay over 180 bpm for very long (nausea / dizziness sets
in)
>
> Should I be worried or consult a doctor or is it 'genetic' for me to have a higher HR?
>
> Can I reduce my HR?
>
> Finally, I weigh 80 kg and am 6 feet tall ... and have always been active.
>
> I do appreciate any insight or advice.
>
> Dimitri

When I quit smoking my average HR dropped more than 30 beats for almost every training ride I did. I
had never been below a HR of 150 ( HRmax is
185 ) on our clubrides. All of a sudden I was registering averages in the mid 120's My resting HR in
the morning dropped about 10. From 55 to 45. My normal walking and sitting around HR dropped
about 10-20 beats.

Quit smoking you fool if you put any value into the time you spend training and the results you get.
I wore my HR monitor around the clock when I quit, just to remind me of why.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

dimitri_z <dzafiriadis@hoovers.com> wrote:
: I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am a
: male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg speed,
: can easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke about 5
: cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.

You sound a bit like me... wish I was that fast on the bike. I never smoked though, been vegetarian
for ~15 years, but I indulge

: Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my normal rate) I can work out at 150
: - 160 bpm for over 1/2 hour I get back down to 110 bpm within a few minutes of strenuous exercise
: I cannot stay over 180 bpm for very long (nausea / dizziness sets in)

That sounds pretty close to my readings. My max is 200, a bit high, certainly within normal and
prolly caused by genetics. My morning rate in bed can be as low as 47 beats, seems I can now work
out at 160 for 1.5 hours and at 150 for many more hours... Like you, my recovery is maybe not
very rapid...

I had some medical data gathered regarding my heart, and it indicated my heart is healthy...

: Should I be worried or consult a doctor or is it 'genetic' for me to have a higher HR?

I see no reason to worry in this. If your HRM has beat-to-beat recording, you could get a graph
where you can see any missing beats or extra beats in your pulse as peaks or dips. If you'd get that
stuff, and it's obviously not caused by technical factors, then I'd see a doctor... but I don't
think it's likely for you.

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html varis at no spam please iki fi

In article <be7dap$t1p$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi>,
risto.varanka@secure.from.spam.helsinki.fi wrote:

> dimitri_z <dzafiriadis@hoovers.com> wrote:
> : I have checked the internet and groups with no real answer and i am still a little worried. I am
> : a male, 30 year old of reasonable fitness i.e. I can ride a bike 100km at around 30km/h avg
> : speed, can easilly run at a nice pace for over an hour, and can run 5km in 20 minutes. I smoke
> : about 5 cigarettes per day and eat well. I just bought an HRM.
>
> You sound a bit like me... wish I was that fast on the bike. I never smoked though, been
> vegetarian for ~15 years, but I indulge

>
> : Resting rate is 70 - 80 bpm (not the 'wake-up' reading, just my normal rate) I can work out at
> : 150 - 160 bpm for over 1/2 hour I get back down to 110 bpm within a few minutes of strenuous
> : exercise I cannot stay over 180 bpm for very long (nausea / dizziness sets in)
>
> That sounds pretty close to my readings. My max is 200, a bit high, certainly within normal and
> prolly caused by genetics. My morning rate in bed can be as low as 47 beats, seems I can now work
> out at 160 for 1.5 hours and at 150 for many more hours... Like you, my recovery is maybe not very
> rapid...
>
> I had some medical data gathered regarding my heart, and it indicated my heart is healthy...
>
> : Should I be worried or consult a doctor or is it 'genetic' for me to have a higher HR?
>
> I see no reason to worry in this. If your HRM has beat-to-beat recording, you could get a graph
> where you can see any missing beats or extra beats in your pulse as peaks or dips. If you'd get
> that stuff, and it's obviously not caused by technical factors, then I'd see a doctor... but I
> don't think it's likely for you.

First, I'd get a true rest reading, the "first in the morning" kinda thing.

Second, your rest rate is your rest rate. Whatever it is, it can usually be trained downward, and
70-80 bpm is high for someone as fit as yourself (after a year on the bike my rest HR has dropped
from the low 70s to the mid 50s), but that may not mean much.

Third, could you be overtraining? A high rest heart rate is the classic sign of overtraining, and
could be exactly what is causing these symptoms.

I'm not a doctor, see yours for a checkup, etc. etc....

--
Ryan Cousineau, rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

First of all, you checked your heart rate at a BBQ, where you are walking around ,talking, and possibly drinking. If I am walking around and bsing my heart rate is at 80 also.. If I sit down and relax for 10 minutes and take it, its down to 58..