What Does Your Resting Heart Rate Say About You?

Ask someone their heart rate and it can straightaway seem like a competition! In actual fact, we are all individuals so we can't compare but our resting heart rate can tell us a lot about our personal health. We’re here to look at why it’s a good idea to get to know your resting heart rate and what it can tell you!
Welcome 0:00
Impacts on heart rate 0:37
What is a good resting heart rate? 0:48
What does a low HR mean? 2:06
What does high HR mean? 2:51
Overtraining 3:08
Stress 3:38
Sleep 4:18
Temperature 4:47
Age 5:10
Medication 5:47
Illness 6:05
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[@gtn]

How much attention do you pay to your resting heart rate? 🤔🫀

[@jitzelubolund]

RHR + HRV + sleep data and recovery (all data from my garmin fenix watch) + how i feel in the morning are very important to me, they dictate what i m going to do that day with my training. RHR usually rises the next night after a very hard race, or when i'm about to get sick, also after training in high hrr zones for a prolongued period of time. Usually it drops down in 1-2 days if i recover properly. When i'm sick it can take up to 5-7 days to get back on normal parameters. During 3 years of training my RHR has been between 40-43 bpm/avg/week so a 7,5% max variation.

[@CannabisTechLife]

If my HRV is tanking, I look at my RHR. If that is rising over 7 days then I know i'm getting sick / pushing too hard.

[@alonsodelapava4094]

Every day. Specially RHR to measure if I am sleeping properly. When I train to hard or too much, I notice it on my RHR. I used that to reduce or adjust load. Also, altitude affects RHR. I live at 8700 feet ... As soon as I travel to lower altitude places, My RHR can also go down 4 to 5 bpm.

[@burtjason208]

Often. People with serious health problems have high resting heart rates over 80bpm. Both of my parents had high resting heart rates before they were diagnosed with cancer.

[@JeffersonIBD]

I do definitely notice my RHR increase when I'm coming down with something, it's a great early indicator to take some rest. Also back when I used to drink alcohol, even just a few drinks could increase my RHR by 5bpm, quite a spike.

[@ScuffleYT]

Also eating too close to bedtime, for most if not all people.

[@AlastairScarlett]

Yep, since paying a bit more attention to RHR I've noticed the link to drinking. How annoying!!

[@MrJohnno89]

Yep that's exactly how I monitor my over night rest HR. I know where it sits when I wake up feeling the rest, and when it starts. Rising I know I'm either becoming sick or run down

[@allnewnow2023]

Yup.

[@nickw6175]

at my age as long as its still going is the only heart rate I worry about !

[@cautious1343]

LOL

[@AmandaRogersarock1988]

As a lady, another thing that effects my RHR is my hormones. Closer to "that time of the month" it'll be in the low 50's for a few days, whereas regularly it sits in the 40s. My diet changes, stress levels of the body, so it totally makes sense.

[@patricia_w]

Can you look into female HR and HRV and how this is affected by hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle ?

[@user-gi9yi2lh8g]

Low heart rate isnt always a good thing either. Can be a sign of chronic under eating or low iron levels. Which I think is also worth noting, so if youre fatigued and heart rate is quite low might need to assess your diet.

[@LorraineRo]

My resting heart rate will go up 10-15 beats when I'm having a stressful time, not eating as healthy as I usually do, or when I'm getting sick. I could tell I was going to get a cold a few days before my last Covid infection. Changes in that resting heart rate really are a good indicator 😀

[@innesdunbar]

Keeping a record using a smart watch can be really useful, my RHR is naturally low and with regular exercise I have managed to keep it that way into my mid 50s. I recently used the information to check if I was ready to get back to running after a bad cold, knowing that my RHR was going back towards normal levels was a good help to guide me in how much I could do. Before a hernia operation a few years ago, the nurse was worried about my RHR, ended up getting an ECG and checked out by a Doctor, who told me to keep doing what I was doing and not to worry about it. It was as low as 37 in the ECG, normally it’s about 40.

[@Thezuule1]

"Having a low resting heart rate is not a competition.." Well, let me tell you about how low my RHR is.. -The Comments

[@MiddleAgedMike]

Everything is a competition

[@MentalHealthJourney]

I have anorexia, including issues with excessive exercise. My heart rate was regularly in the mid-high 30s and still medical doctors would say “oh you’re young and exercise it’s normal for you”. Later on in a day that I was once told this, I collapsed in hospital, the crash team were called and my heart rate was 25 and I was in peri cardiac arrest. I was told later if I hadn’t have been in hospital at the time I collapsed I would have died. And they had wanted to discharge me before this incident. I spent 3 weeks I hospital with cardiac problems as well as other issues. My RHR is still low and I still get told it’s because I’m an “athlete” despite my history. Its really important medical staff ow the difference between healthy and eating disorders

[@Michaelthearcheangel]

I had a 30 second heart rate as i was ultra marathon runner.

[@teej710]

I'm 59. I've never been an athlete, but do a lot of walking. I never knew or cared what my RHR was. I bought a Fitbit many years ago and found out my RHR is normally between 37-45 bpm. It's low enough for my Fitbit to register me as sleeping, when I'm sat on the sofa, watching the TV. I mentioned this to the doctor, who basically said it's obviously normal for me, as long as I didn't have any abnormal symptoms, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain etc.

[@SSuperCuriouss]

Similar here. Maybe we just have big hearts. hope your BP is ok

[@jerryyoung6494]

Great info!

[@mikeorick6898]

The lowest my RHR was ever recorded/documented at was 36 BPM during my military retirement physical (I was 43 years old). I was reclining, not sitting, and had been quiet for several minutes. Sitting it was usually about 48 BPM. It stayed there the next 20 years. I'm 69 years old now, and my RHR has climbed to about 48-54 BPM if I sit quietly. My weight, diet, and exercise has been pretty consistent but older is older. Like my 81-year-old Dad said the day before he died "getting old is hell; don't do it". ;)

[@WS-bk7uu]

The best thing about GTN (apart from the amazing content) is all the B-roll of Bath and the surroundimg area. I moved overseas 15 years ago, so it's nice to see the area I grew up in!

[@glynhannaford7332]

Interesting stuff. 👏

[@rock-rq5eu]

Nice! Greetings from the Philippines.

[@dsm1891]

Any time i see my resting heartrate is low, I get excited and it shoots up again :(

[@pirateninja2022]

2.5 years ago I was 406 pounds with a resting heart rate in the 70s. I completely changed my life over the last 2.5 years and am down to 215 pounds today and run about 10 miles a day. Current resting heart rate is 38 which seems a bit on the low side but cardiologist said my heart is healthy so I'm just rolling with it. Cant seem to get my max heart rate about 160 though...

[@omens13w]

​@@tt-tk9076 based on what? Even using the naive 220-age formula give 160 as a normal heart rate for a 60 year old. What kind of variance do you suppose is normal? Is @pirateninja2022 not an individual? I suppose the only way to know if it's 'bad' is to see a cardiologist. Which they did.

[@PsheMeck]

Nice video guys, I like the walk/talk version and mounted very well!!!😊 btw: New coros watch? No more wahoo?? 😮

[@theghostofpcs2391]

Yes, if you know where your RHR typically lies, it's really useful to track your health together with HRV. A sudden spike in my RHR, and a crashing HRV which didn't recover over 2 months (and poor running performance), was enough for me to go see the doctor. I'm glad I did, because a blood test showed I have a hyperactive thyroid (Graves' disease). It certainly was interesting convincing my doctor, why my RHR of 64 was an issue!

[@brucejensen3081]

True, but you should be getting regular bloodwork and be able to evaluate the results

[@petegarnett7731]

In the U.K. many doctors and nurses seem to be totally lacking any understanding of such matters. I became perpetually bored with being told that I "suffered from Bradycardia" on insurance checks etc. I still hear it when I go for my recommended cvd check at almost 90 years old.

[@usr-bin-gcc3422]

I have always had a low resting heart rate (below 40) but without being particularly fit, and was concerned that it was an indication of a potential problem with my heart. Well worth talking to your doctor if this is the case for you. Having had lots of ECGs (for various reasons), no longer being overweight, and now having blood pressure and blood sugar levels in their optimal ranges, I worry less. I'm still not *that* fit, it is just the way my heart is.

[@adv8nturenick]

I’m 50 years old and mine over the year averages at about 46

[@kevinwilliamson1883]

Great video. RHR is very much based on genetics. While my current HR is around 41 (while I am in reasonable shape), I had had a rte of 50 when I was totally out of shape and 15kg heavier. The lowest my watch has shown is 34, which freaked my doctor out when I shared that with them!

[@toby9999]

Those are extremely low rates. Reminds me of some elite runners who get down toward 40. Back when I was a runner, I'd get down into the 50s. Now age 64 and out of shape, it's 60.

[@scurvychef2]

38bpm. Due to 3years of fitness. 10-15hr of exercise a week. Used to be 50-60 over three years ago

[@EK-mx7zb]

I started living (and exercising) at high elevation (8600’) 3 months ago and it seems my RHR has reset about 10 bpm higher than it used to be. And my O2Sat is usually 92-94%, even after acclimatizing/adapting. I’m not sure if this will lead to better long-term fitness or not… I’m surely going to lose the adaptations unless I remain up here forever!

[@FuchsHorst]

My RHR dropped 10 beats after I did a rest week.

[@scurvychef2]

You likely are over training

[@Nandoman520]

I check my RHR by wearing my smart watch when I'm sleeping. at 62, my RHR is usually around 50-53 overnight which I'm happy with.

[@TakeItToTheGround]

My RHR is about 5-10 bpm higher than it was last year. I am so much happier now. Before I was constantly freezing no matter how hot it was. A lower RHR is not always better.

[@keriezy]

My RHR at the moment is 47. I haven't exercised properly in 2.5 years.... spinal injury. When I was in the hospital my HR kept setting off alarms. Although I was stressed I was beating around 43... the charge nurse was annoyed enough to turn off the alarms permanently after the 3rd time she had to turn it off. Good to know the machines were working though. Lol

[@RafisStudio]

I have the same. When I was in hospital a few years ago, the nurse showed me how to reset the monitor myself. The assumption being that if I did that, I obviously wasn't in cardiac arrest.

[@kautzz]

RHR increasing is a solid indicator that something is up, subjectively it's lagging a bit. For example I notice a cold before my RHR rises. HRV on the other hand is more sensitive, it usually decreases before I notice any symptoms of sickness, stress or overtraining but it also often gives me false positives. Generally I listen to my body first and when I feel weak I look at the data to back that up or to find out that it's just my mind playing tricks on me 😂

[@michaellane1316]

68 yrs old, resting is around 55, max generally up around 170, recovery from 170 to around 70 is about 2 minutes. It's been down around 40ish. I would say folks that use their legs the most tend to have better rates, climbing walking, running, swimming, biking. VO2 calculation as a stand by: max divided by resting X 15.3 is adequate enough for general health. 30 vo2 for 68 is adequate, generally 42ish in my case. Always moving, 7 + hrs a night, bike, walk/run, swim, hike, simple food intake.

[@GotDamBoi]

When I got COVID last year my resting HR jumped like 20 bpm. It was insane

[@user-gg4is6db4u]

I may be a freak, but when I was in my late twenties (I am 68 now), I trained for a Marathon, trained weights three times a week, cycled to and from work , and trained martial arts twice a week. As an experiment, I used self hypnosis/relaxation techniques to try and lower my resting heart rate. I managed to get down to 20 bpm! On the other hand my max rate would soar when I exercised hard - 140 and above. Nowadays my RHR is usually between 50 and 60, but I am not training enough.

[@CyberMassimo]

I’d do a video on both RHR and HRV since the combination of the 2 measure give a better picture than RHR alone

[@dri1811ya]

Agree that even mild medications, like Tylenol or ibuprofen, or even statins raises my RHR

[@matthewcreelman1347]

I find the extent to which my RHR can indicate whether I’m in a calorie surplus or deficit interesting. For example, the difference between my RHR in December (when I was accumulating mass) and January (as I cut weight) is about 4 to 5 BPM.

[@kathleenbremer758]

Here’s one for the medical clinicians. My RHR is deceiving. It’s in the upper 50’s. When I’ve been seen by new providers, I’ve often been asked if I run/if I’m an athlete. (I do have muscular legs and look younger than my actual age.) My reply: laughter. Then, “No, I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/EDS.” In actual fact, I’ve a wonky vascular system and POTS. I’m as active as my body allows, but I’m definitely not an athlete!

[@seligseligabc123]

Hi, up to my bike crash last year the first one in 38 yrs then aged 51 my resting heart rate was 36-42 I was running 30 miles a week inc 400 miles biking most weeks plus weights & gym burpees. I’d be breathing around 7 times a minute & my peak heart rate was 178. A year on after hip surgery & lots of rehab getting back on track my peak HR is back to 177 & my resting heart rate is back to 41 beats per minute. Often dipping to 36bpm at night according to my Garmin watch. I have been in full time sport for 12 years due to a medical spinal diagnosis and very active all my life so was always fit. Add to that a whole food plant based lifestyle over the last 11 yrs my recovery is better joint pains disappeared years ago & my VO2 max improved due to lower blood fats & lots of beetroot & Low inflammation fruit veg nuts seeds etc. I would advise everyone wanting to be at their best to stop eating meat & dairy - period it’s no more than unhealthy second hand protein cholesterol fat bacteria puss & murdered rotting flesh & stolen baby Cow food. Long term it is so dangerous to most people barring the few to have lucky protective Genes. Ideally Human Great Apes, as we are thrive best & the longest on a ‘mostly’ herbivorous diet as the 5 blue zones for the longest healthiest communities shows.. supplement B12 & add D3 in winter. Eat a wide array of plant foods steering clear of processed unnatural foods including processed excess liquid oils which slows blood flow & damages the Endothelial lining of blood vessels. Knowledge keeps you alive longer. Good luck to all..

[@tgfewz8840]

I had a RHR of 28. Thought this meant I was super fit, turns out I had a genetic cardiac condition and ended up having a cardiac arrest. After being defibrillated and having an ICD fitted I can now only train at low intensity. Lower is definitely not necessarily better.

[@gtn]

hope all is ok with you now?

[@tgfewz8840]

@@gtn all ok. Never going to race again which is frustrating but can get out and about which keeps me sane.

[@CiaoMykola]

My current resting HR is 54, and it went down from 67 after I started training more for running 7 marathons in a year. This year I am training for the Ironman and I really wonder how it will change

[@Ozzy1984_]

Just checked my coros app and mine for the last year is approx 51, the mast month its 50. It used to be in the 70s before i started running.

[@Victor-kf8cq]

Had a surgery with local anestesia. Well suddenly an alarm started, because my heart rate dropped below 50. That alarm made me nervous, so my heart rate increased. 2 mins later it dropped again below 50 and the alarm started again…

[@davidstark8648]

Sitting watching this with a fever, go and check out my resting heart rate history from my smart watch and see it spiked upwards (by about 10 bpm) 2 days ago while I only came down with this fever last night. Why didn’t you release this video a week ago ☹️

[@paulo123-]

Resting 60 and max 178 (Checked yesterday on a Peloton Tread with Becs)

[@obikedog]

fwiw - those of us with sleep monitors will notice RHR is affected by late meals as well (but of course the software associated with the hardware should have told you that!)

[@RedAnchor12]

Mine has gone from about 42 bpm when training for distance running in my late 30s, to about 36 to 38 bpm now when training for kayaking in my mid 70s.

[@timobrien256]

Would be good to define what part of the heart these sensors measure verses just titling it “resting heart rate”. According to my garmin my “resting HR” is low 40s to mid 30s. During a pre op for shoulder surgery my doctor ran an ekg and discovered the upper chambers of my heart were fluttering at 300 beats per minute while my “resting HR” was recording 35 on my garmin. When I asked him why, he said the upper chambers have a mode that acts as the accelerometer when it thinks the body needs more oxygen and the lower chambers mode acts as the brake when it senses that the body doesn’t need as much. He said the lower “heart rate while in flutter” meant thru all my training I had developed a very strong braking system. The other thing to note is with a very low “resting hr” it takes me quite a while to get the oxygen flowing meaning my warmups need to be slower and longer.

[@MrMars121]

In the last 3 years I went from 43 vo2 max to 56. But my hrv and resting heart rate stayed about the same. Low 30s hrv and high 50s rhr

[@lobi8655]

Genetics can play a big part, I genetically have a low RHR of around 38-42 and as low as 30 in sleep. I am quite fit but, not remotely near competing athlete level. And regardless of my fitness level over the years it’s always been in the 40’s. I’m a 31 yr old male

[@chrism5433]

When I got covid it was way up. I took it very easy . It was few years ago But if I wasn't a long time runneri wouldn't have been so aware. 🍺Here's to running and health ❤

[@ellenclary]

My resting heart rate is 55bpm which I love, but I've discovered one downside is that it makes altitude adjustment really slow and going mountain climbing becomes a big hassle and I get altitude sick easily above 12,000'.

[@DonLee1980]

On the contrary I end up with a lower heart rate when I know I’m measuring it. You can slow it down by breathing slower.

[@bladespanker]

mine changes massively whilst on night shifts

[@markmacfarlane3169]

My resting heart rate was the same at 26 as it is at 45 so it's possible that the increase in resting hr is very negligible.

[@zoltanvarga6738]

Although I'm not an elite racer I have been competing in triathlons for 37 years and my values are quite extreme. I recorded 33-34 bpm several times in the past. During my sleep I am typically between 36-38. On the other end I can still reach 187-88 bpm at an age of 54. I can run a 5 K with an average over 180. But as the authors have noted this has no direct relation to your athletic performance. Although someone with a RHR of 90 is not likely to be physically fit. I am currently recovering from Covid, and in the first few days when I was miserable and feeling my temperature rise, I also felt that my heart was racing at a crazy pace. I took my pulse and it was 75 :), but that's almost double my normal RHR!

[@sq5]

My RHR is regularly 90 and I'm actually very fit. Even at race fitness and riding 500km, running 100km and swimming 20km a week, it was still high. Why? I have a heart defect. It doesn't mean I'm not fit though. My heart just has to work harder to compensate for some of it not working as it should.

[@HS-fm9kv]

You can have a low RHR but and have hypertension (whilst taking no medication). Eg me as a 50 y/o male with RHR 48 and Vo2Max of 52...

[@turnoverbros]

My resting hr is 0, need to get pretty deep in rest to get it though

[@brianniac23]

37 ... and sometimes its hart to stay awake on this ;)

[@Spike-yc5gx]

I was at about 20 bpm when I was a competitive swimmer in the 1980’s.

[@deepzerocool]

Normal to have 40-60 RHR but “mine is 38”!!!!

[@lovingoz2786]

Interesting, my resting heart rate has always been low. I’m 70 now and it’s in the mid 40’s. I’m still fairly fit, but I don’t go to the gym etc just do hard work in the garden and walk. It worried me when I compared myself to others, but the doctors weren’t concerned at all. Sleeping it can go into the 30’s.

[@SuspectDK]

Interesting; I can lower my heart rate if I focus on it. Slowing my breath focusing on the sensation of being alive.

[@juliesmith8644]

Those posting their hr miss the point

[@MrBradogg]

Excellent point.

[@alanrobertson3172]

No they aren’t.

[@dan2304]

At 74 and resting hr of 30 bpm, normal bp and O2, too low for an old fart so pace maker required. Comp swimmer for 10 years, ran for 15 years and cycled for transport for 40 years. Still cycling.

[@flowerfaeri]

Happy to say my resting heart rate is low, especially for my age, but I’m curious as to how this relates to training zones, as I frequently find myself in Z4 or Z5 but don’t feel like I’m really pushing myself when running. I got really put off heart rate training because it tends toward telling me to walk too often.

[@Mauredo]

This is exactly my case. On the other side, when I'm doing strength training, that's the opposite. I try REALLY hard to get my average heart rate above 100... That's because my heart goes super fast from 120 to 90...

[@danielwright4987]

Probably your max HR that you have wrong. Calculating your max HR is close to Impossible and is what actually determines your HR zones. Ignore the hr data when your running and go by feel. Then analyze your heart rate and hoe your feeling after the run to see if it's too challenging

[@flowerfaeri]

@@danielwright4987 Thank you! Another thing a lot of the formulas don't take into consideration is stress, weather, terrain, sleep etc. I recalculated mine as suggested and instead of going into zone 3 just walking the dog (LOL!) I'm now in Zone 1 while walking. I still need to go easier on some of my runs but at least I'm not walking half the time.

[@Abraksas112]

I'm 39 and my resting heartrate has been around 38 for the last 7 years (maybe longer but I started measuring regularly then). I cycle every day to work (started doing that about 8 years ago) and like to do long rides occassionally but not anything close to be considering myself an athlete. And my heartrate slows down to 30-32 and has even been as low as 29.

[@robbybertu17]

Cool story bro.

[@marcuswills6569]

Personally, I don't pay any attention to RHR or HRV. Largely, wrist based HR sensors aren't accurate and HRV is based on some loose algorithm inclusive of other data that isn't precise enough. The human body is the best tool for understanding how you feel and when a good time is to rest or take it a bit easier.

[@Over50sroadie]

My wifes heart rate is a natural 30-32. Former professional cyclist.

[@MyBetsie]

I use my rhr as a indicator if i am run down or going down with something, when its around 35 i am good to go full hog training, if its up as high as 50 i know my body is tired, fatigued or fighting someting.

[@ribbyramone]

My GP sends me to a cardiologist because "39 is too low" :D (37yo 14-18hrs training weeks)

[@SSuperCuriouss]

I'm 46, hardly that fit and smartwatch confirms my resting heart rate is 43bpm, and VO2 max 43 and not fit at all, reasonably stressful career, live in a hot climate.. oh yea, not a dwarf ... a little concerned actually. Resting HR has been 37bpm when I am actually fit. Did i miss the opportunity to be an olympian or have a disorder.

[@benbwaite9858]

I've found when my resting heart rate gets under 40 I'm noticeably fitter on the bike

[@mbarcell]

The Withings BPM Core keeps me saying that my HR is too low, and cannot even perform the heart health checks. Even though I marked the box “athlete” which I suppose would adjust the normality thresholds. hey @withings Nokia fix the low HR thing.

[@brucejensen3081]

Seems to be a j curve with everything when it comes to optimal. Optimal resting heart rate is probably like 50. Anything under 40 will probably mean you will need a pacemaker later in life. Same as blood pressure, like if its too low, you will have problems. You would have to think there is some correlation between people will dangerously low blood pressure and too low heart rate. Think it was for me.

[@WS-bk7uu]

What's the best way to calculate resting heart rate? In the day or at night? My heart rate is much lower at night. Or should I take an average of the two?

[@codemonkeyalpha9057]

I'd really recommend getting a decent HR watch if you are interested in tracking RHR usefully. It'll give you an average of averages which is what you want. My avg RHR is actually 5-6bpm higher than the minimum value you could spot at any given moment. Your HR naturally varies so the longer a sustained period you measure it over the better. A minute might actually be too short. RHR isn't 'lowest heart rate'. I think that is a bit of misconception you'll find, and why some people say they have 'mad' low RHRs. They are cherry picking the lowest possible reading off a cheap HR device and that can be really out (as much as 20%). If you can't then I'd recommend borrowing a Bluetooth HR strap and wearing it overnight hooked up to an app. I'd imagine most peoples lowest RHR is when they are sleeping. I have a weird thing where mine is actually just after I wake sitting at my desk just prior to my first cup of coffee. So that might be worth testing too. A chest strap means you can relax and not stare at the number. If you are there holding a phone, counting manually it will likely elevate it a few BPMs. You want a nice naturally reading.

[@DirtyPoul]

I must say that I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't mention that the resting heart rate displayed on fitness watches is not equivalent to the one taken by a doctor. The one displayed by fitness watches is your sleeping heart rate, which is different and shouldn't be 60-100 bpm, but quite a bit lower, about 10-20 bpm lower. You cannot replace one with the other. There is very little research on sleeping heart rate because it's not something that has been available for many years, but the little research that does exist suggests that it's actually a better measurement than the traditional resting heart rate, as it is more stable which makes it a better predictor of fitness and general health. But just beware that your sleeping heart rate in the 40s does not mean your fitness level is comparable to elite athletes with resting heart rates in the 40s.

[@bravesirmick8463]

Doctor told me my RHR indicated I was either really fot or needed a pacemaker...

[@olivertp3100]

I once peaked as low as 34 RHR while asleep. Thought I was dead tbh

[@TamaEnergy]

My garmin wake me up at night as it goes to 36bpm and its annoying haha

[@glywnniswells9480]

Its elevated hot day and hard training its at 63

[@codemonkeyalpha9057]

Definitely can confirm that it isn't a comparable metric between people. My avg RHR (by my Garmin 945) this week was 45. I am currently in terrible shape after a stressful house move and an injury that had me off training for over 6 months. I also put on 15KG in that time, oof. Worst shape I have been in for years. You can definitely have a low RHR and still physically be complete trash. Don't read too much into it. I honestly only pay attention to it for recovery, if it is sitting higher than average day after day I am over doing it. It isn't even a great mark of my relative personal fitness. When I was race fit it sat at 42. The fact I am in this condition and its only 3 more tells the whole story. It is only the short term fluctuations that really are worth tracking.

[@veydajar]

HRV is a much more sensitive metric - RHR changes noticeably only with very profound and acute stressors.. but a sustained 15%+ drop in HRV with a simultaneous 1-2bpm uptick in RHR would have been a yellow flag for me.

[@codemonkeyalpha9057]

@@veydajar Yeah I should use it more but on the Garmin 945 you have to actually stop and run a manual test. You also should wear a chest strap for it. I like the data, but that is too much hassle for me to do it regularly.

[@veydajar]

@@codemonkeyalpha9057 While I agree it's more convenient to look only at auto-sampled overnight HRV, a manual seated (or standing) morning HRV sampling better tells us how ready we are for the training today, as opposed to the overnight story of how much that recovery taxed us - as it's further away from the stressors of the day prior. Both are valuable, but for different reasons.

[@mattlenton7376]

some of the fittest men i train(boxers) have a RHR of 80.these are elite athletes, no way a triathlete could fight for 12 rounds.so....numbers are somewhat misleading.

[@doernerrr]

This was good but RHR is relatively simple and easy to measure. Max HR seems more complex and harder to measure. For an endurance athlete max HR may be a better indicator of performance potential. Has GTN addressed max HR?

[@Irishirich]

That's all completely wrong. Max HR is completely determined by your genetics, it can't be improved by aerobic training at all. You can have a max HR 40 beats higher than an elite athlete and struggle to walk 5 minutes.

[@desroin]

So when I'm extremely relaxed on vacation or something similar my resting heart rate is about 42 ^^' On a normal work week it's like 47-50 I'm really affected by stress I think

[@NitroniumGaming]

I wonder if it could be temperature and climate related. My rhr dropped by 5bpm on vacation. But I certainly had work to do then, and wasn't not stressed.

[@lovenottheworld5723]

Admitting to a very low heart rate is admitting to using EPO.

[@emmag00]

My resting heart rate is 37. I know once it's in the 40s, it's time to check-in to see if something is off. I find it really useful to use alongside HRV to monitor how I'm responding to training.

[@tadejdanev5030]

dude, too low.

[@lachlandunlop7235]

Lucky this guy told you ^^. Just remember to make sure you raise it tonight 😂

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

@@tadejdanev5030mine 36 - always been low. Only know this as I’ve had it tested whilst in hospital 😅

[@matthewnormand2041]

I've found tracking RHR and HRV via my Whoop can give my pretty good insight on what my body is doing in the background. For instance, I very recently got a Covid booster. I felt no overt effects but overnight, my RHR went from 45 (a low PB for me) to 56 despite a low strain day. That indicated my body was working hard in the background mounting an immune response. It was back to normal for me (50ish) the next night.

[@jameswestmoreland9717]

30HR True resting rate upon awakening. 39/40 while hanging out in daytime. Steady 100 mile weeks in 40's up to 160 miles/week. I think some of the low rhr due to ability to swim 50M pool underwater when I was 10-12 years old. Also, my record holding my breath is 3:05.

[@GripperMaster]

The lowest HR I see on my Garmin is 33

[@Cid0484]

I recently donated blood and during the health check prior to the donation my HR was 46. The doctor wanted to be sure and double checked it the "oldschool way" (i.e. finger and watch) 😂

[@matthewbaynham6286]

My resting heart rate is 50 bpm normally plus or minus 5. However when I caught covid my resting heart rate was 70 bpm. I have high blood pressure and my doctor has me on some drugs for that, but it does mean I check my blood pressure every morning and every evening, the machine also measures my resting heart rate. So I have a spreadsheet with my blood pressure and resting heart rate. So I'm very aware of what my resting heart rate is. So about a year ago I caught covid. I got infected with covid on a Tuesday, my resting heart rate was totally normal and know nothing about it until the Friday when my resting heart rate was 70 bpm but still felt OK-ish, then on the Saturday I felt awful. After 4 days of having a high resting heart rate it came down to normal, and I was fine.

[@55mase76]

37-217

[@thejeffinvade]

My max HR is 209, resting 53. but it’s recorded by garmin forerunner 245 during my half marathon race, probably not that accurate. I am 38 years old.

[@francoisrouviere]

I've often wondered if the position in which I am sleeping has an impact on the RHR. For example, if my arm with the watch is in a position where blood flow is limited will this tend to cause my watch the record a lower than actual RHR. My value does not fluctuate by more than 1-2 beats per day. Curious as to how the watch records this and if it just records the lowest measured heartrate in the last 24 hours for a 1 minute time period (or something similar).

[@veydajar]

It depends on the watch - different manufacturers use different algorithms to estimate RHR. But you are correct in the assumption that sleeping position might affect it for wearables that prefer (or exclusively use) night-time HR for RHR calculation.

[@Morfeusm]

One day my resting HR went from usual 38-43 to 31 and even 21 during night, I knew it was time to get a new watch. And lo and behold with new watch it was back to 39 like a charm!

[@dbo4506]

Cool story.

[@francoisrouviere]

My resting heartrate can jump up by 10 beats if I consume alcohol the night before. Not sure if this is directly related to the alcohol or if my sleep quality has changed which in turn affects my resting heartrate.

[@veydajar]

Alcohol close to bedtime does reduce sleep quality, but it is also a stressor by itself and, with enough imbibing, will directly affect RHR - as the body's sympathetic system gets activated and the liver and kidneys are working overtime to detoxify the system. I have noticed myself than after intense binging (>10 standard drinks in one sitting) my RHR can be as much as 25bpm higher, and gradually ticks down for the next 12-36hrs. Even a 2-drink night can show a slight uptick in RHR, although HRV is a lot more sensitive to minor stressors like that (and a great secondary metric to monitor).

[@alanrobertson3172]

My RHR is 36. I’m 54 and 110 kgs with a good VO2 Max. I’ve always had a low heart rate.

[@luibell1974]

When I do train hard my RHR goes below 40 without training around 45/55

[@gforcecache]

I enjoyed this, but to be honest, I didn’t learn anything. Sorry.