Does anyone out there have Bradycardia (slower than normal heart rate, i.e. less than 60bpm)?
My resting heart rate has always been low and I used to run competitively as a teenager. I am reasonably fit now (3.3W/kg) but nowhere near peak fitness, so I don’t think that can explain it.
Now that I have a Garmin 735XT and i have 24/7 HRM, my resting heart rate is recorded between 37 and 40.
My heart rate jumps right up when exercising and my zones appear normal compared to others.
I’m just wondering if anyone else has it to share any experiences? My wife is convinced that it is linked to the fact that I seem far more susceptible to colds, flu and viruses!
Yeah, I got a Garmin 235 a few months back and my RHR is usually in the high 30s, occasionally it will be low 30s. Never thought much about it other than must have a strong heart, which I guess most endurance athletes have. 10yrs ago when doing triathlons I used to measure my HR upon waking everyday with a chest strap and it was low 40s, so I believe the Garmin.
@Timmy2shoes Yep I have that, even before heavily training my hr was low, now it’s generally resting about mid 30’s and my max is only 175 (and I’m just 34). Recently completed a Chester step test and didn’t even hit the expected 80% max by the end of the tape.
I only know this because my HR occasionally jumps around and flutters a bit, kind of as a jump start to keep the pressure up when my rest hr gets a bit too low so I went to get it checked.
I’ve been told it’s nothing to worry about, and my fitness has rocketed over recent years so I wouldn’t worry unless you’re feeling light headed or dizzy or getting pains!
Yes similar for me, max HR on a bike is usually around 175, last few yards of a 5k is 190 though!
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m only concerned really when I hear “endurance athlete” if I compare myself to triathletes, club runners and cyclists, as I’ve never run a marathon, never even tried a triathlon and I only fit in around 5 to 10 miles running a week and 2 to 3 hours on a bike. So I don’t really consider myself much of an endurance athlete at the moment.
Just go along with it it’s aleays fun to freak out medical professionals when they don’t expect it. The last one didn’t believe me and had to check for himself (hang on, does that mean I look out of shape?!)
While in the general population Bradycardia can be sympomatic of some forms of heart disease, Exercise Induced Bradycardia is generally seen as beneficial and not a cause for concern.
Because cycling is often a long-duration activity (as compared with running or many team sports), cyclists tend to have very well adapted aerobic energy systems - which is also associated with a low resting heart rate. I would agree that the majority of regular TR users probably have RHR’s in the mid-40s or even into the 30s.
Personally, I find mine is normally 40-42, perhaps dropping to 38-39 in a recovery week. If I see it 45+, I know I am either accumulating fatigue, or am about to come down with an illness - either way, it’s about time to back off from my training somewhat.
Low RHRs are probably more associated with your base fitness, than “peak fitness”. Peak fitness is more about anaerobic capacity, muscular endurance, etc.
Hello, my resting HR is 40-50. I was scared and go to the doctor because i have bifascikular blck of heart. Holter monitoring didnt show anything abnormal with my heart rythm (0 pauses, 0 SVES, 0 VES), EHO was normal too. Doctor told me that rate is lower besause i’? running. I’m not profesional athlete, i’m just runnig recreatve (6-10km), but they told me that is half-maraton and that is reason why my resting HR is low (in deep sleep was 35). I’m 32 years old…
So today my Dr. does an EKG and calls back to tell me I have Bradycardia (RHR <60) and wants me to see a Cardiologist. My Dr. knows I’m an avid cyclist doing 5-7 hour rides often. I’ll see the Cardiologist just in case but came here to search the term and see I am in good company. Several threads on here - this seems to be a common “diagnosis” among the TR crowd.
Anyone here experience palpitations / skip beat in the lower range?
I typically experience those around 40’s, for example when laying down. I was concerned, but cardiologist said I was super fit. That did not relieve me of concern.
I would say this is a strange call by your doctor, given the information that you do a lot of aerobic exercise.
I got an EKG a couple of years back and my doctor just said “your resting heart rate is a little low, but that is perfectly normal for someone that trains as much as you, with an increased stroke volume” (mine is around 40-45)
Now, there might be other factors in the EKG that warranted a closer look, but just the low RHR seams a bit thin to me (IANAD)
I took part in a clinical trial earlier in the year for a new vaccine for something I shouldn’t mention but you’ve probably heard of… They keep you back and monitor you for side effects immediately afterward. The heart rate monitor they hooked me up to kept alarming due to my HR being low, but it’s been in the 40s my entire adult life seemingly regardless of fitness. Had to show them my RHR graphs from Garmin Connect before they’d calm down! Have very occasionally seen it get as low as 37 but not often.
If you are not suffering from any negative symptoms of bradycardia it definitely seems a bit excessive. But on the positive side you will get it checked.
Rhr 38-40 here aswell. No negative side effects and fairly normal for endurance athletes. The only thing is that I get these head rushes a bit easier when standing up to fast. Especially after a though workout. Not sure that’s related to low rhr or just low bp which is also common for endurance athletes iirc.
I am 55 with RHR of 35. Mostly this is genetic. I have seen a cardiologist for an unrelated family history issue (aortic valve defect that I fortunately did not inherit). Cardiologist and GP are not concerned about my low HR.
But it can be fun to convince the Red Cross when I try to donate blood. Have to do mind game to get heart rate over 50 without spiking BP.
My anecdotal evidence with a sample size of 1 agrees with this. When my eating and sleeping are healthy, my RHR is anywhere between 28 and 32 (from what I’ve recorded). When my diet is worse, it’s more like high 30s. Recently I got an email from my dad, who is nearly 70, and he counted two full minutes of heart-rate one morning because he said it felt unusually low. The first minute was 30, and the second minute was 32. While he does a lot of long, low intensity endurance activity, he doesn’t look particularly fit, and is carrying a bit (10-15lbs?) of extra weight.
First post here for me. 44/M My RHR is usually around 42-45 on most days. When I get up to exercise intensity (name a zone) my hr falls within recorded norms. I do have to add that I almost never get sick, so I am not sure your wifes hypothesis is valid as we are such diverse creatures and it could be other things that are impacting your health. btw, I am a carpenter and not a doctor…spend a lot of time outside and in different environments that may or may not benefit my immune system to be more resilient. #carpenterMaths
I measure low 40’s on most days and don’t consider myself to be fit by any stretch. I would be worried but I had to see a cardiologist a few months ago for another reason who did ECG’s, load test on the bike and didn’t find anything too odd apart from announcing my aortic valve doesn’t seem to close property and instructed me to exercise more to improve the heart’s efficiency (I love doctors orders to ride more!)
it’s aleays fun to freak out medical professionals when they don’t expect it. The last one didn’t believe me and had to check for himself (hang on, does that mean I look out of shape?!)