I have been training pretty well the last few months and been cycling a fair amount the last few years. I have done a good month of polarised training and noticed my resting HR coming down from average of 50 to 42 today. Done HRV today with a resting HR of 42 but it gave me a 6 score telling me my sympathetic system was elevated. Just curious as to other cyclist opinions on this. I do notice being able to keep a lower HR on hills compared to what I could.
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That is a big change in a month. I’ve noticed my heart rate has come down, but it has taken a few months.
My heart rate stays lower on hills but I still feel like I am working very hard even when my heart rate is low. In other words my perceived exertion still is really high. Are you getting that too?
It has been over the course of a few months too and yeah I know exactly what you mean. HR is lower but doesn’t feel that much easier so I’m a bit confused about that but still hoping it’s a good thing👍🏽
Your stroke voulme is getting bigger, IE each pump is moving more blood, so it doesn’t need to pump as fast to pump the same amount of blood. There is probebly something about having higher hematocrit also that means you need less volume of blood per second to carry the same amount of oxygen.
Thanks, sounds like a good thing??
I’m no Doctor and can only speak of my own experiences but a drop in resting heart rate (RHR) is generally a good thing, and usually a side effect of becoming aerobically fitter (your heart is just more efficient than it was so doesn’t need to beat as often). For example my resting heart rate many years ago -untrained- was around 60+bpm, it’s now 36bpm and every time i visit a medical professional I have to explain to them that I’m a high volume cyclist, at which point the look of concern usually drops from their face!
From what I can gather the only time to be concerned would be if light headed/dizzy symptoms accompanied a drop in RHR.
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@teamkennyg, you might find your Max HR has dropped a little too if you tested it based upon my findings over the years. Dont worry about it being 42, mine is mid 30’s at 63yrs old. Your threshold HR will be dropping in proportion - never feels easier its just your body adjusting to the training.
Just remember that HRV is not equal to resting HR. Your resting HR could be trending lower indicating better fitness and your HRV could be going lower indicating fatigue and the need to rest.
What app are you using to measure HRV?
I’m using Elite Hrv app. It’s not too bad but I mainly go on resting HR as sometimes after a rest day and I feel pretty good it will give me a low score and tell me to train easy. Not a bad tool all the same