Member
high resting heart rate
Hey Coach
I'm wondering your thought about bringing down my resting heart rate while not messing up strength gains.
I'm 6 foot, 185 pounds and have been messing around with SS for a while, but just recently got the book and starting doing the program. I also have a high resting heart rate in the 80s, and anytime i check it while messing around the house its in the hundreds. I eat more than enough plus a gallon of whole milk a day. currently not doing any cardio in my training.
What do you suggest i do?
Thanks a lot
TMPHBITEU
If it bothers you, get it checked to see if there is a pathology. But some people just have smaller hearts than other people, and this may be perfectly normal for you. The problem will, of course, be that the doctor will tell you to start running and to stop lifting weights. If you are prepared to ignore this to receive a diagnosis, go ahead.
Member
Do you think adding cardio on the off days would be helpful? I was thing of doing what Johnny suggest with the fasted AM cardio on off days but at the same time i don't want to mess up my lifts.
TMPHBITEU
Helpful for lowering your RHR? Depends on why it's elevated. If it's actually elevated: you may be measuring it wrong.
Member
Hawkings,
Consider that an elevated resting heartrate, especially upon waking can sometimes be an indicator of fatigue that isn't dissipating. (Not necessarily over-training but that you're not quite recovering enough)
Member
As a runner I always had a low RHR, at one point in the low 40's. It's higher now that I run infrequently, but only in the 60's. I believe part of that is related to body weight in addition to conditioning.
I don't have anything but my own experience to back it up but I think it's possible that your heart rate could be higher because of other factors related to training, such as doing GOMAD and working out aggressivly. I only have weak theories as to what the mechanism might be. It seems logical to me that increased digestive tract work and the work of muscle repair could cause a higher RHR when you are adapting rapidly.
I was thinking about asking the same question for a while when I was on 3/4 GOMAD because I noticed my resting heart rate was high for me (probably in the 70's or 80's). If that's the case, your RHR might return closer to normal when you change your diet up after novice progression. If you are not in a hurry you could try voluntarily stalling your progression and weight gain for a few weeks as an experiment.
If you've always had high RHR then it could be as Rip says, just normal for you.
It could also be something completely unrelated to training, like a virus. I once went to the doc because my RHR was 100 (>2x normal). After checking me with an EKG he said it was probably viral.
Yes, I take my pulse too much.
Member
I have noticed this too.
I suspect it is a result of the gain in body weight reducing one's VO2max.
I am only a novice; I started lifting weights in December 2009 at a skinny 69kg/9% body fat (180cm tall). My resting HR was in the high 30s; my VO2max was 65ml/min (measured with a Polar HR monitor).
7 months later, I am now 83kg/15% body fat. My resting HR is now in the high 40s and my VO2max has dropped down to 53ml/min.
I ride a bike to work and I have noticed that, while my time for the journey has stayed around 18 minutes (despite gaining 14kg of body weight), my time spent above 80% of HR maximum has climbed from 10 or so seconds to 3 or 4 minutes.
So it definitely seems that the extra muscle and fat has had a negative impact on my aerobic capacity.
As an experiment, I aim to cut some body fat once I get my 5x5 squat up to 1.5 x body weight (it's stuck at 1.35 at the moment), and see if I can get my VO2max back up over 60ml/min.
I know it's probably not a concern for those of you who avoid cardio, but if you depend on your cardiovascular system for transport (I don't own a car!) then it can be a bit distressing to see your fitness going south.
TMPHBITEU
Bizarre. Your RHR is in the lower 40s, your bodyfat is 15%, both well below average, your VO2 max is 53%, still well above average, your strength has increased markedly since you've been on the program, but your fitness Has Gone South. The aerobics/exercise=time conventional wisdom still has you by the balls. Poor kid.
Member
Christ, I thought my 60-ish RHR was pretty good.
Rip, do you find that people normally experience an increase in RHR when DTP, or is this one of those problems that really isn't a problem at all (especially since it can be addressed with conditioning work, if desired)?
I'd never even thought to check or to worry about it (not that I am now, I'm just curious), and the search function seems to indicate no one has asked you much about it before.
Member
Look at all the numbers!Originally Posted by bamzi
Look at the attention to detail!
Man, are you really keeping track of all this stuff... Calculating your squat in terms of body weight % to 1.35? Keeping what seems like strict notes on your heart rate durring a bike ride to work?
I'm not trying to be a problem, but what are your goals? Why is your V02max important? V02max competition or something (whoever has the most ml/min wins)?
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