Would this be classed as resting heart rate?

[WimbledonCyclist]

The purpose of taking it in the first place is ... to determine a higher than normal reading from overtraining or illness of some sort and then to slacken off with the training.

Setting training zones by heart rate is not an exact science, although the use of formulae of varying complexity can lend an aura of such exactness.

Ignoring training zone calculations: if we go back to key info you want to glean from a resting heart rate as you articulated in your first post as quoted above, then I would even venture a guess that the lowest heart rate at night during sleep has an edge over the "measure after sitting down calmly for 15 minutes"-approach.

Why? Because it takes a reading at the point of deepest physical relaxation. It is not influenced to the same extent by the time of day or activities immediately prior to the reading. It is a that point that any variation is driven primarily by the body's state of recovery and health. The only other main variables that potentially kick in are such things as time to bed, volume of alcohol drunk, general nutritional state and, of course, how vigorous one's love life was immediately before falling asleep .

I've never taken a night-time HR reading, and probably never will because sleeping with a strap on (note the absence of a hyphen) seems uncomfortable, but I'm starting to get intrigued now ...

It also seems that there's some variation in advice here. Sitting down and taking a RHR is one way of going about things. But Runner's World editor and "running writer" Amby Burfoot for example recommends taking the RHR in the morning while still in bed, just after waking up. That's what I do, it comes with minimum hassle, and it tells me what I need to know, right at the start of the day. What more can one ask for?

 

[yashicamat]

This thread is a bit worrying - I'm reasonably fit and my resting heart rate usually is around 60-70bpm! Gets up to about 200ish at most when I'm really going for it. I'm 24 years old, but still, the resting heart rate is a bit perplexing.

 

[Bill Gates]

if we go back to key info you want to glean from a resting heart rate as you articulated in your first post as quoted above, then I would even venture a guess that the lowest heart rate at night during sleep has an edge over the "measure after sitting down calmly for 15 minutes"-approach. Why? Because it takes a reading at the point of deepest physical relaxation. It is not influenced to the same extent by the time of day or activities immediately prior to the reading. It is a that point that any variation is driven primarily by the body's state of recovery and health

All maybe entirely true but it's not RHR.

It also seems that there's some variation in advice here. Sitting down and taking a RHR is one way of going about things. But Runner's World editor and "running writer" Amby Burfoot for example recommends taking the RHR in the morning while still in bed, just after waking up. That's what I do, it comes with minimum hassle, and it tells me what I need to know, right at the start of the day.

That's what I said

The RHR reading should be taken when you are awake and have been inactive for about 15 minutes or so. I usually do mine when I'm watching the telly and got my feet up. It's OK to take it in bed before you get up but not when you're asleep.

The purpose of taking it in the first place is not to get the lowest reading you can, although a lower HR compared to your previous readings will indicate an improvement in aerobic fitness; but to determine a higher than normal reading from overtraining or illness of some sort and then to slacken off with the training.

So at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what it is so much as is it higher than normal. A low HR as such is not an indicator of ability.

What more can one ask for?

Exactly.

It is what it is - RHR is taken in the morning in bed or after resting up.

Finally!

 

[Garz]

This thread is a bit worrying - I'm reasonably fit and my resting heart rate usually is around 60-70bpm! Gets up to about 200ish at most when I'm really going for it. I'm 24 years old, but still, the resting heart rate is a bit perplexing.

Like I said yashi, when I tested out a cheapish watch I revived from yesteryear via a new battery I was perplexed that my seemingly normal RHR of about 62 watching telly (in this case football) is way higher than some on here.

If I can remember to, I shall try it before bed or in morning and see if its anywhere as low as some of these figures.

 

[zacklaws]

I'm totally confused with my heart rates since I bought a new bike. On my road bike with a double chainset, I can easily get my heart rate into the 190's when pushing up steep hills, now on my new road bike with a triple chainset, I rarely get over 180, and just seem to sit around 171-178 when pushing as hard as I can, with about 165 the normal. Maybe I've just become a slack B!!!!* on my triple yet I have chopped all my times for hill climbing by just under 50% so maybe there could be more in me. Perhaps its time I got out and tested it again.

And incredibly I finally got my first experience of Lactate about a month ago, yet I only had a heartbeat of 171 but for over a year I had been pushing that big double far harder and for just as long a period but never experienced it.

As for my resting heart rate it always hovers around 55bpm first thing in a morning.

 

[Bill Gates]

Mine was 40 bpm this morning at 6.00am, taken in bed, before getting up, and wide awake.