It's said that Seb Coe's RHR was around 36 at his peak. It's not uncommon to hear of runners with RHRs in the mid 30s. Mine's in the low 40s. I've always had cold extremities, and getting my RHR down by 30 bpm hasn't made any real difference. What is your professor's speciality?
When I told a friend who's a GP in an under-privileged area how low my RHR was, she told me it wasn't normal and something was wrong. Having discussed it with various medical professionals, particularly ones who work out, they concluded that, coming from the area she does, unfortunately, she probably doesn't see too many people who are that fit. This is just an assumption they made btw - not my judgement. I'm not getting political and suggesting people in run-down areas are unfit.
BTW - Women tend to have higher HRs than men. Try a Google for 'athlet's heart'. Wikipedia's down at the 'mo, otherwise I'd provide a link. The bottom line is that, all that running gives you a bigger heart muscle, in the same way a lifter has bigger biceps. Because it's bigger, it doesn't need to beat so much when you're loafing out - as I am now, instead of working (bad me).
http://merckmanuals.com/professional/sec07/ch082/ch082c.html
Posted: 22/11/2010 at 20:28
