I'm hoping people can help me with something that has me a little concerned. To give a quick back story, I lost 3 stone in 2022 and in early 2023 I started going to the gym. I attended regular spin classes, core sessions, HIIT classes and also ran and would have a gentle swim a few times a week. I really upped the anti in July as I started having Wednesdays off, so this became a gym day where I did a lot of cardio. Not long after this point I showed signs of overtraining (at the time I didn't know what was going on), I would get very hot at night and sometimes have night sweats, developed a sudden onset "allergy" where I would be very itchy, I would struggle sleeping and just wasn't myself. I carried on like this for a while as my GP wasn't much help, did bloods tests and prescribed strong antihistamines for the itching saying I suddenly had an allergy. I January I completed my quickest parkrun in just under 28 minutes which I was pleased with. However, for whatever reason I started monitoring my RHR and days after the run it was still in the mid 80s, my normal is in the low 60s. So I freaked out and scaled things back, I always had rest days but I have worked on this and I have been mindful of my nutrition.
I have started resistance and weight training 4 times a week, I haven't done a great deal of training or other classes in the past few weeks as I am mindful about over doing it. I eat healthy fats like avocado, plenty of protein and also carbs (I am utilizing my fitness pal to track what I am eating, to make sure I eat enough).
Today I did my session a core class and had a very gentle swim and sauna session after. I left the gym hours ago and my RHR is still around 100bpm. Usually by the morning it is near enough back to normal, it might be in the low 70s then as the day goes on it will reduce more.
Is there anyone out there with experience in cardiovascular health when you exercising to get fitter? I don't want to overdo things and at the moment and hour and a bit a few times a week doesn't feel like too much. I'm at a loss, I want to do well and progress but not at the expense of my overall health. I'm considering seeing my GP to make sure me heart is OK as it is marking me paranoid.
Sorry for the long message, I just really need some advice.
Thank you.
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Hollieb91
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Resting heart rates can vary vastly but from what you're saying your Resting is around 60-70bpm but the recovery seems to be taking a lot longer then previously noted?
From my own observations ( I'm 53 male, would consider myself as being reasonably fit, had a heart attack in 2023), my resting heart rate now ( I take beta blockers which slow the heart down) is 58-65 bpm, when I go to the gym it can elevate to 140bpm, bur within a minute it will recover back to 65-70bpm. My recovery heart rate times pre heart attack were similar.
I wouldn't panick as you may have always been like this but never noticed and you've not mentioned any other symptoms other then a slow recovery heart rate, but I would make an appointment with your GP just to make sure nothing odd is going on.
I went down the path of healthy living and exercise since Oct last year. Whilst my training is not as extreme as yours, my RHR has gone down by about 10-15bpm. It is around 55-60bpm, from low 70s before.
My exercise and keep fit schedule is rowing 10min sessions (medium intensity) and walking 10k steps.
Also, I have lost around 9kg, which gives me a bmi of 23. Previously, it was around 26.
As I have CVD, i dont want to test my limit - I tend to train at 70% to 80% capacity. It works for me and personally, I dont see the benefit of pushing myself further and harder.
your resting heart rate does indeed seem high, but what was it before you started exercising? I don’t suppose you know!
But the people to help you could well be the trainers at the gym? I don’t do gym now because I find it so boring but I well remember the first time I went when I was in my middle fortes and I found them very knowledgeable. They do have several years training I understand.
So according to my Fitbit my RHR in 2022 was around 74 bpm, in 2023 it dropped to around 64 bpm, so in a year it has improved considerably. So far this year it is averaging 62 bpm.
It just surprises me that it can stay pretty high for most of the day after I have trained, be it weight in the gym, cardio or a mixture of the two. It is now around 64 which is more my usual.
I've spoken to a PT in the gym who has become a good friend, when she's back off leave I will chat to her about it. I am definitely going to speak to a GP about it though. Rest day tomorrow.
I don't get breathless at rest and cannot feel any obvious abnormalities. I manually check my HR and it does match pretty close to my Fitbit readings.
Resting heart rate is fine to be less than 100 but over 100 would be considered fast. Yours seems to be in the normal range which is good. It possibly should be dropping down a bit quicker post exercise.
I would certainly speak to your GP and if you get any further symptoms of concern, you may need pause exercise. I wouldn’t panic as heart rates can vary for a myriad of reasons.
I assume your blood tests didn’t show any thyroid issues or anaemia?
Cardiac issues with fast heart rate usually (but not always) involve symptoms such chest pains/palpitations, fainting, dizziness and fatigue.
Hi Hollie, apart from recently losing weight is there anything else going on ? You’re not on any meds , no previous heart condition like the majority of us on here 🤦🏼🤣..
You lost 3 stone , which is fantastic but we don’t know any other stats . Sounds like your fitness journey is recent and you binged on training to overtraining . You use a Fitbit to monitor your heart rate. Have you considered a chest strap monitor(regarded as more accurate, I use garmin strap and vivoactive 4s watch for training). Have you ever used heart rate zones to train in ? It seems that your training was quite top end, not many easy days or rest days. Would you consider a two week schedule and build more rest/active rest days in for recovery? I have a lifetime of sports and training and the adaptation response to training /competing can take a while if you are new to it. 2 years is certainly not a long time in my opinion, it’s long enough to learn techniques and move from beginner in a discipline.
I hope your not following MFP 1200 calorie diet 🤣🤣👍🏻👍🏻, glad you’re on top of your nutrition /protein .
It would be good to know what your goal is , when you say fitter, what does that mean to you ? Cardio fitness , (running , cycling competing ?) or strength training ( cross fit , or 5/3/2 Wendler or just lifting for health?) or body strength/mobility for (yoga , Pilates, martial arts laying foundations for ageing such as balance , strength etc) or a combination 👍🏻.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts .
FYI , I had Nstemi & quadruple bypass last July , totally out of the blue and was a total shock to me , family and my friends as I was the fit one 🤦🏼🤣. I’m back to some 5k ( park run is fun 👍🏻) and challenging yoga twice a week. I’ve done quite s bit in my sporting life , county rugby , a bit of squash , cycling with a club ) heart rate zones for training /Threshold tests 🤮🤣) a lot of running ( NY & London marathons , heart rate zones again , recovery important) , badminton , karate , Kung Fu, weight training , Hiit.. coaching my kids in their sports ( county runners /swimmers and pro rugby league).
Recovery heart rate is probably more important than your actual heart rate numbers at the moment . How quickly your pulse drops back to what is normal for you . The adaptation to s lower heart rate will/ may come with time and adaptation.
I can still get my heart rate up to 180 and it rests around 47-50. It was doing that pretty heart attack and I’m glad it’s still there .
it would be worth investing for n a chest worn ECG. Whilst fitness trackers are known to be reasonably accurate and are good indicators of trend, they are not as accurate as other devices such as the chest worn ECG. If your fitness tracker, your Fitbit is an older model it might be worth investing in a newer version?
With years of weight training and exercise experience, I would say, irrespective of any health issues, that you seem to be over training, particularly as you're new to it. Three hours with weights/resistance training and two hours cardio (per week) is sufficient with three rest days. You are not a professional athlete! Maximum heart rate rule of thumb is 220 minus age (this is not an exact science). I am 75 making my maximum 145 bpm.
Some days after weight training it takes a couple of hours to drop to my average resting rate which is 60/65. Try cutting back and buy a chest strap monitor as they are, as Dwissa pointed out, more accurate. Good luck!
This prolonged elevation of heart rate post exercise is known as 'EPOC' (excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption). Heart rates essentially stay elevated for longer after these types of training in order to metabolise the lactate that has accumulated and return the body to homeostasis. This is normal thing, but it does need to be looked at if your heart is going beyond EPOC, it never hurts to have extra tests. But your situation does sound like EPOC.
I think I did a post on heart rates before somewhere.
I will summarise in very general loose terms, approx if you do more than 2 hours strenuous exercise in one go, you will start to degrade your cardiovascular system , toxins build up, mass excess of free radicals, ROS - Reactive Oxygen Species increase. Heart muscles cells will start to emit troponin , which is not a good thing......
you dint actually say if you have had a previous heart issue and are in medication. If you have them I woukd say you are doing far too much and the fact that your RHR is taking ages to come back to normal is worrying. If you have not had any previous issues then I am not sure although l would say fir simeine who is very fit a RHR of 70 is high fir someone so fit and young. Prior to my HA my RHR was 60 and had unknown heart disease and wasn’t that fit in the months leading to my HA.
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