My heart rate use to be around 68, I just measured it and now it's 48... I have been doing some cardio but really not too much.. I have lost about 30 pounds though. I lowered my body fat from 15% to about 9.5% Would the lower body fat contribute to the lower heart rate?
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Does having lower body fat lower your heart rate?
- Thread starter realworksuks
- Start date
I don't think it's anything to do with your actual body fat.
The thing is, the heart is a muscle just like any other. So if you've been doing some cardio, you have been working the heart quite a bit, which means it's now stronger. As such, it now takes less effort for your heart to pump blood all over your body than it used to, and so it doesn't need to beat as fast.
This should be considered a very good thing.
The thing is, the heart is a muscle just like any other. So if you've been doing some cardio, you have been working the heart quite a bit, which means it's now stronger. As such, it now takes less effort for your heart to pump blood all over your body than it used to, and so it doesn't need to beat as fast.
This should be considered a very good thing.
I agree that your heart has probably just became healthier and more conditioned. Along time ago in my A&P class my instructor told us that Lance Armstrong's HR was in the 30's (I forget the exact number). And he explained that while the normal HR is between 60-100 it is normal for athletes to have lower HR.
I would say it does - less fat means the arteries are less clogged on the inside and less constricted on the outside. Thus your heart has to do less work to pump the blood where it needs to be (= better circulation). My resting heart rate before I started working out was around 100 - last I had it checked it was 64.
usually its blood pressure, not heart rate, that steadily improves when you lose fat and perform cardio.
Aren't they related though? To move the same quantity of fluid against higher resistance it'd have to pump at a faster rate, wouldn't it?
usually its blood pressure, not heart rate, that steadily improves when you lose fat and perform cardio.
i would agree that the heart is just working better, but I also bet you measured it a little off, or the monitor you used was being quirky, as that's a bit of a leap.
It was a pretty big leap. I know the way I measured isn't completely accurate, but at christmas time I sat still on a couch for like a half hour, and then counted my heart rate just using my neck to test it. It was actually 68 per minute at the time. After christmas I started doing cardio about 4 times a week for 30 minutes at a time or so, and when I sat on my couch for 5 minutes last night then measured it my heart rate was 48. It's pretty crazy I think.
I noticed on the ulyptical machine that when I go on it it's really hard to get my heart rate past 145, where as before it was usually sitting around the 170 range (back before christmas time).
yes I did know that, I haven't ever remembered to take my heart rate when I wake up though, not once. I'm just glad that even at a period of non complete rest it's 48, that's pretty damn good I think, I don't think it's ever been that low before.