Pulse as an indicator of fitness

Paul Theodorescu · 08-23-2005, 01:39 PM

Is the pulse a reliable indicator of fitness? Is it worth tracking?

Does anyone here record their pulse?

I'd be curious to see what the average heart rate is for dedicated crossfitters.

My current pulse is ~61 but then again I haven't been training much as I've been on vacation. At it's lowest I was on a calorie-restriction type diet and was doing a ton of cardio (it was 48-53 BPM at the time).

Jim Butts · 08-23-2005, 02:22 PM

I'm 225-230 lbs., 48 yo, probably 30 lbs overweight, on a see-food diet with my main dietary supplementation being pale ale, especially this summer. My resting pulse is about 46. I've concluded from the above information (admittedly anecdotal) that resting pulse is if not completely irrelevent, at least a very strange indicator of fitness...

alex st jean · 08-23-2005, 03:16 PM

After reading this post i decided to check my resting pulse, its been about 2 and half hours since my WOD and my pulse is at 78 bpm, is there something wrong with me? im 17 150lbs but compared to you guys my pulse is gigantic.

David Knutzen · 08-23-2005, 03:24 PM

Just came back from the WOD myself about 20 minutes ago, and my pulse is currently 87. As a SWAG, I'd venture that my normal resting rate is about 60-70. I wouldn't worry about it too much, really.

Chris Forbis · 08-23-2005, 04:03 PM

De Vaney talked about pulse not too long ago.

http://www.arthurdevany.com/archives...ex.html#000148

Skip Chase · 08-23-2005, 04:05 PM

The accurate resting pulse rate should be taken, upon waking in the morning.(before getting out of bed). Have a clock with a sweep hand within sight. Wake up, before movement, look at the clock and take your pulse rate at the radial or corotid artery. That is your resting heart rate. To monitor the RHR for training purposes, check your RHR every morning and write it down. Daily increase of 10% or more will usually indicate overtraining. An increase in RHR during training periods may result in a decrease in 'motivation to exercise'.

Scott Kustes · 08-23-2005, 05:32 PM

Alex, it's still quite early after a WOD for your heart rate to return totally to normal. At least mine never drops down that quickly, but my resting is 55ish. Listen to Skip and do it in the morning.

William Hunter · 08-23-2005, 05:34 PM

I think Skip hit that one out of the park. In addition to overtraining (under recovery) it might also mean your body is fighting off something, or you're about to get sick. You need to be anal and check it every day to see patterns.

I've personally never bothered, so take that with a grain of salt.

08-23-2005, 10:20 PM

Taking your resting pulse rate regularly can show an improvement to fitness (e.g. your RHR is 70, 3 months later it has dropped to 60). And as Skip and William rightly point out, it can help you track when you're under recovered or coming down with an illness (though you could do that by just listening to your body and taking it a bit easier if you feel run down).

HR is only one of many fitness indicators, and I personally don't think it's the best or most useful. But at the same time, it costs nothing to track it so if you feel like it, go ahead.

Actually comparing HR with other people is pointless as peoples heart rates differ widely (e.g. my RHR is lower than some professional athletes, yet higher than a guy at work who hasn't exercised in 10 years). In general you'd expect the average CF heart rate to be lower than the average sedentary person, but on a case by case basis comparisons are meaningless

Larry Cook · 08-24-2005, 12:01 PM

In addition, I think it would be interesting to see how quickly your heart rate recovers after exercise. Not necessarily how long it takes to get back to RHR but how much it drops in, say, 60 seconds after stopping.

08-23-2005, 10:20 PM	#9
Nick Wilson Profile: Posts: n/a	Taking your resting pulse rate regularly can show an improvement to fitness (e.g. your RHR is 70, 3 months later it has dropped to 60). And as Skip and William rightly point out, it can help you track when you're under recovered or coming down with an illness (though you could do that by just listening to your body and taking it a bit easier if you feel run down). HR is only one of many fitness indicators, and I personally don't think it's the best or most useful. But at the same time, it costs nothing to track it so if you feel like it, go ahead. Actually comparing HR with other people is pointless as peoples heart rates differ widely (e.g. my RHR is lower than some professional athletes, yet higher than a guy at work who hasn't exercised in 10 years). In general you'd expect the average CF heart rate to be lower than the average sedentary person, but on a case by case basis comparisons are meaningless
Nick Wilson Profile: Posts: n/a

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08-23-2005, 01:39 PM	#1
Paul Theodorescu Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Quebec Quebec Posts: 685	Is the pulse a reliable indicator of fitness? Is it worth tracking? Does anyone here record their pulse? I'd be curious to see what the average heart rate is for dedicated crossfitters. My current pulse is ~61 but then again I haven't been training much as I've been on vacation. At it's lowest I was on a calorie-restriction type diet and was doing a ton of cardio (it was 48-53 BPM at the time).

08-23-2005, 02:22 PM	#2
Jim Butts Member Profile: Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New Westminster B.C. Posts: 98	I'm 225-230 lbs., 48 yo, probably 30 lbs overweight, on a see-food diet with my main dietary supplementation being pale ale, especially this summer. My resting pulse is about 46. I've concluded from the above information (admittedly anecdotal) that resting pulse is if not completely irrelevent, at least a very strange indicator of fitness...

08-23-2005, 03:16 PM	#3
alex st jean Departed Profile: Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 21	After reading this post i decided to check my resting pulse, its been about 2 and half hours since my WOD and my pulse is at 78 bpm, is there something wrong with me? im 17 150lbs but compared to you guys my pulse is gigantic.

08-23-2005, 03:24 PM	#4
David Knutzen Member Profile: Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Oklahoma City OK Posts: 416	Just came back from the WOD myself about 20 minutes ago, and my pulse is currently 87. As a SWAG, I'd venture that my normal resting rate is about 60-70. I wouldn't worry about it too much, really.

08-23-2005, 04:03 PM	#5
Chris Forbis Member Profile: Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Joplin Missouri Posts: 922	De Vaney talked about pulse not too long ago. http://www.arthurdevany.com/archives...ex.html#000148

08-23-2005, 04:05 PM	#6
Skip Chase Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mount Vernon WA Posts: 1,324	The accurate resting pulse rate should be taken, upon waking in the morning.(before getting out of bed). Have a clock with a sweep hand within sight. Wake up, before movement, look at the clock and take your pulse rate at the radial or corotid artery. That is your resting heart rate. To monitor the RHR for training purposes, check your RHR every morning and write it down. Daily increase of 10% or more will usually indicate overtraining. An increase in RHR during training periods may result in a decrease in 'motivation to exercise'.

08-23-2005, 05:32 PM	#7
Scott Kustes Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 1,258	Alex, it's still quite early after a WOD for your heart rate to return totally to normal. At least mine never drops down that quickly, but my resting is 55ish. Listen to Skip and do it in the morning.

08-23-2005, 05:34 PM	#8
William Hunter Member Profile: Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Rome GA Posts: 967	I think Skip hit that one out of the park. In addition to overtraining (under recovery) it might also mean your body is fighting off something, or you're about to get sick. You need to be anal and check it every day to see patterns. I've personally never bothered, so take that with a grain of salt.

08-24-2005, 12:01 PM	#10
Larry Cook Member Profile: Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cheshire CT Posts: 274	In addition, I think it would be interesting to see how quickly your heart rate recovers after exercise. Not necessarily how long it takes to get back to RHR but how much it drops in, say, 60 seconds after stopping.