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Dr. Andrew Rynne

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Is Heart Rate A Measure Of Cardiac Fitness?

Hello,
I am a 17 year old male in excellent shape, however, my resting heart rate is about 72-76 (80 or so on ritalin). I mean, I'm in OUTSTANDING shape. I used to swim 20+ hours of intense club workouts a week, can run for pretty much forever, can sprint decently fast. I weightlift, etc etc etc.

However, my peers who are in good (but not as great) of shape have heart rates in the 60s and 50s. This doesn't make any sense to me. Is heart rate REALLY a good measure of cardiac fitness? Should I check something?

Also, I'm very skinny (150 pounds, 5'9 or 5'10).
posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Twitter Fri, 31 Mar 2017 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 3 Apr 2017 Last reviewed on
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Cardiologist,  's  Response
Hello,

Heart rate is not solely determined by cardiac fitness. Due to endurance training as you describe there is a gradual rise in a vagal tone which brings the heart rate in 60 range. However, it's determined by what was your baseline heart rate. Maybe before training your heart rate used to be in 80 s and so now it has dropped to the early 70 s. So that is a substantial drop for you.

Importantly Ritalin is a CNS stimulant and can sure push your heart rate high. The bottom line, heart rate is not a specific marker for cardiac fitness and should never be seen alone without the overall picture.


Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Priyank Mody
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Is Heart Rate A Measure Of Cardiac Fitness?

Hello, Heart rate is not solely determined by cardiac fitness. Due to endurance training as you describe there is a gradual rise in a vagal tone which brings the heart rate in 60 range. However, it s determined by what was your baseline heart rate. Maybe before training your heart rate used to be in 80 s and so now it has dropped to the early 70 s. So that is a substantial drop for you. Importantly Ritalin is a CNS stimulant and can sure push your heart rate high. The bottom line, heart rate is not a specific marker for cardiac fitness and should never be seen alone without the overall picture. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Priyank Mody