Heart Rate Recovery - Post workout!

[taranjit]

Has anyone ever measured their heart rate recovery profile after workouts?.. I am wondering what it is for individuals who do not have heart defects like us, or some of us who have had it fixed.. I searched internet and everywhere, and while there is enough material there as to why metabolism stayed elevated and so is heart rate after exercise, there is no info on how long it takes to go back to normal (with absolute numbers).. I have alsked some people who workout and even doctors/cardiologists, but they could also only guess... It seems that no one is taking a close look at their recovery profile.. They expect the heart rate to drop to normal in a few minutes, but mine is not the case.. And I need to find it out if mine is really a bad recovery or others have not been monitoring theirs closely..

here is what mine looks like:

1) Resting heart rate (i.e. first thing in the morning) =~60
2) Resting heart rate during the day, without exertion (e.g. right now) =~70
3) Before I start my workout (e.g. moving around the gym) =~80
4) During workout = I do cardio for 20 minutes at about 80% MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) i.e. 150, then do weights for about 30 mins at moderately high intensity, between sets heart rate is usually 130).. So say it stays at about 150 for about 1 hour..
5) It drops down by 30 points very quickly, i.e. in 2-3 mins..
6) It drops down to 110 by the time I leave gym, i.e. 5 minutes after stopping workout..
7) It drops to 100 in another 5 minutes or so...
8) Then it stays at about 100 for a long period of time, e.g. an hour..
9) Then it stays at about 85-90 for another hour..
10) It comes down to 75 or so in 2-3 hours..

So I quickly recover to 100 from 150 (in 5-10 mins), but then tend to stay at 100 for 1 hr and then 85 for another hour before returning to normal 72 in about 2-3 hours.. Some people I have talked to think it is slow recovery, but they do not know about themselves.. I wanted at least 1 good reference to compare mine to.. Please note that longer you workout and harder you workout, longer the recovery should be..

thanks
taranjit

 

[MelissaM]

Hi Taranjit,

Just got a heart rate monitor and have been having some fun tracking my heart rate pre- and post-exercise. At this point, my exercise consists of a 1.1 mile walk that takes me around 19 minutes.

Resting heart rate: ~60 bpm
Walking around: ~80 bpm
During walk - flat parts: ~125 bpm
During walk - hills: ~148 bpm

Post walk it probably takes about five minutes to get back down into the 90 bpm range, and about ten to fifteen minutes to get back down under eighty. I can get back down to the resting rate within a half an hour.

Based on this, my recovery is faster than you, but then again, the workout is alot less. Take it for what it is worth.

Melissa

 

[kevin21]

I think when you lift weights, vs just doing cardio, your heart rate remains elevated longer. From when I was a gym rat, I remember magazines and books saying that lifting weights burned more calories than cardio alone due to the fact that your heart rate is semi elevated post lifting.

I think that is probably a "normal" recovery. It might be a little high as far as bpm, but if your valve leaks then its a given that the heart rate is up....

 

[epstns]

taranjit,

Other than the fact that my resting rate is a bit lower than yours, the profile I experience looks remarkably similar.

I haven't yet had valve replacement, but I do have moderate aortic stenosis, and wear a heart rate monitor when I work out.

My first cardio said not to let my rate go above about 150 bpm, but the present guy says not to worry. If I feel OK at 158-160, then that's OK with him. Just need to watch for changes, symptoms, etc. during and after exercise.

 

[Mark Wagner]

I know very little on heart rates, for I train by running mileage. I just wanted to share something with you all. A couple of weeks ago I was sort of shocked when I checked my blood pressure and heart rate. ... Before I started running, (2 years post surgery) my doctor told me he wanted to see some weight come off me. A week later at around Christmas 2001. I got a letter from the doctor saying my colesterol (spelling) was high; so on January 1, 2002 I made a commitment to run every other day. My heart beat resting at that time was 82 to 88 beats per minute, and my blood pressure was high enough that I could not pass a DOT physical and had to go on blood pressure meds.

Today .... I have lost 22 pounds, my heart beat resting is now 57 to 58 beats per minute, my colesterol is normal, and I am totally off blood pressure medicine; and the dream of running a marathon is no longer a dream, and marathon # 3 is in my sights. This AVR saved my life!

Mark

 

[taranjit]

clarifying the topic of thread!

clarifying the topic of thread!

thanks Mark for your update.. we already know you are a hero and a success story... In order to keep this thread into perspective, I however felt that I needed to clarify that it is about post-workout recovery profile... It is a well known fact that exercise improves one's resting heart rate (i.e. heart's function) and BP, etc among a dozen other good things, and your posting has just confirmed that.. I was wondering on the other hand if it is OK that after the intense workout, the heart rate remain elevated for a period of time.. and it seems that it is OK, based on other replies here and elsewhere where I posted..

About my own personal background, a marathon runner between 1993-1995 (PR 3:44:00), and then a competitive bodybuilder (US Nationals qualifier).. In a matter of 3 years (between 1995 and 1998) I had transformed myself from a 150lbs (8% bodyfat) marathon runner to a 210 lbs (8% body fat) bodybuilder.. So the benefits of exercise are clearly evident to me.. lately because of deteriorated BAV, I started watching my POST-WORKOUT heart rate etc, and came out with these stats.. I just wanted to double check with others with bad and good valves, to see how much of a slow-down in my recovery is attributed to my bad valve, if at all..

Hey good luck with the upcoming marathon... I know how good it feels, you feel totally different, great and content and special doing things like marathon.. and why not.. it is a big deal, especially when someone had an AVR.. you are a true hero..
taranjit