Heart rate reserve question

I just use a historical low HR figure. Zones are a bit of a wash sometimes and feel more important about being in the right ballpark rather than micro adjusting each day.

In theory (and theory only!) your resting HR represents you at your "basal metabolic rate" - ie not doing any exercise at all, and your maximum HR represents you at 100% of your VO2max. Stretching this still further, it's assumed there's a straight line relationship between % of VO2max and "heart rate reserve" (ie the percentage you're on on a line from RHR to MaxHR). If this is all true (it's not) then you should leave your lowest HR in there as on the days your resting heart rate is a bit higher it will represent your body having to work a bit at recovery - ie you're already at a few percent of your VO2max just resting.

In practice, as Tim says, it makes little difference and you're best of just aiming for a general ballpark anyway.

In theory (and theory only!) your resting HR represents you at your "basal metabolic rate" - ie not doing any exercise at all, .

Like at work you mean ? :)

Like at work you mean ? :)

I know exactly what you mean. Overnight my HR is usually mid-40s, but sat at my desk it creeps into the 30s all the time! My dreams are evidently far more exciting than anything Excel has to offer.

Thanks. I'll continue to use my lowest HR then.

For resting heart rate, take the lowest number on the Last 4 Hours screen - this represents the lowest heart rate recorded during the last 4 hours. If it's still the morning, this figure will most likely be from when you were sleeping. The lowest number won't necessarily be the lowest real time reading as it needs to be stable for 30 seconds or a minute (I am sure someone can confirm this). Another good way to get RHR is to lay on the floor for 5 minutes in the afternoon when you are already feeling sleepy, but not if you have exercised earlier that day.

It might also be worth looking back over your last 7 days of HR data by logging into Garmin Connect, looking under All Day Heart Rate under Health Stats, and take the lowest reading on the graph on the Daily Summary page. I would disregard the 7 day screen on the watch for calculating RHR as it only shows the average figure and not the lowest figure, which is what your HRR should be based on.

I used to update it regularly but now use the report feature on GC.com and set average lowest hr under Health and Fitness.

I used to update it regularly but now use the report feature on GC.com and set average lowest hr under Health and Fitness.

I wouldn't use this as the graph on the report is looking at average RHR over the course of the day instead of lowest heart rate.

For instance, my average RHR for this week is shown as 56 on the report, but it's been as low as 46 today according to the Last 4 Hours screen on the watch. It has "spiked" to as low as 44.

'Traditionally' your resting heart rate (rHR) is that value recorded shortly after you wake up in the morning. In the lab, we rest participants on a bed for a minimum of 30 minutes in a quiet darkened environment before measuring for rHR. Values recored during sleep (sHR) can be several beats lower than 'normal' resting and will affect HRR zones accordingly. While great for bragging rights, the sHR is of little value for calculating HRR training zones.

'Traditionally' your resting heart rate (rHR) is that value recorded shortly after you wake up in the morning. In the lab, we rest participants on a bed for a minimum of 30 minutes in a quiet darkened environment before measuring for rHR. Values recored during sleep (sHR) can be several beats lower than 'normal' resting and will affect HRR zones accordingly. While great for bragging rights, the sHR is of little value for calculating HRR training zones.

I think it's better to monitor rHR over a period of about week and take the lowest "awake" reading from that period. For most people, rHR is something that fluctuates day to day depending on how stressed your body is from training load over the past 48 hours, how much sleep you have had the night before, and other factors like alcohol and caffeine consumption, which will all affect rHR. So it's important to take all that into account.

If you wear a 935 all day, you can look over your heart rate data in graph form in Garmin Connect. But remember that a lot of the rHR figures presented in GC are average values and may not represent your lowest HR that day.