Originally Posted by
GeezyRider
Assuming the human heart can only beat so many times over a lifetime, it is probably a really bad idea to increase heart rate. Oh to hell with it, I'm still gonna ride.
I'm not sure I would assume that, but let's say for argument's sake that it's true.
We also know that raising heart rate for a short time through exercise results in a lower resting heart rate the remainder of the time. So let's compare two hearts: one belonging to a non-exerciser who's resting heart rate is 80bpm. (Higher end of normal range per
Mayo Clinic) And one heart belonging to an athlete who works out and for 1 hour a day raises his heart rate to 160bpm, but as a result of this exercise, his resting HR is 60bpm. So, how many beats per day?
Non-exerciser: 80bpm x 60s/hr x 24hr/day = 115,200 beats per day
Exerciser: (160bpm x 60s/hr x 1hr of exercise) + (60bpm x 60s/hr x 23hr of rest) = 92,400 beats per day
Just a rough example, but something to think about.