Originally Posted by
Loose Chain
I can still push my heart rate way up, 200 range easy enough. But I train for triathlon year around, swim 3-5 miles, cycle (indoor or out) 75 miles and run/elliptical 18 miles and two full weight workouts per week. Yesterday some road weenies flew by me and something about it ticked me off, so I passed them for about a mile or so and made them chase, good thing my turnoff came up
. But, it takes longer to recover and I cannot sustain the output of my earlier years, nor the peak HR of course either, I go anaerobic much quicker too. I take my resting HR once a week when I wake up, Monday morning, it is less than 40 BPM.
I guess you have a 20-year-old cardiovascular system.
Seriously, this is probably the flaw in 220-age, which should at least be modified to reflect the fact that we all age differently, and some, like yourself, are outliers (a very commendable thing, in this case).
One of my friends was a dedicated runner and commuting cyclist who used to enjoy "throwing a 42 [bpm pulse]" to his doctor during physical exams. I always thought this was a good thing, and still do, but I was interested to see concerns over bradycardia, even among athletes, on some medical websites. One of my exercise goals remains to push my resting pulse rate back down below 45.
What I find really intriguing about your case is the combination of a low resting pulse rate and a high maximum pulse rate. I can't go much above 150 (coincidentally close to 220 - 68), but I am sure I can't deliver anywhere near the peak power you can.
Side note: When I was an undergrad I was cruising along with a couple of other young guys I had met when we were passed by a guy with a white goatee and a white Mercier. One of my new-found friends asked, "Are your going to let an old guy like that pass you up?" I replied, "Hell no," and took off after him. As I caught up with Ollie, he told me, "You keep up a good pace." Given that he was obviously more than twice my age, I replied, "That's MY line." He told me he was training for the upcoming Los Angeles Wheelmen Double Century, and encouraged me to start training with him. Had it not been for this chance encounter, I doubt I would ever have considered attempting a double, since a double metric (125 miles) with my cousin several months earlier had just about wiped me out. I always love it when an older guy passes some of the "kids."