KraneXL

Problems with extreme fitness: Cyclist who's heart rate drop so low during sleep they need to wake up and exercise.

Seattle Forrest

Sitting is the new smoking; I'll take my chances with fitness!

KraneXL

Yeah, I don't think the majority of us have that problem to worry about. But it does put a new spin on very low heart rate. I was just surprised to find out such a condition existed in the sport. Of course he did mention the doping, which did bring things down to earth. But the blood turning into jelly and dying from it...wow!

Machka 

There is some indication, although possibly not well researched, that athletes may actually be in more danger of developing DVT during long flights.

https://www.active.com/articles/hidd...rance-athletes

https://www.stoptheclot.org/about-cl...d-blood-clots/

And more.



I gained an interest in that line of study in 2009.

In May 2009, I had cycled 1000 km and felt pretty fit. In early June, I hopped on the longest flight in the world at that time: LA to Melbourne.

I read the info about DVT and figured I was not at risk.

Unfortunately I was also squashed in beside two large guys with massive bladders.

About an hour before we landed, my left calf felt like it cramped.

At the end of July I was rushed into a dopler ultrasound and was immediately admitted to hospital for 2 weeks with DVT.


I'm not sure that being athletic had anything to do with my clot. It was discovered that I have a genetic predisposition to clotting. But nevertheless ... I was interested.

wolfchild

Majority of people don't exercise enough and ride enough for it to become a problem.

rubiksoval

I've never heard of that being an issue.

What was an issue, however, was riders doping up with so much EPO that their blood got so thick that they'd have heart attacks in their sleep. Many reports (probably unsubstantiated) were circulating of pros getting up in the middle of the night to exercise for that.

rubiksoval

When hematocrit jumps from 40% to 60%...! One famous/notorious TdF winner was actually nicknamed Mr. 60% because of that.

DrIsotope

I love the Medlife Crisis guy. Discovered him via Tom Scott, which is an absolutely brilliant YouTube channel Things You Might Not Know / Amazing Places / Built for Science) that everyone should watch.

TimothyH

"I decline utterly to be impartial between the fire brigade and the fire."
- Winston Churchill

Carbonfiberboy 

So this is how it works: Every species with a heart gets about 1-2 billion heartbeats in a lifetime. That's just a rough approximation, but something like that - hummingbirds, human, elephants, all about the same. When you do a lot of aerobic exercise, you experience periods of very high HR, but also long periods of low HR and generally lower HR during daily activities. Adding it all up, your average HR goes down, so you live longer, right? I have a riding buddy who has on his Rider ID, "My resting heart rate is 40" for the benefit of possible EMTs.

Machka's point is a very good one. Stats say that endurance athletes are at more risk for DVT during long enforced periods of sitting. I try to walk a bit every hour on a long flight. Supposedly compression tights are a good idea for us on flights. I wear compression socks on the plane.

Pro tip: giving plasma about once a month will increase your hematocrit, though not beyond the legal limit of 50. I used to do that back when they'd pay me for it. I don't think going over 50 is possible without drugs.

Heartbeat chart here: https://gizmodo.com/5982977/how-many...-in-a-lifetime

Hermes

TimothyH

The video is very good, as are the others done by Dr. Francis. Very entertaining.

The video is less about fitness then it is about performance enhancing drugs.

My takeaway is that I'm more at risk of getting hit by a car.

on the path

I took a few roads and turns out that you didn't take, but ended up in pretty much the same place. After a few more episodes I'm now on warfarin for the duration.

Re the slow heartbeat: a very good friend, from whom I learned an awful lot about cycling, has a chronically slow heart beat. Sometimes it's slow enough to be considered to be "stopped". In fact, that actually happened. Lucky for him that he was home one time when his heart completely stopped. His wife, a nurse, pounded on his chest with her hands until his heart began beating again. After the fact he had a device surgically implanted to jumpstart his heart in the event it stops beating. Not exactly a pacemaker, but you get the idea.

jadocs

That is what I have heard as well....as a result of doping.

On a similar topic regarding the heart and exercise, I have learned that if you have high blood pressure that you really need to make sure it is under control. The way it was explained to me is that high blood pressure over time in combination with working out hard can cause thickening of the walls which is not good.

wolfchild

If your sport or your training or your workout routine is making your health worse and causing all kinds of health problems, aches, chronic pain and injuries then it means that you're overdoing it or doing something wrong...Exercising should improve your quality of life and make you feel better, not worse.

wolfchild

I was reading an article somewhere that standing for long periods of time everyday can be worse than sitting...There you go, we're all screwed and destined to die regardless of what we do.

rubiksoval

Exercising =/= athletic competition.

I see little about elite/pro competition that is healthy. So of course, those aspiring to similar levels (or their best) are going to take it much further than is likely to be totally healthy.

tyrion

I'm very careful not to get too fit.

bobwysiwyg

Just proves life is a terminal condition.

KraneXL

"life is a journey and not a destination "

Carbonfiberboy 

That said, TdF champions do a lot better late in life than one might think. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-27146342

Of course this might be due to TdF champs being naturally talented in everything, maybe also longevity, but: - from the same BBC link. So get after it and don't worry, be happy. See my sig.

DrIsotope

So, TdF competitors from the era before doping lived longer. Not surprising. But the more you look at recent events, it doesn't hold true anymore. Just this year, Michael Goolaerts died of cardiorespiratory failure during Paris-Roubaix at the age of 23. The previous year, Egyptian cyclist Eslam Nasser Zaki died of a heart attack in the middle of an Omnium event. He was 22.

So as the good doctor pointed out in the video, you can't be overly fit from cycling. Just don't dope.

Carbonfiberboy 

In reality, there was no era before doping, though there certainly was an era before doping controls. What's used has changed. it's like police radar and receivers. There's also a lot of stuff that's known to be used but not sanctioned, though long-term results are unknown. But if you survive racing, it looks pretty good. If you don't race, it looks even better.

DrIsotope

I think that's the most salient point-- cycling as a pastime and high-level, competitive, professional bicycle racing are nearly opposite concepts. The former can provide measurable health benefits, while the latter might* kill you.

*depending on what you're willing to do to win, that is.

CliffordK

Watching the film, it seemed to associate drugs, and in particular EPO with the sudden death of cyclists.

One of the things I was thinking about a bit today was that Anorexia is also often associated with excessive-exercise, dietary restrictions, and a slow heart rate. It almost sounds like elite cyclists.

There is also long QT syndrome which may affect anorexics.