What Is A Good Heart Rate For An Athlete?

Generally speaking, having a low heart rate means you have a strong heart. The stronger your heart, the more blood it can pump per stroke. Athletes generally have stronger hearts than non-athletes, thus lower resting heart rates. However, if you train too hard, watch out: A slow heart rate also indicates you've reached the late stages of overtraining syndrome, which results in diminished health.

Endurance Heart Rate

Endurance athletes generally have the lowest resting heart rates. On average, endurance athletes have a resting rate of 50 beats per minute. Elite endurance athletes often have resting heart rates in the 40s. Heart rates of 30 beats per minute have been reported, notes "Exercise Physiology" author William D. McArdle, but this is extremely rare. This occurs partly because endurance training increases the influence of acetylcholine, a hormone that slows heart rate, on the heart's sinus node. The sinus node serves as your heart's pacemaker.

Stroke Volume

Though a trained athlete's heart rate is lower, her stroke volume is larger. Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped with each beat. In an untrained person, for example, the average stroke volume is 71mL coupled with a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute. In a trained athlete, the average stroke volume is 100mL, coupled with the resting heart rate of 50 beats per minute, according to "Exercise Physiology." During exercise, an untrained person who gets his heart rate up to 195 beats per minute has an average stroke volume of 113mL, which makes for a cardiac output of 22,000mL. The trained athlete has an average stroke volume of 179mL at the same heart rate, which makes for a cardiac output of 35,000mL.

Genetic Factor

Genetics play a role in how low your heart rate gets. For example, one highly trained athlete might have a resting heart rate of 40 beats per minute during peak training months; another, following the same regimen, may have a resting rate of 60, say "Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness" authors Werner W.K. Hoeger and Sharon A. Hoeger. In the general population, a resting heart rate that's lower than 59 is considered excellent. You are above average if your resting heart rate is 60 to 69. A resting rate of 70 to 79 is average. A resting rate of 80 to 89 is fair and over 90 is poor.

VO2 Max

A low resting heart rate can be an indicator of fitness, but VO2 max is more often used as a measure. VO2 max stands for the maximum volume of oxygen that your muscles can consume each minute, says "Textbook of Work Physiology." The higher your VO2 max, the higher your performance capacity. The VO2max is expressed as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. For top female endurance athletes, VO2 max is more than 60ml/kg per minute. In top male athletes, it's more than 70ml/kg/min.

Overtraining

Overtraining syndrome, most commonly associated with endurance sports, results in a resting heart rate that is elevated by 10 to 15 beats per minute at the outset, according to "The U.S. Navy Seal Guide to Fitness and Nutrition." However, the third and worst stage of this syndrome is associated with an abnormally low resting heart rate. At this stage performance is significantly diminished, desire to compete and train is low, injury risk is high and exhaustion sets in, says Philip Maffetone, author of "The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing."