What is the ideal Resting Heart Rate (RHR)?
Many sources cite the common, but wide spread number of 60-100 BPM, see here: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Condit...p#.Vz40Y_krKM9
However, I tend to agree with the below statement, notice here they (webmd) say the 60-100 BPM number is a myth http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/f...myths-debunkedYour resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need because you’re not exercising. If you’re sitting or lying and you’re calm, relaxed and aren’t ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 (beats per minute) and 100 (beats per minute).
Webmd says the 60-100 BPM number is a myth, but most of the other sources I've looked at are still citing this number of 60-100, so what gives?Myth: A normal heart rate is 60-100 beats per minute.
That's the old standard. Many doctors think it should be lower. About 50-70 beats per minute is ideal, says Suzanne Steinbaum, MD, director of women's heart health at Lenox Hill Hospital.
Recent studies suggest a heart rate higher than 76 beats per minute when you're resting may be linked to a higher risk of heart attack.
The better shape you're in, the slower your heart rate will be when you're not moving around. "It might be OK to have a resting heart rate of 80, but it doesn't mean you're healthy," Steinbaum says.
However, this statement is somewhat of a contradiction: "That's the old standard. Many doctors think it should be lower."; talk about a confused statement...the old standard, but docs think it should be lower...
Personally, I agree with the Webmd site, even though their statement is kind of funky I think the current RHR standard (60-100) is flawed, simply because I think we used a bunch of couch potatoes to determine that standard.