ENDURANCE EXERCISE TRAINING HAS A MINIMAL EFFECT ON RESTING HEART-RATE - THE HERITAGE STUDY

This study determined the effects of a 20-wk endurance training progra m (The HERITAGE Family Study) on resting heart rate (HR(rest)). HR(res t) was obtained on a sample of 26 men and 21 women during sleep; durin g resting metabolic rate and resting blood pressure measurement period s in the early morning following a 12-h fast and 24-h post-exercise; a nd at rest prior to a maximal bout of exercise. Following training, th e subjects exhibited a 16.0 +/- 9.4% (mean +/- SD) increase in VO2max (P < 0.05), but the HR(rest) for each of the resting conditions was de creased by only 1.9 to 3.4 bpm (P < 0.05), or an average across the th ree conditions of 2.7 bpm. In a larger sample of 253 HERITAGE subjects , HR(rest) obtained only at the time of the resting blood pressure mea surement decreased by only 2.6 bpm, while VO2max increased 17.7 +/- 10 .0%. It is concluded that there is a significant, but small, decrease in resting heart rate as a result of 20 wk of moderate- to high-intens ity endurance training; which suggests a minimal alteration in either, or both, intrinsic heart rate and autonomic control of HR(rest).