Athlete's Heart

Just like other muscles; the heart responds to exercise with increased efficiency. Occasionally the changes can be a bit unnerving.

The most important muscle an athlete develops is her heart. Generally as she becomes more fit, her resting heart rate slows - a sign that her heart is pumping blood with greater efficiency. In the first six to 12 weeks of training, resting heart rate decreases by five to 10 percent.

The resting pulse of a trained heart is usually less than 70 beats per minute. Many athletes monitor their heart rates while exercising and while at rest (either immediately upon awakening or after 10 to 15 minutes of inactivity). But sometimes the results are unsettling.

For instance, say you are checking your resting rate after watching TV for 15 minutes, and you notice a skip between beats. You continue to monitor your pulse, now rhythmic and steady; you're not sure if you should dial 911. A while later, the skip occurs again. All thoughts of getting your resting heart rate below 70 are out the window; and you become more concerned with whether you'll survive the night or not.

Skipped heartbeats are usually premature heartbeats - one beat quickly follows another, and the resulting pause in the rhythm of your normal heartbeat is assumed to be a "skipped" beat. Occasional premature beats do occur in healthy people and usually don't indicate a problem unless they're accompanied by chest pain, light-headedness or other symptoms.

If you experience a premature beat more than once every 20 to 30 minutes, however; or if you have an irregular heart rate, palpitations or pauses in your heartbeat, it's extremely important to see your physician. She can determine whether you may have a benign condition called athlete's heart or a more serious problem.

The term "athlete's heart" describes a collection of changes that occur as you train. The two most common findings in trained athletes are bradycardia, or a slow pulse (less than 70 beats per minute), and phasic sinus arrhythmia, a pulse that speeds and slows with respiration.

How common is it to have a pulse that speeds up and slows down when you breathe?

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

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