Fitness: High heart rate when riding a road bike? - How do I avoid a high heart rate when cycling on a road bike?

Question from TOUR reader Margit B.: As I always have a very high heart rate during sporting activities such as cycling or jogging - often 176 after just a short effort - I wanted to know whether there are any concerns in this regard. I have already had a 24-hour ECG and an exercise ECG done, but no cardiac arrhythmia was detected. As my resting heart rate is also higher, my doctor said that my heart beats faster than other people's from the ground up. In addition, my lung volume is not very large. The high pulse rate drops again by 30 to 40 beats after a short recovery phase, but on an easy bike ride of around 60 kilometres I have an average pulse rate of 148. Should I have another check-up by a cardiologist?

Answer from Dr Robert Eifler: The pulse rate increases to a greater or lesser extent during exercise, depending on the heart rate. Women generally have smaller hearts due to their gender, which means that their pulse rate increases more than that of men under the same physical exertion. To draw a comparison: As with engines, small displacement engines require higher revs for the same power output than high-volume engines. There is also the question of the age at which competitive sport was started, as the heart can adapt in size, especially at a young age. The intensity of training also plays a role. Recurrent high levels of stress, such as interval training or regular racing activity, lead to so-called vagotonia, which results in a reduction in the resting and exercise heart rate, among other things. Even with small lung volumes, the pulse rate increases under stress because the oxygen absorption surface is reduced and the blood therefore has to flow through the lungs more frequently. So far, everything is within normal limits in your case. However, a heart valve defect or heart muscle disease can also be the cause of a high pulse rate. A supplementary ultrasound examination of the heart is therefore advisable.