{"id":919651,"date":"2026-10-07T17:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/919651\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T17:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:36:09","slug":"a-low-resting-heart-rate-is-the-new-fitness-flex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/919651\/","title":{"rendered":"A Low Resting Heart Rate Is the New Fitness Flex"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scroll through ATEAM, a new fitness-oriented dating and social app, and at first, it might look like any old dating app: A blur of shirtless gym selfies, a list of favorite movies and podcasts, or a prompt about sauna habits. But browse a little longer and you\u2019ll see something out of the ordinary: figures like 49 or 56 or 62\u2014potential matches\u2019 resting heart rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For the fitness-obsessed, especially those who consider themselves endurance athletes, the lower the number, the more impressive. On ATEAM<\/a>, which is designed to connect people over fitness, disclosing the stat feels natural. Especially since, for many of its wellness obsessed users, a number that represents health is arguably more justified than height. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want the profiles to feel very data heavy,\u201d says founder Dan Ilani. \u201cBut health and wellness has become a big part of people\u2019s core identity, and so the resting heart rate feels to us like a fun conversation piece.\u201d Per Ilani, about 20 percent of users have chosen to display theirs so far\u2014the majority women.<\/p>\n

The dating app isn\u2019t the only place that a low resting heart rate (RHR) is becoming a fitness flex. People are also sharing screenshots of their health tracker scores\u2014data that was once pored over in private or shared in confidence with a fitness coach and healthcare provider\u2014to social media. Even professional sports are putting the metric on display. During the Tour De France, Whoop broadcast the RHR of pro cyclists like Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Poga\u010dar, whose numbers dipped into the high 30s, on live television. \u201cIt\u2019s akin to rich people flexing with their Lamborghinis,\u201d says Henry Lau<\/a>, a strength coach in Providence, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

But unlike a Lambo, a resting heart rate isn\u2019t just for show. A 2021 study<\/a> in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology found that individuals with a RHR over 70 bpm were at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Jeffrey Hsu<\/a>, MD, sports cardiologist at UCLA Health and team cardiologist for the Los Angeles Lakers, Sparks, and Dodgers, says that compared to other complex wearable stats like sleep score or heart-rate variability<\/a> (HRV), RHR has some substance behind it as a status symbol: It can provide a snapshot of your cardiovascular fitness and over time, hints at your risk for age-related diseases. \u201dAt its heart\u2014no pun intended\u2014the association of a lower resting heart rate with fitness comes down to efficiency,\u201d he says. \u201cThe heart does remodel with training.\u201d Specifically, a low resting heart rate under 60 beats per minute (bpm) can be a sign that the chambers of your heart are getting bigger and its muscles more powerful so it can pump more blood with each beat\u2014resulting in fewer beats per minute to supply your body with oxygen.<\/p>\n

That makes RHR satisfying for people who like to see their fitness tidily distilled into a single metric so they can watch the needle move. Roberto Clemente<\/a>, a New York-based runner, takes pride in his low resting heart rate and occasionally shares it to his private Instagram stories. As he\u2019s averaged running anywhere from 40 to 80 miles a week, he\u2019s watched the number creep down over a couple of years. \u201cIt not only shows the amount of effort I\u2019ve put into my training, but also shows my dedication to minimize stress in all aspects of my life,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a sign of the lifestyle and healthy habits I prioritize every day.\u201d<\/p>\n