Endurance Athlete Heart Rates Reveal Genetic Roots

New research suggests that very low resting heart rates in endurance athletes may reflect inherited biology alongside training adaptations.

Topline
A large study published in Circulation indicates that some endurance athletes are genetically predisposed to pronounced bradycardia, meaning their very low resting heart rates may be partly inherited rather than solely caused by intense training.

Study Details

Endurance athletes are well known for having low resting heart rates, often viewed as a s…