On Mon, 19 Aug 2019 12:09:59 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

I went for a 40 kilometers ride today and the ride involved a fair bit of rolling hills. An interesting observation was that at the top of the hills my heart rate was nearly 20 bpm LOWER that when I was walking around my apartment or just standing around talking to someone.

Anyone else experience similar drops in heart rate whilst exercising compared to their normal heart rate?

Cheers

Your cardiologist will likely tell you that Heart Rate is directly
equated to energy expenditure. There is even a formula for heart rates
that used to be a common measurement of "out put". The basic maximum
rate was calculated as 220 - age in years and then percentages of
that number were used to indicate output:

Zone 1 = 50 - 60% Maximum For long, easy rides, to improve the
combustion and storage of fats.
Zone 2 = 60 - 70% The basic base training zone.
Longish rides of medium stress
Zone 3 = 70 - 80% For development of aerobic capacity
and endurance with moderate volume at very controlled intensity
Zone 4 = 80 - 90% For simulating pace when tapering
for a race.
Zone 5 = 90 - 100% For high-intensity interval
training to increase maximum power and speed
--

Cheers,

John B.