How to Maintain a Low Resting Heart Rate, and Why it Doesn’t Matter

Chris Carmichael, Outside magazine’s fitness answer man, has a two-part answer to the curious reader who wants to know how get his resting heart rate down, down down.  Exercise, exercise, exercise, is part one, and do it with particular emphasis on endurance training and interval work. On the other hand, Carmichael points out that a low resting heart rate is probably a lot less important than many people think it is.
"While everyone marvels at elite endurance athletes who have resting
heart rates in the 30s," writes Carmichael, "there are just as many elite athletes with
resting heart rates in the high 50s. Similarly, an athlete’s ability
level isn’t tied to his or her maximum heart rate either."
Read more from Chris Carmichael in Outside.