Heart Rate

A blog written by my good friend Christian Hvidberg:

The body and mind react to stress. Were as stress can be anything from a person yelling at you up to a life threatening situation were a gun is placed into your face. An indication on how the stressful situation is influencing you can be seen by monitoring your heart rate.

 

A high heart rate by itself as in running isn't enough to simulate the stress the body and mind undergoes. The surge of adrenalin can literally sweep your mind away.

 

Studies have shown that heart rates can be classified into three groups:

 

Fine motor skills: up to around 120 bpm (beats pr. min) were it starts to fall at 110bpm

Complex motor skills: up to around 175 bpm, were it starts to fall at 135 bpm

Gross motor skills: can be held to max bpm

 

The body increases the production of adrenalin, which increases the blood flow to the extremities and in the end increasing strength, but will in the end interfere with the fine motor skills.

 

All is not lost, in the sense that only gross motor skills can work at high levels of stress. By utilizing scenario training, to understand, cope and learn how self-defense situations will influence you, you'll become more familiar and be able to push the limit of when fine and complex motor skills will cease to function.

 

Breath control

 

Some would say that life begins with the first breath, indicating the signification of breathing. No matter if this is true, our breathing will influence on our performance, and stressful situations will influence your breath. This interaction with your stressful situation, gives you the possibility to influence your situation.

Hyperventilation is a response to stress; a function that has the goal to kick start you to your fight/flight mentality.

By controlling your breath, slowly and in rhythm, you can take control and regain control of yourself.