Overview
Usually this is when your exercise heart rate (pulse) is 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate. In some cases, your health care provider may decrease your target heart rate zone to begin with 50%. In some cases, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) may be beneficial. Arrhythmia, also known as cardiac arrhythmia or heart arrhythmia, is a group of conditions in which the heartbeat is irregular, too fast, or too slow. The heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults – is called tachycardia, and a heart rate that is too slow – below 60 beats per minute – is called bradycardia. This condition causes the heart to beat faster than normal and should be looked at by a doctor. Pacemaker abnormalities: The sinus node of the heart functions as its pacemaker, ensuring that. If you’re sitting or lying and you’re calm, relaxed and aren’t ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 (beats per minute) and 100 (beats per minute). But a heart rate lower than 60 doesn’t necessarily signal a medical problem. It could be the result of taking a drug such as a beta blocker. Tachycardia is a condition that makes your heart beat more than 100 times per minute. There are three types of it: Supraventricular. This happens when the electrical signals in the organ's upper.
What is your pulse?
Your pulse is your heart rate, or the number of times your heart beats in one minute. Pulse rates vary from person to person. Your pulse is lower when you are at rest and increases when you exercise (more oxygen-rich blood is needed by the body when you exercise). Knowing how to take your pulse can help you evaluate your exercise program.
How to take your pulse
- Place the tips of your index, second and third fingers on the palm side of your other wrist below the base of the thumb. Or, place the tips of your index and second fingers on your lower neck on either side of your windpipe.
- Press lightly with your fingers until you feel the blood pulsing beneath your fingers. You may need to move your fingers around slightly up or down until you feel the pulsing.
- Use a watch with a second hand, or look at a clock with a second hand.
- Count the beats you feel for 10 seconds. Multiply this number by six to get your heart rate (pulse) per minute.
Count your pulse: _____ beats in 10 seconds x 6 = _____ beats/minute
What is a normal pulse?
Normal heart rates at rest:
- Children (ages 6 - 15) 70 – 100 beats per minute
- Adults (age 18 and over) 60 – 100 beats per minute
Test Details
What is maximum heart rate?
The maximum heart rate is the highest heart rate achieved during maximal exercise. One simple method to calculate your predicted maximum heart rate, uses this formula:
220 - your age = predicted maximum heart rate
Example: a 40-year-old's predicted maximum heart rate is 180 beats/minute.
There are other formulas that take into account the variations in maximal heart rate with age and gender. If you are interested in learning more about these more accurate but slightly more complicated formulas please see these resources:
- Gellish RL, Goslin BR, Olson RE, McDonald A, Russi GD, Moudgil VK. Longitudinal modeling of the relationship between age and maximal heart rate. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 May;39(5):822-9. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17468581
- Gulati M, Shaw LJ, Thisted RA, Black HR, Bairey Merz CN, Arnsdorf MF. Heart rate response to exercise stress testing in asymptomatic women: the st. James women take heart project. Circulation. 2010 Jul 13;122(2):130-7. Epub 2010 Jun 28. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20585008
Your actual maximum heart rate is most accurately determined by a medically supervised maximal graded exercise test.
Please note that some medications and medical conditions may affect your heart rate. If you are taking medications or have a medical condition (such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes), always ask your doctor if your maximum heart rate/target heart rate will be affected. If so, your heart rate ranges for exercise should be prescribed by your doctor or an exercise specialist.
What is target heart rate?
- You gain the most benefits and lessen the risks when you exercise in your target heart rate zone. Usually this is when your exercise heart rate (pulse) is 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate. In some cases, your health care provider may decrease your target heart rate zone to begin with 50% .
- In some cases, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) may be beneficial. This should be discussed with a healthcare professional before beginning. With HIIT exercise, heart rates zones may exceed 85%.
- Always check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise program. Your provider can help you find a program and target heart rate zone that matches your needs, goals and physical condition.
- When beginning an exercise program, you may need to gradually build up to a level that's within your target heart rate zone, especially if you haven't exercised regularly before. If the exercise feels too hard, slow down. You will reduce your risk of injury and enjoy the exercise more if you don't try to over-do it!
- To find out if you are exercising in your target zone (between 60 and 80% of your maximum heart rate), stop exercising and check your 10-second pulse. If your pulse is below your target zone (see below), increase your rate of exercise. If your pulse is above your target zone, decrease your rate of exercise.
What is your target zone?
Target Heart Rate Zones by Age *
- Age: 20
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): ** 120 – 170
- Predicted Maximum HR: 200
- Age: 25
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 117 – 166
- Predicted Maximum HR: 195
- Age: 30
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 114 – 162
- Predicted Maximum HR: 190
- Age:35
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): ** 111 – 157
- Predicted Maximum HR: 185
- Age: 40
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 108 – 153
- Predicted Maximum HR: 180
- Age: 45
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 105 – 149
- Predicted Maximum HR: 175
- Age: 50
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 102 – 145
- Predicted Maximum HR: 170
- Age:55
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 99 – 140
- Predicted Maximum HR: 165
- Age:60
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 96 – 136
- Predicted Maximum HR: 160
- Age:65
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 93 – 132
- Predicted Maximum HR: 155
- Age:70
- Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%): 90 – 123
- Predicted Maximum HR: 150
Your Actual Values (Actual Values are determined from a graded exercise test)
- Target HR
- Max. HR
* This chart is based on the formula: 220 - your age = predicted maximum heart rate.
Resources
For more information about exercise
- Exercise for Your Heart Health.
- Exercise: Make Your Program a Success.
- To make an appointment with an exercise specialist or to join a cardiac rehabilitation program, contact the Cleveland Clinic Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation Program at 216.444.9353 or 800.223.2273, ext. 9353
- To find a cardiac rehabilitation program in your area, contact the American Association of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation.
- American Heart Association.
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Heart rate, also known as pulse, is the number of times a person’s heart beats per minute. A normal heart rate depends upon the individual, age, body size, heart disease, whether the person is sitting or moving, medication use and even air temperature level. Even feelings can have an impact on heart rate. For instance, getting excited or scared can increase the heart rate. But most significantly, getting fitter decreases the heart rate, by making heart muscles work more efficiently.
Understanding a Normal Heart Rate in Your Age
“Your heart is a muscle and similar to enhancing other muscles by doing activities, you can do the exact same thing with your heart,” said Dr. Mary Ann Bauman, an internist at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
Understanding about your heart rate can help you monitor your physical fitness level, and it might assist you spot establishing illness if you are experiencing other symptoms.
“If you are an athlete and you’re training, or if you are having symptoms such as dizziness, then understanding your heart rate is important,” Bauman said. “However as a general guideline, unless someone is having issues, it’s not extremely important to constantly understand what your heart rate is.”
How to measure heart rate
The most convenient places to measure your heart rate are on the wrists or one side of the neck. For an accurate reading, put two fingers over one of these areas and count the variety of beats in 60 seconds. You can also do this for 20 seconds and increase by 3, which might be easier, Bauman stated. Using your thumb may be confusing since sometimes you can feel a pulse in the thumb, she said.
Resting heart rate
Your resting heart rate is your pulse when you are calmly sitting or lying. It’s best to determine your resting heart rate it in the early morning prior to you rise, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). For adults 18 and older, a typical resting heart rate is in between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm), depending upon the individual’s physical condition and age. For children ages 6 to 15, the normal resting heart rate is in between 70 and 100 bpm, according to the AHA.
But a heart rate lower than 60 doesn’t always mean you have a medical problem. Active people often have lower heart rates since their heart muscles do not need to work as hard to maintain a constant beat. Athletes and people who are very in shape can have resting heat rate of 40 bpm.
A resting heart rate lower than 60 might also be the outcome of taking certain medications. “Many medications individuals take specifically medication for blood pressure, such as the beta blockers, will lower your heart rate,” Bauman said.
If combined with symptoms, a low heart rate might signify an issue.
“A low heart rate in somebody who is having dizziness and lightheadedness might suggest that they have an abnormality that has to be taken a look at,” Bauman said.
Maximum and target heart rate for people below 50
There is no definitive medical recommendations on when a resting heart rate is high, however a lot of medical specialists concur that a constant heart rate in the upper levels can put too much stress on the heart and other organs. If an individual has a high heart rate at rest and is experiencing other symptoms, doctors might analyze his or her heart function, Bauman said.
Knowing your heart rate during workout sessions can help understand whether you are doing too much or not enough, the AHA says. When individuals work out in their “target heart zone,” they acquire the most benefits and improve their heart’s health. When your heart rate remains in the target zone you know “you are pressing the muscle to obtain more powerful,” Bauman said.
An individual’s target heart rate zone is between 50 and 85 percent of his or her maximum heart rate, according to the AHA.
A lot of commonly, maximum heart rate is calculate by subtracting your age from 220:
220 – Age. For a 30-year-old person, for example: 220 – 30 = 190.
The target zone for a 30-year-old individual would be between 50 and 85 percent of his/her maximum heart rate:
- 50 level: 190 x 0.50 = 95 bpm
- 85 percent level: 190 x 0.85 = 162 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate for People Older than 50
The formula for maximum heart rate works well for people under 40 but for older people it may overestimate their maximum heart rate, Bauman said. For older people, a much better formula for the optimal heart rate is:
208 – (0.75 x Age)
- You can either manually compute your heart rate during exercise or use heart rate displays that wrap around the chest, or are consisted of in sports watches.
- Nevertheless, that’s not to say that working out without getting the heart rate up to the target zone has no advantage, Bauman said.
” So many individuals just aren’t doing any workout that I worry less about them reaching their target heart rate and more about them getting out and moving their body,” Bauman said.
Reducing a fast heart rate.
Pulse rates can spike due to anxiety, stress, dehydration and overexertion. Taking a seat and taking sluggish, deep breaths can normally decrease your heart rate. Working out and getting trimmer will usually reduce heart rate, too.
Arrhythmia, tachycardia and other conditions
Normal Heart Beat For Men
A variety of conditions can influence your heart rate. An arrhythmia causes the heart to beat too quickly, too sluggish or with an irregular rhythm.
Tachycardia is usually considered to be a resting heart rate of over 100 beats per minute, according to the National Institutes of Health, and typically caused when electrical signals in the heart’s upper chambers fire abnormally. If the heart rate is closer to 150 bpm or higher, it is a condition called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). In SVT, your heart’s electrical system, which controls the heart rate, is out of whack. This normally needs medical attention.
Bradycardia is a condition where the heart rate is too low, usually less than 60 bpm. This can be the result of problems with the sinoatrial node, which acts as the pacemaker, or damage to the heart as an outcome of a heart attack or heart disease.
Normal Heart Beats Per Minute
High blood pressure vs. high heart rate
Some individuals confuse high blood pressure with a high heart rate. Blood pressure is the measurement of the force of the blood against the walls of arteries, while pulse rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute.
Normal Heart Beat Ekg
There is no direct connection in between the two, and high blood pressure does not always lead to a high pulse rate, and vice versa. Heart rate goes up during laborious activity, however a vigorous workout may just modestly enhance high blood pressure.