Target Heart Rates Chart
What should your heart rate be when working out, and how can you keep track of it? Our simple chart will help keep you in the target training zone, whether you want to lose weight or just maximize your workout. Find out what normal resting and maximum heart rates are for your age and how exercise intensity and other factors affect heart rate.
How To Have Healthier Resting Heart Rate
Studies show that you may die earlier if your resting heart rate is on the higher side. The problem is that most people with a high resting heart rate usually do not know of it. Here are some steps that will help you have a healthier resting heart rate.
1. Increase Exercise
While you may think exercise will actually increase your heart rate, things do not work that way with resting heart rate. Your heart rate increases when you exercise, but this stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and lowers beats per minute, which in long term lowers your resting heart rate. Aerobic exercises, interval trainings and resistance exercises prove more beneficial. Swimming, jogging, biking and running work quite well to lower your resting heart rate.
2. Reduce Stress
Stress can keep your resting heart rate on the higher side. It also increases inflammation in your body and leads to other secondary health problems as well. Try some relaxation exercises, learn breathing techniques, and do some yoga to keep stress under control, which in turn will help you fall in the normal range on resting heart rate chart.
3. Avoid Tobacco
Smoking and tobacco use can affect your resting heart rate, so it is important to quit smoking to lower your heart rate. Start by lowering your tobacco use to keep things under control.
4. Maintain Healthy Weight
5. Cut Down on Caffeine
6. Sleep Well
Tips For Managing Your Heart Rate
To change your sleeping heart rate and improve overall heart health, try these tips:
- Get better sleep: Follow a regular sleep schedule, and aim to get at least seven hours of sleep each day.
- Reduce stress and anxiety: Yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or progressive muscle relaxation may help induce a state of relaxation with slower breathing and a lower heart rate.
- Exercise regularly: Physical fitness is associated with a lower resting heart rate.
- Avoid nicotine and caffeine: Nicotine and caffeine can cause heart palpitations.
- Eat a healthy diet: To help control heart rate and overall heart health, you may want to consider including more nuts, seeds, and fish in your diet and cutting down on cholesterol and saturated fats.
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Diagnosing The Underlying Cause
Your doctor may use a variety of diagnostic tools to help diagnose your condition, including:
- Holter or event monitor. This is a smaller, portable EKG machine you wear for a set amount of time to help your doctor monitor your electrocardiographic signals.
- Electrocardiogram. Also referred to as an ECG or EKG, this diagnostic tool uses small electrodes to record the electrical activity of your heart. Your doctor can use the information collected to determine if heart abnormalities are contributing to your condition.
- Stress test. Sometimes called a treadmill test or excercise test, this can help diagnose people whose symptoms may be exercise related.
- A tilt-table test. This measures how your blood pressure and heart rate respond when you go from lying down to standing up. People dealing with fainting spells are usually candidates for a tilt-table test.
- Imaging tests. Imaging can be used to assess if there are any structural abnormalities in your heart that may be contributing to your condition. Possible imaging tests can include echocardiogram, CT scan, and MRI scan.
- Electrophysiologictesting. Done under local anesthesia, this procedure involves temporary electrode catheters being threaded through veins or arteries into the heart to record the hearts electrical signals.
Once a diagnosis is made, your doctor will work with you to develop a plan to treat and manage your condition.
Normal Resting Heart Rate For Adults
According to the American Heart Association , a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 bpm . But some people may have a resting heart rate thats lower than 60 bpm and is still considered normal.
For example, athletes may find their heart rates are lower, sometimes as low as 40 bpm. Additionally, people taking certain medications, like beta-blockers, may also have a lower resting heart rate. Well explore more factors that can influence resting heart rate later on.
The table below shows the average normal resting heart rate for adults based on age.
| Age range |
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What Are The Symptoms Of A Low Heart Rate
It is very possible to have a slow heart rate and experience no symptoms. However, if you have symptoms but ignore them, it can sometimes cause more serious problems.
Consult your doctor if you are experiencing some of these symptoms and you have an associated slow heart rate:
- Lack of energy.
- Heart palpitations or flutters.
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What Does A Low Resting Heart Rate Indicate In Non
For an adult, the normal or healthy resting heart rate is considered to be between 60 and 100 beats per minute . A lower resting heart rate is considered to be healthy and a good indication of your health. It means that your heart is not working overtime trying to pump blood throughout your body. A low resting heart rate in non-athletes indicates that you are in good cardiovascular health.
On the other hand, a very rapid or fast resting heart rate is an indication that you are at an increased risk of developing blood clots, suffering heart failure, and other related problems.
However, if a low heart rate gets too low, then also some health risks can develop. A condition known as bradycardia is marked by very low resting heart rate. In fact, in non-athletes, a resting heart rate of 50 is actually a cause of concern and can indicate that you are suffering from bradycardia. Bradycardia is a condition where your resting heart rate is lower than 60 bpm. For some people, the threshold can also be less than 50 bpm, depending on your lifestyle. However, 50bpm is usually considered to be the borderline for diagnosing bradycardia.
Long-distance runners and other endurance athletes who are in top cardiovascular fitness usually have a resting heart rate that is lower than 60 bpm.
If you are not an athlete and you are neither training for any sports or swimming dozens of laps around the pool every day, then you should contact your doctor if you notice that your resting heart rate is 50.
Whats A Normal Resting Heart Rate
While age and activity level can affect your heart rate, as we mentioned above, there are a few normal parameters.
Your resting heart rate is when your heart pumps the minimal amount of blood that your body needs because youre at rest.
Resting heart rates can vary by individual. Additionally, factors like age, activity level, and certain medications can also impact your resting heart rate.
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Target Heart Rate And Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
One way of checking physical activity intensity is to determine whether your pulse or heart rate is within the target zone during physical activity.1
For moderate-intensity physical activity, your target heart rate should be between 64% and 76%1,2 of your maximum heart rate. You can estimate your maximum heart rate based on your age. To estimate your maximum age-related heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 50 years = 170 beats per minute . The 64% and 76% levels would be:
- 64% level: 170 x 0.64 = 109 bpm, and
- 76% level: 170 x 0.76 = 129 bpm
This shows that moderate-intensity physical activity for a 50-year-old person will require that the heart rate remains between 109 and 129 bpm during physical activity.
For vigorous-intensity physical activity, your target heart rate should be between 77% and 93%1,2 of your maximum heart rate. To figure out this range, follow the same formula used above, except change 64 and 76% to 77 and 93%. For example, for a 35-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 35 years = 185 beats per minute . The 77% and 93% levels would be:
- 77% level: 185 x 0.77 = 142 bpm, and
- 93% level: 185 x 0.93 = 172 bpm
How Can You Measure Your Sleeping Heart Rate
To measure your sleeping heart rate at home, you can use a smart watch. Some companies are also starting to offer smart sensors that integrate into the bed. If your doctor suspects you may have a sleep disorder, they may order an in-lab or at-home sleep study with professional equipment that delivers a more accurate heart rate reading.
To calculate your resting heart rate during the day, lightly press the tips of your index and middle finger over the artery on your neck, your chest, or the inside of your wrist. Count your heartbeats for the next 30 seconds and multiply by two.
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Know Your Numbers: Maximum And Target Heart Rate By Age
This table shows target heart rate zones for different ages. Your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age.3
In the age category closest to yours, read across to find your target heart rates. Target heart rate during moderate intensity activities is about 50-70% of maximum heart rate, while during vigorous physical activity its about 70-85% of maximum.
The figures are averages, so use them as a general guide.
What You Can Do For Your Heart Rate
You should always aim to take good care of your heart. This includes exercising regularly, eating heart-healthy foods, minimizing alcohol, and maintaining a moderate weight.
Additionally, you should visit your doctor regularly for physicals. Not only is it good practice, but it can also help with the early detection of high cholesterol or blood pressure abnormalities.
If you already have heart disease, you should carefully monitor your condition and stick to your treatment plan. Take all medications as instructed by your doctor. Be sure to promptly report any new or worsening symptoms.
Other heart health tips include:
- Find ways to reduce stress. Examples include things like yoga or meditation.
- Limit your caffeine intake when possible. Using too much caffeine can increase heart rate.
- Limit intake of energy drinks.
- Moderate your intake of alcohol. Women should only have one drink or less per day while men should have two or fewer drinks per day.
- Quit smoking. Smoking increases your heart rate, and quitting can help bring it back down.
- Avoid cannabis. Cannabis use
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What Is A Target Heart Rate
According to the AHA , your target heart rate during moderate-intensity activities is about 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Vigorous physical activity should result in about 70 to 85 percent of your maximum.
So for 35-year-olds, a goal target heart rate is between 93 and 157 bpm .
The table below shows the target heart rate range and average maximum heart rate for different ages, based on information from the AHA.
| Age |
- being an older adult
- problems with the conduction system of the heart
Borderline or occasional bradycardia may not need treatment. But prolonged bradycardia, or bradycardia thats not treated, can become more serious.
Certain underlying conditions are typically the true decider of what a dangerous heart rate is. If youre already living with heart disease, heart failure, or a history of heart disease and notice a fluctuation in your heart rate, you should go to the doctor as soon as you can, as it could be a sign of a serious complication.
How Do I Get My Heart Rate In The Target Zone
When you work out, are you doing too much or not enough? Theres a simple way to know: Your target heart rate helps you hit the bullseye so you can get max benefit from every step, swing and squat. Even if youre not a gym rat or elite athlete, knowing your heart rate can help you track your health and fitness level.
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What Does A Resting Heart Rate Of 50 Bpm In A Non
It is quite normal for endurance athletes to have a lower resting heart rate than others. A low heart rate in athletes is actually a sign of an efficient and working heart. However, in others, if the heart rate becomes too slow, then a low heart rate could also signify that there are underlying health complications that you need to address.
Heart rate is measured in beats per minute or bpm. A normal resting heart rate in adults is anywhere between 60 and 80 beats per minute and it is best measured when you are either lying down or while you are sitting. You should be in a calm state. For athletes, the resting heart rate can even be as low as 30 to 40 bpm. However, if you are a non-athlete, then what does a resting heart rate of 50 bpm indicate? Lets take a look.
Low Sleeping Heart Rate
Lower heart rates can signal a healthier heart, as with athletes, but that is not always the case. Bradycardia, which is more common in older adults, describes a resting heart rate that is below 60 beats per minute .
A number of health conditions can contribute to lower heart rates, including heart disease, rheumatic fever, Lyme disease, and sleep apnea. Certain substances and medications may also cause a lower heart rate. Underlying health conditions such as anorexia, hypothyroidism, and sleep apnea can sometimes contribute to a lower heart rate.
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What Are The Risks Associated With Low Heart Rate
There are many health risks associated with a low resting heart rate of 50 bpm. One of the major concerns linked with bradycardia is of a condition known as syncope.
Syncope is another term for fainting or the loss of consciousness. Syncope typically happens because of an insufficient supply of blood in the brain. This happens because a low heart rate can compromise the circulation of blood within your body. Due to the low heart rate, your heart is not able to pump blood fast enough to maintain a healthy flow of blood to your brain and to the rest of your body. Fainting, therefore, is one of the major risks of having a low heart rate. Fainting can also lead to bone fractures is you have a dangerous fall.
Fainting spells are generally one of the biggest signs of bradycardia. This is also taken to be the first indication that your resting heart rate is slowing down. Therefore, in order to make up for a heart that is beating slowly, the heart muscles try to pump harder for meeting the bodys demand for oxygenated blood. This can also cause hypertension or high blood pressure, eventually even leading to heart failure over a period of time if the heart muscles have to continue to work overtime for pumping blood.
In some people, a low heart rate can also be associated with low blood pressure, a condition referred to as hypotension. Low blood pressure is also a known cause of syncope.
Keys To Getting An Accurate Result
Resting heart rate is determined with a pulse measurement when you are relaxed and at rest. Do not take resting heart rate after:
- Active exercise
Some common causes of low heart rates include the following:
- Heart medications like beta-blockers, certain calcium channel blockers, and even some eye drops
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How Is Bradycardia Treated
The treatment of bradycardia depends on whats causing it. Bradycardia thats mild or occasional may not require treatment.
If a slow heart rate is due to the effect of a medication, its possible that your doctor may adjust your medication dosage. If possible, they could also switch you to a different medication that doesnt have bradycardia as a side effect.
Similarly, if an underlying condition is contributing to your bradycardia, your doctor will work to address that condition. For example, the medication levothyroxine can be used to manage hypothyroidism.
Its also possible that your doctor may recommend a pacemaker. This is an implanted medical device that stimulates heartbeats so that they occur at a regular rate and rhythm. Bradycardia is one of the main conditions for which a pacemaker may be recommended.