Ideal Heart Rate During Exercise

Heart rate (HR) is nothing but the number of times the heart beats per minute (BPM). The normal heart rate varies from person to person, depending upon the age, overall health, and physical activity performed by the person. It is not constant all the time and fluctuates because of the change in physical and mental stress.

Your heart supplies oxygenated blood to all parts of the body and as the demand increases, it has to beat faster to meet the needs of the body. Thus, the HR depends on the demand of blood by the body.

While exercising, it beats faster because the need for oxygen increases. It beats slowly when you are at rest. If you've been inactive, then monitoring the heart rate while working out is more important.

The normal resting heart rate (RHR) for children (6-15 years) is 70 to 100 BPM. The normal adult HR is about 60 to 100 BPM at rest. The RHR increases with age. Healthy individuals who enjoy cardiovascular fitness, have a comparatively lower heart rate.

If your body is conditioned and toned, less beats per minute will be required to pump blood to your body. You might be surprised to know that in a well-trained athlete, it may be in the range of 40 to 60 BPM.

The maximum HR is useful to measure the training intensity of an athlete. It is obtained when you subtract your age from 220. So, if you are 35 years old, it would be 185. The average and healthy HR during exercise would be around 50 to 60% of your Max HR.

So, for a 35 year old individual, it will be somewhere between 92 and 110. Slight variation depending upon the sex and the constitution of the individual is considered to be normal. It is better if you can stay within 50 to 85 percent of your Maximum HR.

As mentioned earlier, staying within 50 to 85 percent of your max HR is recommended. This range is known as the target heart rate. The given table shows the estimated average target heart rate during workouts for different ages, so you should use them as general guidelines.

Age	Target HR (50-85%)	Max HR (100%)
20	100-170 BPM	200 BPM
25	98-166 BPM	195 BPM
30	95-162 BPM	190 BPM
35	93-157 BPM	185 BPM

Age	Target HR (50-85%)	Max HR (100%)
40	90-153 BPM	180 BPM
45	88-149 BPM	175 BPM
50	85-145 BPM	170 BPM
55	83-140 BPM	165 BPM

Age	Target HR (50-85%)	Max HR (100%)
60	80-136 BPM	160 BPM
65	78-132 BPM	155 BPM
70	75-128 BPM	150 BPM

If you are taking medicines to control high blood pressure, you should consult your physician before working out. Abnormal figures usually indicate a weakened heart. Maintaining a healthy and normal HR is of utmost importance for attaining and maintaining optimal health.

Disclaimer: Always consult a physician before starting any physical fitness program in order to reduce the risk of injury.