Every time your heart beats, it sends oxygen-rich blood throughout your body and supplies nutrients to body cells. Your pulse rate measures the number of times your heart beats in one minute, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It's lower when your body is at rest and rises during exercise when your heart beats quicker to supply extra oxygen to your muscles and lungs. Once a male reaches adulthood, his pulse rate is more a function of fitness level than of age.
Finding Your Pulse
You can palpate your pulse by placing two fingers over any point where an artery runs close to the surface of your skin. The best-known pulse sites are the radial artery on the inside of either wrist and the carotid artery on either side of the front of your neck. However, there are also accessible pulse points over the femoral artery inside your groin and the tibial artery at the top and inside of either foot, according to Medline Plus.
Counting Your Pulse
To measure your pulse rate, count the number of times the artery throbs under your fingers over a 60-second period, or count for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.
Resting Pulse Rate
Tables that list normal pulse rates for men reflect a resting pulse rate. The best time to capture your resting pulse rate is first thing in the morning before you get up for the day, according to Montana State University (MSU). To measure your resting heart rate later in the day, pick a time when you haven't eaten for 2 hours or performed vigorous exercise for 4 hours. Rest for at least 30 minutes, sit or lie down when palpating the artery, relax and count your pulse.
Age
While normal pulse rates for men vary slightly with age, those differences are very subtle. If you're in average physical condition, you should have a resting pulse between 70 and 73 beats per minute until age 25, when it rises slightly to 71 to 74. By age 65, you'll be back in the 70 to 73 beat range, according to the Topend Sports Network.
Fitness Level
The Topend Sports Network website features a resting pulse rate table that highlights normal ranges for men according to physical fitness level. A 20-year-old man in below average physical condition will have a pulse rate between 74 and 81 beats per minute. If he exercises regularly and improves his fitness status to excellent, his pulse will drop down to 56 to 61 beats.
