Optimum heart rate can be determined for a variety of circumstances. Knowing where your heart rate falls in each circumstance is a good indicator of your fitness level and health status. It is important to know how to calculate your heart rate as well as how quickly it recovers after you exercise. Determining heart rate ranges during exercise can help you more effectively achieve your health and fitness goals.
What is Heart Rate?
Your heart rate is essentially how quickly your heart beats. It is generally determined as the number of heart beats over the span of one minute. A multitude of factors can influence your heart rate, such as activity level, fitness level, air temperature, body position, emotions, body size and medication.
Determining Your Heart Rate
Your heart rate is determined by placing two of your fingers against either the side of the windpipe in the neck or on the wrist. Counting the beats you feel over the course of one minute will give you your heart rate at that moment. For faster counting, count the beats you feel in 15 seconds and multiply that number by four. Don't use your thumb to count the pulse, because your thumb has a pulse of its own and can create false results.
Heart Rate While at Rest
Your heart rate at rest will tell you a variety of things. First, a normal resting heart rate for an adult is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. If you don't fall into that range, you need to figure out why you have a variation. Typically, heart rates that fall higher than 100 beats per minute indicate a lack of cardiovascular fitness and a less efficient heart. Heart rates that fall below 60 beats per minute can indicate a high level of fitness and a highly efficient heart.
Heart Rate During Exercise
Heart rates during exercise can tell you several things. It can indicate if you are working hard enough or too hard. Percentages of your maximum heart rate will help you know what intensity of exercise you are performing. Knowing your heart rate during exercise is also an excellent way to monitor your progress. Obtaining lower heart rates at the same intensity of exercise can demonstrate an increasing fitness level. Heart rate ranges between 50 to 85 percent are appropriate levels to maintain during exercise.
Recovery Heart Rates
Knowing how quickly your heart rate recovers after exercise is extremely important. Abnormal recovery can indicate a health problem or a significant lack of fitness. Counting a recovery heart rate requires you to count your heart rate for a full minute. A recovery that demonstrates a decrease in heart rate of less than 12 beats in the minute is poor. A normal recovery should have your heart rate decreasing between 15 to 25 beats per minute.
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