Your heart rate -- or the number of times your heart beats per minute -- can be an excellent indicator of your overall level of health and fitness. The resting heart rate of an adult or child differs for individuals who participate in regular physical activity, and can be affected by a number of other factors. To get the most out of an exercise regimen, you should aim for a particular range of target heart rates, though you should be aware of the considerations for your age group. You should also see a doctor if your heart rate consistently differs from average levels.
Normal Heart Rate
The normal resting heart rate for the average adult older than 18 is between 60 to 100 beats per minute, while the resting heart rate for a child between the ages of 6 and 15 ranges from 70 to 100 beats per minute. MayoClinic.com reports that experienced athletes may have a resting heart rate closer to 40 beat per minute. However, there are a wide variety of factors that can alter resting heart rates, including certain medications, your weight, stress, temperature extremes and whether your heart rate is measured while you are standing up or lying down.
Significance
Your resting heart rate can indicate your level of cardiovascular fitness. According to MayoClinic.com, a low resting heart rate -- for instance, 60 beats per minute or lower -- can indicate that your heart and cardiovascular system are working more efficiently than people with a higher resting heart rate and who are less physically fit. The National Emergency Medicine Association reports that this is because, as your heart becomes stronger with increased use, it will need to expend less energy to pump the same amount of blood.
Exercising Heart Rate
People in their 20s should generally aim for an exercising heart rate between 120 to 166 beats per minute, while men and women in their 30s can safely reach between 114 to 157 beats a minute. Between the ages of 40 and 60, target exercising heart rates range from 99 to 153 beats per minute. After age 60, the heart rate should stay between 96 and 128 beats a minute for maximum benefit.
Target Heart Rate
To find the heart rate you should be targeting while you are exercising in order to yield maximum benefits without overly taxing your body, subtract your age from the number 220. The resulting number is the maximum heart rate for your age. Exercise professionals recommend that you design your workouts and exercise regimen so that your heart rate stays within 60 to 70 percent of this maximum heart rate number. You can determine the range of this value by multiplying your maximum heart rate value by 0.6, then multiplying the maximum heart rate by 0.8. Aim to keep your heart rate when exercising between these two values.
Warning
It's always best to consult your doctor and, if possible, an exercise physiologist before beginning any new exercise regimen. Also, once you determine your maximum heart rate, don't try to push yourself to reach a heart rate more than 85 percent of that; you may end up causing heart and joint problems without any real health benefit. Speak to a physician if your resting heart rate is lower than 60 beats per minute and accompanied by difficulty breathing, weakness, dizziness and fainting spells, or if your heart rate tops 100 beats a minute when you are at rest. Both could indicate that you have cardiovascular problems.
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