Normal Pulse Rate After Exercise

Your pulse, or heart rate, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. The wrist and neck are good places to measure your heart rate because an artery is close enough to the skin to feel the pulse. Your heart rate is an indicator of exercise intensity. How fast your heart rate declines after exercise indicates your fitness level, and your resting heart rate will tell you what your normal pulse should be after exercise.

Resting Heart Rate

Your resting heart rate is how fast your heart beats when you are still. Sit quietly for a few minutes then take your pulse. Place your first two fingers on the opposite wrist, below the base of your thumb, or place them just to the right or left of your Adam's apple. Press until you feel your pulse and count the beats for 10 seconds. Multiply that number by 6 to find how many times you heart is beating in one minute. This number is your resting heart rate. It is expressed as beats per minute, or bpm. A normal resting heart rate for anyone over 10 years old is 60 to 100 bpm, but athletes may find their heart rates are lower, in the 40 to 60 bpm range; this is also normal.

Target Heart Rate

Your target heart rate is the rate you should aim for during aerobic exercise. Subtract your age from 220, and multiply that number by 0.5 and 0.7 to find your target heart rate zone for moderate exercise. Multiply by 0.7 and 0.85 to find your target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise. For example, a 40-year-old would exercise at 90 to 126 bpm for moderate exercise and 126 to 153 bpm for vigorous exercise. Work yourself up from moderate-intensity exercise to vigorous intensity. Exercise in these zones for optimal heart and lung fitness.

Exercise Intensity

Target heart rate measures the intensity of your workout. If you are more fit, keep your heart rate on the high end of your range. If less fit, keep it toward the low end. You can also use the Borg Perceived Exertion Scale, in which you rate your exercise intensity based on how you feel while exercising. The scale begins at 6, which is no exertion at all, and progresses to 20 which is maximum exertion. Multiply your perceived exertion by 10 for an approximate heart rate. Numbers between 12 and 14 correspond to moderate exertion and 15 to 17 to vigorous exertion.

Recovery Heart Rate

Measuring your recovery heart rate tells you how quickly your heart recovers after exercise. Thirty to 60 minutes afterward, your heart rate should have returned to its pre-exercise level between 60 and 100 bpm. The better shape you are in the more efficiently your heart functions and the faster your recovery rate. Heart rate usually declines sharply in the first minute. Take your pulse immediately when you stop exercising and take it again one minute later. Subtract the lower number from the higher and divide by 10. Below 3 indicates you are in poor to fair condition. From 3 to 6, you are in good to excellent condition and over 6, outstanding condition. A slow decline of heart rate in the first minute indicates you were likely working too hard and you should adjust your target heart rate next time. Following the first minute, heart rate decreases gradually but at 5 minutes after exercise should be no more than 120 bpm.