Age is an important consideration when you exercise, because your body changes as it ages. Your resting heart rate is "not greatly reduced" as you get older, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information, but your heart's ability to pump blood when it is pushed during exercise declines significantly. When your heart pumps less blood, its heart rate declines. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen, and discuss your heart rate.
Maximum Heart Rate
Knowing your maximum heart rate is important, because adequate circulation of blood to your heart is jeopardized when your heart rate approaches its maximum. This is most likely during exercise. Exercise expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper recommends taking a maximal performance stress test to ascertain your maximum heart rate. Fit older people can have a higher maximum heart rate than out-of-shape younger people, but younger people, on average, have a higher maximum heart rate.
Men Vs. Women
The average man's maximum heart rate is lower than the average woman's, according to Cooper and "An Invitation to Health," a college textbook. The average male has a maximum heart rate of 220 heartbeats per minute at birth, while the average newborn female's maximum heart rate is 225 beats per minute. On the average, everyone's maximum heart rate declines one heartbeat per year. Thus, the average man's maximum heart rate is 200 beats per minute at age 20, 190 at age 30, 180 at 40, 170 at 50, 160 at 60 and 150 at 70. The average woman's maximum heart rate is 205 at age 20, 195 at 30, 185 at 40, 175 at 50, 165 at 60 and 155 at 70.
Men's Exercise Heart Rate
Your exercise heart rate depends on your maximum heart rate and the intensity of your exercise. "An Invitation to Health" recommends that your exercise intensity be 60 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. A heart rate below that range is too low to improve your fitness; a higher heart rate isn't advisable unless you're very fit. A 20-year-old man with a maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute should have an exercise heart rate between 120 and 170 beats per minute, because 120 is 60 percent of 200 and 170 is 85 percent of 200. The exercise heart rate for the average 30-year-old man should be 114 to 162 heartbeats per minute and it should decline to 108 to 153 at age 40, 102 to 145 at 50, 96 to 136 at 60 and 90 to 128 at 70.
Women's Exercise Heart Rate
The average woman's exercise heart rate is slightly higher than the average man's because her average maximum heart rate is slightly higher. A 20-year-old female who has a maximum heart rate of 205 beats per minute should have an exercise heart rate of 123 to 174 beats per minute, because 123 is 60 percent of 205 and 174 is 85 percent of 205. The average female's exercise heart rate should be 117 to 166 beats per minute. It should fall to 111 to 157 at age 40, 105 to 149 at 50, 99 to 140 at 60 and 93 to 132 at 70.
References
- The Merck Manual of Medical Information; 2003
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way"; Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2010
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library; Exercising Safely; September 2007
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