The average number of times your heart beats in one minute is known as the heart rate, or HR. HR is determined and monitored before, during and after exercise to ensure maintenance of a healthy heart, weight loss zones, or to gauge stamina and endurance improvement. Post-exercise heart rates are monitored via a one-minute heart rate recovery. Ideally, the one-minute recovery heart rate will return close to the resting heart rate, or RHR.
Resting Heart Rate
The RHR is a measurement of the beats per minute while the heart is at rest. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the average range is 66 to 71 beats per minute for men and 68 to 72 beats per minute for wiomen. Any value between 60 and 100 is considered normal. Bradycardia is a term to describe a slow RHR, a condition in which the beats per minute are less than 60. Meanwhile, a fast RHR exceeding 100 beats per minute is known as tachycardia.
Exercise Intensity
As your body engages in exercise or physical activity, your heart rate moves away from its RHR and begins to increase. Ideally, you will have determined a target heart rate to achieve dependent upon your exercise goals. A target heart rate is a specific number you aim to reach as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. This is considered the most beats per minute your heart can achieve safely. Exercise intensity should never reach your maximum heart rate, therefore, just a percentage of the maximum heart rate should be targeted.
One-minute Recovery
At the end of exercise, it is imperative to monitor your heart rate using a one-minute recovery. If you do not have use of a heart rate monitor, treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike that display HR data, it is vital to manual palpate your HR. The two prominent areas where this is done are the carotid pulse located at the side of the neck, or the radial pulse which is located on the thumbside of the wrist with the palm facing up. The forefinger and the middle finger are used to feel the pulse. Once the pulse is detected, count the beats for one minute.
Post-Exercise HR
Ideally, the post-exercise HR will measure within 25 beats per minute of the RHR. For example, if your RHR is 70, then at the end of the one-minute recovery measurement, your HR will be at 95 beats per minute or lower. This indicates your heart is working efficiently in pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. The higher the post-exercise HR, the more effort the heart is having to put forth in distributing blood. The HR recovery can be improved with consistent heart rate-elevating exercise. Aside from increased aerobic endurance, another benefit of elevating the HR is a decreased RHR.
References
- "NSCA's Essentials for Personal Training"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2004
- "Monitoring Exercise HR Using Manual Palpation"; Dinesh John, Gary Slorzo, and Thomas Swensen; ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, Vol. 11; 2007
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