Normal resting pulse by age
Beats per minute at rest, from MedlinePlus, the consumer health service of the US National Library of Medicine. The children's ranges fall steadily with age; from about ten years on, the adult range applies.
| Who | Normal resting pulse (beats per minute) |
|---|---|
| Newborns, 0 to 1 month | 70 to 190 |
| Infants, 1 to 11 months | 80 to 160 |
| Children, 1 to 2 years | 80 to 130 |
| Children, 3 to 4 years | 80 to 120 |
| Children, 5 to 6 years | 75 to 115 |
| Children, 7 to 9 years | 70 to 110 |
| Children 10 and older, adults and seniors | 60 to 100 |
| Well-trained athletes | 40 to 60 |
The athlete row is the one that surprises people. MedlinePlus gives 40 to 60 for well-trained athletes, well below the general adult range. A regular runner or cyclist in the low 50s is therefore normal, not low, as long as it is their usual figure and they feel fine.
How to measure it
- Rest first. MedlinePlus says a resting rate needs at least ten minutes of rest beforehand. The easiest version is to take it in bed on waking, before getting up or drinking coffee, on several mornings.
- Find the pulse. At the wrist: index and middle fingers on the inside of the opposite wrist, below the base of the thumb, pressing lightly with flat fingers. At the neck: sit or lie down, two fingers in the soft hollow beside the Adam's apple, gently, and never on both sides at once, which can cause fainting.
- Count. A full 60 seconds is the most accurate. Thirty seconds times two is the usual shortcut; the table below gives the others.
- Repeat. One reading is a snapshot. The average of a week of mornings is your resting heart rate, and the number worth comparing against later.
| Beats per minute | Beats in 30 s | Beats in 15 s | Beats in 10 s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 25 | 12.50 | 8.3 |
| 60 | 30 | 15 | 10 |
| 70 | 35 | 17.50 | 11.7 |
| 80 | 40 | 20 | 13.3 |
| 90 | 45 | 22.50 | 15 |
| 100 | 50 | 25 | 16.7 |
Fitness watches and phone cameras give a continuous figure, which is convenient but not more trustworthy than a careful 60-second count. If a device shows a rate far from a manual count, trust the fingers.
Your own number matters more than the table
The ranges are wide because people differ. What carries information is a change from your own baseline. MedlinePlus lists infection and dehydration as causes of a fast pulse, and fitness as the main reason for a low one. So a morning rate several beats above your usual for a few days is worth noticing, and a rate that falls over months of regular exercise is the clearest sign that fitness is improving. Keep the readings in one place; a month of numbers tells you more than any one of them.
When a number is a reason to ask a doctor
- A resting rate consistently above 100 beats per minute in an adult, with no obvious cause such as illness, heat or caffeine.
- A rate below 60 in someone who is not fit or trained, especially with dizziness, faintness or unusual tiredness.
- An irregular rhythm you can feel at the wrist, or beats that seem to skip or flutter.
- A sudden change from your own baseline that does not settle in a few days.
None of this is a diagnosis; it is the list of readings that a chart cannot interpret and a clinician can.
Resting rate and training zones
Resting heart rate is the floor of the day; training zones are measured from the ceiling, the maximum heart rate, which the heart rate zone calculator estimates from your age and splits into five zones. Some zone methods use both ends, the heart rate reserve between resting and maximum, which is why a good resting figure is worth having before setting zones. The running pace calculator pairs a target zone with a pace, and the calories burned calculator estimates the energy cost of a session by activity and duration.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal resting heart rate for adults?
Sixty to 100 beats per minute, according to MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine's consumer health site. Well-trained athletes often sit lower, at 40 to 60.
Is a resting heart rate of 55 too low?
For a fit adult it is inside the athlete range MedlinePlus gives, 40 to 60, and common. A low rate matters when it comes with symptoms such as dizziness, faintness or unusual tiredness, or when it is new for you; those are reasons to ask a doctor rather than a chart.
How do I measure my resting heart rate properly?
Rest for at least ten minutes first, then count your pulse at the wrist or the neck for a full 60 seconds, or for 30 seconds and double it. MedlinePlus describes the wrist as two fingers below the base of the thumb and the neck as two fingers beside the Adam's apple, never both sides of the neck at once. First thing in the morning, before coffee, gives the most repeatable figure.
What makes resting heart rate go up?
MedlinePlus names infection and dehydration as reasons for a fast pulse, and fitness and age as the main reasons the normal range differs between people. A rate that is higher than your own usual figure for several mornings in a row is a more useful warning than any single number compared with the table.
Is resting heart rate the same as maximum heart rate?
No. Resting heart rate is the lowest sustained rate of the day, measured after rest. Maximum heart rate is the highest the heart reaches at full effort, used to set training zones; the heart rate zone calculator estimates it from your age and explains the formulas.
Sources
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Pulse (normal resting heart rate ranges by age, 40 to 60 for well-trained athletes, how to take a pulse, rest for at least 10 minutes, fast pulse with infection or dehydration)
- CDC: Measuring physical activity intensity (taking the pulse and the percent-of-maximum method used for exercise zones)