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Heart rate is defined as the number of heart beats per minute.

The normal heart rate of an adult at rest is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), as most reference books would tell you. Having said that, it is logical to think that a heart rate that goes within 60-100 bpm is a healthy heart rate and should cause no worry to an individual.

But what if you’re an athlete and you have a heart rate of 50 beats per minute? Are you going to think of it as a healthy heart rate?

There are certain situations or conditions that influence a person’s heart beat, such as age, exercise and fitness level.

A heart rate of 120-180 bpm, for example, is regarded as a healthy heart rate in babies. But for a 5-year old preschooler, a healthy heart rate falls within 80-120 bpm. Due to the expected changes in the heart muscle tissues as it ages, the elderly people tend to have a lower heart rate.

As you may have noticed, 60-100 bpm may not necessarily mean the same healthy heart rate range for people who belong in a different age group.

During the course of exercise, a person’s heart rate goes faster.

Any type of workout will demand the muscles to move. The muscles would need more oxygen as a consequence of the increased movement. This increased demand for oxygen makes the heart pump faster so it can supply the muscle tissues with adequate amounts of oxygen-rich blood.

Therefore, a heart rate of 120 bpm during exercise can be considered as a healthy heart rate.

If an individual works out regularly, his heart becomes a lot stronger and this makes it capable of pumping much more blood to the rest of the body with fewer beats per minute. Because of this increased strength, the heart becomes capable of sustaining intense work outs even at a much slower rate. It is for this reason that well-trained athletes who have a low heart rate of 40 to 70 bpm are still considered healthy.

So do you think you have a healthy heart rate? For as long as the body is getting all the blood supply that it needs, any heart rate that falls below or above the normal range (60-100 bpm), can be considered a healthy heart rate.

Exactly What Is Normal Heart Rate?

Most people say that their hearts beat faster when they are in love.

Alright, obviously that’s because the word heart is almost synonymous with love. That’s the tender, amorous aspect of the heart. But medically speaking, has anyone ever wondered, “What is the normal heart rate?”

Heart rate is referred to as the number of heart beats for each minute.

The simplest way to determine your heart rate is by locating your pulse. The pulse reveals the rate of a person’s heart beat. Hence, a healthy pulse rate means a healthy heart rate.

Two of the most familiar areas to assess your pulse arte are one, over the wrist area, the side immediately under the thumb and two, on the side of the neck where you can find the carotid artery.

To obtain the heart rate, count the number of beats for one whole minute as soon as you feel your pulse.

The normal resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Alright, that’s what long-standing education affirms. Yet the question, “What is normal heart rate?” is in truth an extremely tough question to respond to since heart rate is impacted by a multitude of factors.

Most books would say that 60-100 bpm is the normal heart rate.

However, this range may not be the normal range for others, as with the well-trained athletes who can have as low as 40 bpm and infants who can have as high as 180 bpm. Moreover, it is not strange for any asleep adult to have a heart rate of about 50-90 bpm. When an adult is having some intense training, on the contrary, it is not strange to have a heart rate more than 100 bpm.

With that being said, accurately what is normal heart rate?

Heart rate is absolutely not like a lab value which has a “set value”.

As mentioned earlier, heart rate is affected by countless factors such as age, weight, physical activity, caffeine, alcohol, medications and the list is endless. An adult who is 25 years old is regarded as normal if his heart rate goes within 60-100 bpm. However, you cannot rely on an 85-year old senior to have the exact same rate because as a consequence of the normal aging process, older people are anticipated to have a lower heart rate, usually 50-70 bpm.

Directly back to the main question: “What is normal heart rate?” Check with your doctor regarding this.

Heart Rate Calculator – Get The Best Out Of Cardio Using The Karnoven Formula

Cardiovascular exercises or cardio are workouts that move the large muscles and increase the heart rate.

Jogging, swimming, cycling and dancing are just some examples. Bear in mind that simple, short workouts are by any means better than no exercise at all.

Now, once you’re used to working out, the next question is, how intense should your exercise be?

A heart rate calculator is used by most exercisers, particularly athletes to check the intensity of their exercise.

A heart rate calculator uses the Karnoven formula, which calculates a person’s exercise heart rate and helps estimate the right target heart rate zone. Developed by a Scandinavian physiologist, this formula uses the number known as heart rate reserve.

To get a person’s heart rate reserve, subtract the resting heart rate from the maximum heart rate. Resting heart rate (RHR), as the name implies, is the heart rate of a person while at rest. On the other hand, Max HR is the fastest rate the heart can beat for one minute.

Most experts suggest that you keep your heart rate at around 60 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (Max HR). If you need to compute for the Max HR, use the formula 220 minus age (220 minus age) multiplied by sixty or eighty-five percent.

If you are 30 years old, for example, subtract 30 from 220, which would give you a Max HR of 190. Then you would multiply this number by either sixty or eighty-five percent to obtain the 60 and 85 percent of your Max HR, which would give you 114 or 162. This means that 116 bpm and 162 bpm is the 60 percent and 85 percent of your Max HR, respectively.

The lower number (sixty-percent) should be used initially to compute for the target heart rate prior to starting any exercise. This is particularly true for novice exercisers. The lower number is used to avoid physical harm during exercise. Karnoven method of target heart rate is done by finding the difference between resting heart rate and maximum heart rate multiplied to sixty percent; then, add the result to resting heart rate.

So, if you’re 30 years old and has a RHR of 65, this formula would give you a THR of 140 bpm. Subsequently, as you progress with your workout regimen, you might like to use the higher number ( eighty-five percent) to compute for your THR. Again, using the Karnoven method, this would give you a THR of 171 bpm. Having at least 140 bpm until 171 bpm will give you the best health benefits during cardio workouts.

Almost all exercisers gain plenty of benefits from a heart rate calculator. Online heart rate calculators that can be used to compute for a person’s THR are all around the place.

Understanding the rationale behind the Karnoven heart rate calculator, however, can guide a person on his overall cardio workout experience.