You’ll often hear that a normal resting heart rate falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute. That’s true, but it’s only the starting point.
If you’re healthy and active, being closer to the lower end of that range is usually a good sign. In trained athletes, resting heart rate numbers commonly sit between 40 and 60. That reflects an efficient heart and strong cardiovascular health.
But several factors affect resting heart rate, like age, body composition, activity level, lifestyle habits. What looks like a resting heart rate normal for one person may be different for another.
What is a healthy resting heart rate based on your age, gender, and activity level? Let’s break it down, explain how to track it, and show you how to improve it with the right training habits.
What Is Resting Heart Rate?
Your resting heart rate (RHR) is the number of times your heart beats per minute when your body is fully at rest. That means calm, relaxed, and not influenced by movement or stress. The best time to measure it is in the morning, right after you wake up and before you get out of bed.
Resting heart rate is the slowest your heart normally works during the day. This is the opposite of your maximum heart rate during high training intensity, as we explained in our heart rate zone training guide.
As long as you are not experiencing dizziness, low energy, or unusual fatigue, a lower number is often a sign of strong cardiovascular health.
What is a normal resting heart rate? For most adults, a resting heart rate normal range sits between 60 bpm and 100 bpm. This range is broad for a reason, as resting heart rate numbers change based on age, body composition, height, and activity level.
Here’s how those factors come into play:
- For active individuals and athletes, the average resting heart rate can fall between 40 and 60 beats per minute. Elite endurance athletes can sometimes drop below 40, which is normal for them under medical supervision.
- Taller individuals often show a slightly lower resting heart rate. A larger heart can pump more blood per beat.
- People who are overweight usually have a higher resting heart rate. The heart has to work harder to supply oxygen to a larger body mass.
- Women tend to have a resting heart rate that is about 2 to 7 beats per minute higher than men. This is due to differences in heart size, hormones, and physiology.
A resting heart rate around 80 beats per minute is often considered “normal high.” It is still within a healthy resting heart rate range, but it may leave room for improvement through training, recovery, and lifestyle habits.
Let’s have a more detailed look below:
Men Resting Heart Rate Chart
| Age | Athlete | Fit | Great | Good | Average | Above Average | Normal High |
| 18–25 | 49–55 | 56–61 | 62–65 | 66–69 | 70–73 | 74–81 | 82+ |
| 26–35 | 49–54 | 55–61 | 62–65 | 66–70 | 71–74 | 75–81 | 82+ |
| 36–45 | 50–56 | 57–62 | 63–66 | 67–71 | 72–75 | 76–82 | 83+ |
| 46–55 | 50–57 | 58–63 | 64–67 | 68–71 | 72–76 | 77–83 | 84+ |
| 56–65 | 51–56 | 57–61 | 62–67 | 68–71 | 72–75 | 76–81 | 82+ |
| 65+ | 50–55 | 56–61 | 62–65 | 66–69 | 70–73 | 74–79 | 80+ |
Women Resting Heart Rate Chart
| Age | Athlete | Fit | Great | Good | Average | Above Average | Normal High |
| 18–25 | 54–60 | 61–65 | 66–69 | 70–74 | 75–78 | 79–84 | 85+ |
| 26–35 | 54–59 | 60–64 | 65–68 | 69–73 | 74–78 | 79–84 | 85+ |
| 36–45 | 54–59 | 60–64 | 65–69 | 70–73 | 74–78 | 79–85 | 86+ |
| 46–55 | 54–60 | 61–65 | 66–69 | 70–73 | 74–77 | 78–84 | 84+ |
| 56–65 | 54–59 | 60–64 | 65–68 | 69–73 | 74–77 | 78–84 | 84+ |
| 65+ | 54–59 | 60–64 | 65–68 | 69–72 | 73–76 | 77–84 | 84+ |
Why Resting Heart Rate Matters
Your resting heart rate is one of the clearest indicators of overall cardiovascular health. It gives insight into how well your heart muscle is functioning, even when you are not exercising.
When your resting heart rate sits on the lower end of the normal range, it usually reflects an efficient heart. Each beat moves a larger volume of blood. That means your heart does not need to beat as often to deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
But as you see on the charts above, several factors influence what exactly we can consider an optimal resting heart rate. That’s why, regardless of what these numbers say, it’s always worth checking with your doctor for a precise review.
Why do doctors and trainers pay attention to RHR?
A lower resting heart rate is often linked to better recovery. An efficient heart can respond quickly when training intensity increases, then return to baseline faster once the work is done.
A healthy RHR also supports better oxygen delivery. When your heart pumps effectively, your muscles and organs receive oxygen more easily. This helps during workouts, daily activity, and long training sessions.
Over time, this efficiency reduces overall strain on the heart. Fewer beats per minute mean less cumulative stress on the cardiovascular system, which supports long-term heart health.
How to Measure Resting Heart Rate
The key to measuring your resting heart rate is to do it when your body is truly at rest. First thing in the morning is ideal, right after waking up. No movement. No stress.
How to Calculate HRH manually
Sit or lie down comfortably and relax for a minute.
Place your index and middle fingers on one of these two spots:
- On the side of your neck, just below the jawline
- On your wrist, near the base of your thumb
Once you feel your pulse, start a timer.
Count your heartbeats for 15 seconds. Then multiply that number by four. That gives you your resting heart rate numbers in beats per minute.
If you prefer, you can count for a full 60 seconds to get the number straight, and skip the math.
Using a resting heart rate watch
Most wearables can also track RHR for you. Devices like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or the Oura Ring automatically record your resting heart rate over time, especially during sleep. We cover these options in more detail in our guide to the best wearable tech for athletes.
Wearables are not always as precise as manual measurement. However, they are excellent for long-term tracking, helping you spot trends, changes in recovery, stress, or sleep quality.
Factors That Affect Resting Heart Rate
From a medical standpoint, a resting heart rate consistently above 100 beats per minute is called tachycardia. A resting heart rate below 60 is known as bradycardia. These terms describe numbers, not health by themselves, as context always matters.
Several biological factors influence resting heart rate numbers:
- Fitness level plays a major role. Regular training improves heart efficiency and often lowers resting heart rate.
- Body weight and body mass index affect how hard the heart must work. A larger body generally requires more effort to circulate blood.
- Height can influence heart rate. Taller individuals often show slightly lower values.
- Genetics also matter. Inherited traits related to cardiovascular conditions and metabolism all influence resting heart rate.
- Medical conditions and medications can change heart rhythm and rate as well. This is why any unusual readings should always be discussed with a healthcare professional.
Lifestyle factors can raise resting heart rate even in healthy people. Common contributors include:
- Chronic stress and mental tension, which keep the nervous system in a heightened state.
- Caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants that increase nervous system activity.
- Poor sleep quality or inconsistent sleep schedules.
- Highly processed or high-fat diets that increase inflammation.
- Dehydration, which thickens the blood and forces the heart to work harder.
- Extended screen time, especially late at night, which disrupts recovery and sleep cycles.
The encouraging part is that many of these factors are controllable. Small changes in daily habits can have a meaningful impact on your resting heart rate normal baseline and your long-term cardiovascular health.
Resting Heart Rate in Training & Performance
Athletes typically have a lower resting heart rate because training makes the heart stronger and more efficient. With consistent exercise, the heart adapts to move more blood with each beat. As a result, it does not need to beat as often at rest.
This is why an athlete’s normal resting heart rate often falls between 40 and 60 beats per minute. We expect that well-trained individuals to fall in this range, and it’s perfectly normal.
Actually, an athlete tends to be bigger because of training. The left ventricle becomes slightly larger and stronger over time, pumping more blood with every contraction.
Our personal trainers always remind athletes that healthy training also follows a combination of smart habits:
Hydration is essential. Proper fluid intake keeps blood volume optimal and reduces the effort required for circulation. You will rarely see a serious athlete train without a water bottle nearby.
Nutrition plays a major role as well. Balanced meals with lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats support muscle recovery and heart health. Omega-3 fats, in particular, help manage inflammation and support long-term cardiovascular health.
Regular training also helps regulate stress and improve sleep quality. Both are critical for recovery. When the nervous system is balanced and sleep is consistent, resting heart rate tends to stabilize and improve.
How to Improve & Optimize Resting Heart Rate
If for any reason you feel you need to improve your resting heart rate, the first thing to do is a medical checkup. This helps confirm that everything is functioning as it should, and to address any concern related to nutrition, underlying conditions, sleep, or stress.
From a training perspective, specific types of movement have the greatest impact on optimizing resting heart rate. Here are the most effective ones:
Aerobic endurance exercise
Activities like walking, running, cycling, swimming, and rowing raise your heart rate to a moderate level and keep it there for an extended period. This type of work strengthens the heart muscle and improves oxygen delivery, which helps lower resting heart rate over time.
Muscle building
Strength training indirectly improves resting heart rate. Increasing lean muscle mass raises metabolic efficiency and helps reduce excess body fat. Both reduce the workload placed on the heart at rest.
High-intensity workouts
High-intensity interval training challenges the heart to adapt quickly to changing demands. These sessions improve how fast your heart rate rises during effort and how quickly it recovers afterward. Both are important markers of improved fitness. We cover this in more detail in our HIIT training guides.
Relaxation techniques
Recovery matters as much as training. Practices like yoga, stretching, mindfulness, and deep breathing help calm the nervous system. A regular relaxation routine can significantly lower baseline heart rate by reducing chronic stress.
Prioritizing sleep
Sleep is critical for heart rate regulation, as it supports the autonomic nervous system, which controls heart rhythm and recovery. Consistent, high-quality sleep helps stabilize your resting heart rate normal baseline and improves overall performance.
Here you can find a complete guide on sleep and recovery for athletes we created. It includes recommendations for bedtime habits, optimizing the different stages of sleep, and a few recovery hacks from elite athletes.
Explore Our Performance Training Programs
Your resting heart rate is more than just a number. It reflects your training habits, recovery, stress levels, and overall cardiovascular health.
Rather than chasing a specific value, focus on how you feel and check with your doctor. Optimizing your resting heart rate may be the missing piece to feeling better and performing better in everyday life.At Performance One, we design personalized training programs that balance training intensity, recovery, and lifestyle habits. So if you’re looking for expert guidance and long-term results, become a member today and start training with us. Let’s build a stronger, healthier heart together.
