A Healthy Heart Rate

Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. They differ depending on the individual. There are many variables that affect the heart rate, such as age, weight, height, and how often you exercise. Your rate will also fluctuate regularly as your body's requirement for oxygen changes and it eliminates carbon dioxide.

Resting Heart Rate

When you are sleeping or just laying around, this would be your resting or normal rate. As I said they differ by individual but typically the normal ranges are from 58 bpm (beats per minute) to approximately 90 bpm. An athlete's or a habitual gym rat in excellent shape will have a lower normal rate than the average Joe that does not exercise because their heart is healthier and doesn't have to work as hard.

Target Heart Rate

When exercising you want to manipulate your rate to a range that will be advantageous to your body. A customary workout routine of strenuous aerobic activity for 90 minutes a week can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease, harden your bones and muscles, and assist in weight control. Calculating the target rate consists of a persons sex, age, physical condition, and whether they have trained before. For example, my significant other, who is female, age 30, 130 lbs, she is in peak physical condition, and has been training rigorously for several years, rests at 55-60 bpm and has a target of 152-162 bpm.

Maximum Heart Rate

This is the highest rate your heart can safely accomplish without putting you in any danger and is dependant on your age. Its recommended that your target rate should be approximately 50 to 85 percent of your maximum. Passing your maximum is dangerous and has been in direct relation to increased risks of cardiac arrest. Research has also found exceeding your maximum can lead to poor heart rate recovery, sore joints, injuries, and over training. When your body is over trained, this makes you more susceptible to illness, decline in your performance, increase in fatigue and injury.
You should always consult a health care professional prior to starting any exercise program and it is not recommended to try and obtain your maximum heart rate without a doctor present.

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