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What is a Good Resting Heart Rate by Age and Gender?

For most adults, an average resting heart rate (RHR) is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. It naturally changes with age and can be influenced by multiple factors, including fitness level, stress, and overall health.
What is resting heart rate (RHR)?
Resting heart rate (RHR), also called basal heart rate, is the number of beats per minute (bpm) when your body is at rest in a neutral environment, free from recent exertion. This metric provides key insights into cardiovascular fitness and overall healthspan—the long-term quality of your health and longevity.
A lower RHR is generally a sign of a stronger heart that can efficiently pump blood with fewer beats. When your heart doesn’t need to work as hard to circulate oxygen, your fitness improves, recovery accelerates, and longevity may be positively impacted.
Women have higher RHRs than men
Women’s hearts are typically smaller than men’s, meaning each beat moves less blood. As a result, each heartbeat produces less blood flow, and the heart needs to pump faster in order to achieve the necessary output. WHOOP data confirms this, showing an average RHR of 58.8 bpm for women and 55.2 bpm for men. Many WHOOP members are health-conscious and performance-driven, which might explain why their RHRs tend to be below national averages.
How RHR changes with age
RHR tends to increase until around age 40, then stabilizes. Tracking these trends over time can help assess cardiovascular fitness and spot potential health shifts early.
Factors that affect resting heart rate
Your RHR can be influenced by a variety of lifestyle and physiological factors:
- Stress: Chronic stress elevates RHR, which is why stress management is crucial for heart health. WHOOP members who report stress see an average RHR increase of 1 bpm.
- Weight & BMI: Higher BMI correlates with higher RHR, as excess weight increases cardiovascular demand.
- Caffeine, alcohol, and smoking: All can temporarily raise RHR or cause long-term cardiovascular strain.
- Medications: Some medications, like beta blockers, lower RHR, while decongestants and stimulants can elevate it.
- Chronic sleep deprivation: Poor sleep can impact metabolism and cause an increase in RHR over time.
What can RHR indicate about your health?
While normal RHR varies by individual, consistently elevated or unusually low RHR may signal a health concern. A higher RHR has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, whereas a lower RHR is generally linked to better fitness.
How to improve RHR
- Incorporate daily movement: Even a brisk walk can have long-term benefits on heart efficiency.
- Optimize aerobic training: Activities like swimming and cycling strengthen the heart and lower RHR over time.
- Manage stress: Mindfulness and breathwork can reduce RHR by improving nervous system balance.
- Prioritize sleep: Consistent, high-quality sleep supports heart health and recovery.
How WHOOP measures your RHR
WHOOP calculates your RHR automatically each night, using a weighted average from your deepest sleep periods—when your body is in its most relaxed state. This ensures highly reliable readings and allows you to monitor trends over time.
Additionally, WHOOP uses RHR, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and sleep performance to calculate your daily Recovery score—helping you understand how prepared your body is to take on strain.
Resting Heart Rate FAQs
Should I pay closer attention to my resting heart rate? An RHR consistently above 100 bpm (tachycardia) or below 60 bpm (bradycardia) may require medical attention. It is important to consult with a healthcare professional to determine the cause.
Is resting heart rate a good indicator of health? Yes, resting heart rate can be a good indicator of health, as a lower resting heart rate generally indicates better cardiovascular fitness. However, there are many factors that can affect resting heart rate, such as age, medication use, and medical conditions, so it should not be relied upon as the sole indicator of overall health.
Is 80 bpm a healthy resting heart rate? It depends. While 80 bpm falls within the normal range, it may indicate lower cardiovascular efficiency compared to a well-trained individual with an RHR in the 50s.