Normal Heart Rate by Age: Healthy Resting Rate Guide

Your resting heart rate is one of the most accessible windows into your cardiovascular health. Understanding what's normal for you can help you make smarter decisions about your training, recovery, and long-term wellness.

This guide explains how resting heart rate changes across your lifespan, what factors shape it, and how continuous monitoring can turn this metric into a powerful tool for optimizing your health.

What is a resting heart rate?

Your resting heart rate (RHR) is the number of times your heart beats per minute when your body is at complete rest. It is a key indicator of your cardiovascular health and fitness, with a lower RHR generally implying a more efficient heart muscle.

WHOOP measures your RHR during sleep, using a dynamic average weighted toward your periods of deepest rest to give you the most accurate reading.

How to measure your resting heart rate

To measure your heart rate manually, you need to find your pulse. You can do this on your wrist or the side of your neck.

1. Place your index and middle fingers on the inside of your opposite wrist, just below the thumb.
2. Count the number of beats you feel in 30 seconds.
3. Multiply that number by two to get your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm).

For the most accurate RHR reading, take this measurement first thing in the morning before you get out of bed or consume any caffeine. For continuous and more precise data, a wearable like WHOOP monitors your heart rate 24/7, removing the guesswork and capturing your true baseline while you sleep.

What is a normal heart rate?

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), according to the American Heart Association. However, this rate changes throughout your life. Children and teens, for example, have faster metabolisms and smaller hearts, resulting in a higher normal RHR of 70 to 110 bpm.

For adults, RHR can also vary by age and gender. For instance, an average 20-year-old woman has an RHR of 74-81 bpm, while a woman in her 60s averages 70-77 bpm, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Athletes and highly fit individuals often have a much lower RHR, sometimes as low as 40 bpm.

RHR by age and gender for the average adult (men above, women below), based on data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

WHOOP members of all ages generally have a lower RHR than what the AHA considers average for their age and gender. This is likely because WHOOP members tend to be athletes or people interested in monitoring their health, so it's not surprising that their RHRs are lower than the norm. Across all ages, the average resting heart rate for women wearing WHOOP is 58.8 bpm, and for men it's 55.2 bpm.

WHOOP members of all ages and genders have lower RHR than norm.

What factors influence your resting heart rate?

Your RHR is unique to you and can be influenced by a variety of factors beyond age and gender. Understanding these can provide deeper insight into your daily data.

• Fitness level: Regular cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, allowing it to lower RHR over time.
• Stress: Mental and emotional stress can trigger a physiological response that elevates your RHR.
• Diet and hydration: Alcohol, caffeine, and dehydration can all increase RHR.
• Sleep: Insufficient or poor quality sleep can lead to an elevated RHR as your body struggles to recover.
• Illness: Your RHR will often rise as part of the immune response when fighting an infection.

What a high or low resting heart rate can mean

Deviations from your normal RHR can signal important changes in your health or fitness. Monitoring your trends over time provides the context to understand what these numbers mean for you.

While a low RHR is typically positive, it's important to consult a healthcare professional if it's accompanied by symptoms like dizziness or fatigue.

Maximum heart rate decreases as we age

As you age, your maximum heart rate (MHR)—the fastest your heart can beat—declines. This is a natural process as the heart muscle becomes stiffer and less able to pump blood as quickly during intense activity. Consequently, your target heart rate zones for exercise also decrease over time.

A common way to estimate your MHR is to subtract your age from 220. For women, the Gulati formula (206 - 0.88 x age) may provide a more accurate approximation.

You can use your MHR to target specific training zones. For aerobic benefits, aim for 70-80% of your MHR, while anaerobic workouts target 80-90% of your MHR. Keep in mind that as you get older, it may also take longer for your heart rate to increase during exercise and slow down afterward.

Your max heart decreases as you age, and with it, your target aerobic and anaerobic heart rates.

Improve your normal heart rate at any age

If your heart is healthy, you can maintain and improve your normal heart rate through exercise no matter your age. Aerobic exercises such as running or cycling (or walking fast if you're not able to do either) are often the best option for building cardiovascular strength. Besides exercising regularly, behaviors that support a healthy heart rate include:

• Drinking plenty of water
• Avoiding alcohol
• Limiting caffeine and nicotine
• Following a balanced diet
• Improving your sleep consistency
• Relaxation exercises such as guided breathing, meditation and yoga

Monitor your heart rate with WHOOP

WHOOP monitors your heart rate 24/7, helping you understand your baseline and how your actions impact it. At night, WHOOP measures your heart rate continuously throughout all sleep stages to calculate a precise and reliable resting heart rate.

During activity, WHOOP provides real-time heart rate tracking, showing your heart rate zones and percentage of max heart rate, so you can decide when to push harder or scale back. WHOOP also quantifies Strain throughout the day, helping you gauge if you've reached an optimal training load or need additional recovery.

The premium WHOOP Life membership includes Heart Screener, an FDA-cleared feature that uses on-demand ECG readings to help detect potential signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Your heart health, personalized

Your resting heart rate is more than a number—it's a dynamic reflection of your body's readiness and long-term health. By understanding your personal baseline and the factors that influence it, you can make smarter decisions about your training, recovery, and daily habits. WHOOP provides the continuous data and personalized insights to help you connect your behaviors to your physiological outcomes.

Frequently asked questions about resting heart rate

What is a good resting heart rate by age?

For most adults, a good resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 bpm. While this range is stable across adult life, a lower RHR within this range generally indicates better cardiovascular fitness.

Is a resting heart rate of 75 good?

Yes, a resting heart rate of 75 bpm is considered normal and healthy for an adult. It falls squarely within the typical 60-100 bpm range. While it's not as low as that of a highly trained athlete, it does not indicate a health risk.

Is a 52 resting heart rate good?

A resting heart rate of 52 bpm is very good and is often a sign of excellent cardiovascular fitness. This is common among athletes and individuals who engage in regular, vigorous exercise. As long as it is not accompanied by symptoms like dizziness or lightheadedness, it is a positive indicator of heart health.

WHOOP products and services are not medical devices, are not intended to diagnose COVID-19, the flu or any other disease, and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content available through WHOOP products and services is for general informational purposes only.

WHOOP Life features like Heart Screener are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this feature to self-diagnose. If you are concerned about your health, please speak to a doctor.