Pulse Rate Chart

Defined, as the rate at which the heart beats in one minute, pulse rate or the heart beat is indicative of the health of the person. As the heart pumps blood into the body, the blood vessels close to the wrist, upper arm and neck start pulsating and throbbing. While the normal pulse rate for humans is usually 60 to 100 beats per minute, there are certain medical conditions such as cardiac arrhythmia which may alter the normal pulse rate of an individual. The other influencing factors are the person's age, gender and fitness level. So a toddler's pulse rate is significantly high at around 110 BPM which is almost close to an adult's pulse rate after a strenuous exercise. Similarly females aged 12 and older, tend to have faster heart rates than men. Also athletes, who do a lot of cardiovascular conditioning, may have heart rates near 40 beats per minute. It is also observed that the pulse is lower when you are at rest and increases when you are involved in any strenuous exercise.

How To Calculate the Pulse Rate?

You can check your pulse rate by placing tips of your index, second and third fingers on the palm side of your other wrist, below the base of the thumb or on your lower neck, on either side of your windpipe. Now count the beats for 10 seconds and multiply this number by six to get your pulse. Now use a pulse rate chart to find out how well your heart is working and your general health and fitness levels. Checking your pulse rates when resting, during exercises or after it, can give information about the overall fitness.

Normal Pulse Rate Chart

Resting Pulse Rate Chart: It is observed that the lower the resting heart rates, the healthier is your heart. For calculating this, you have to sit quietly for 10 minutes before checking your pulse rates. Here is a table to demonstrate the ideal resting heart rates.

Babies to age 1:	100 -160
Children aged 1 to 10:	60 -140
Children aged 10+ and adults:	60 -100
Well-conditioned athletes:	40 - 60

Heart Rate During Exercises: Strenuous exercises increase the pulse rates. A heart beat calculator can help measure the increase in heart rates. It should be noted, that exercising above 85 percent of your maximum heart rate increases both cardiovascular and orthopedic risk and does not add any extra benefit. It is therefore advisable to check with your health care provider, before starting an exercise program. Check the heart beat chart below, to find whether you need to increase or decrease your rate of exercise.

Age	Target Heart Rate (HR) Zone (60-85%)	Predicted Maximum Heart Rate
20	120 - 170	200
25	117 - 166	195
30	114 - 162	190
35	111 - 157	185
40	108 - 153	180
45	105 - 149	175
50	102 - 145	170
55	99 - 140	165
60	96 - 136	160
65	93 - 132	155
70	90 - 128	150
Your actual values	Target HR	Max. HR

Checking your pulse rates, using these healthy pulse rate charts can indicate good health while an irregular pulse is a symptom of heart diseases such as a blocked artery. Consult a health care provider in case of any unusual observation.