Resting heart rate by age

For most adults, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm is normal, and it changes little with age: the average adult sits around 70 to 75 bpm. Endurance athletes are often lower, sometimes close to 40. For training, the number that matters is how today compares with your own normal, which the checker below works out.

Calculator

Age

years

Sex

Your average resting heart rate

bpm

Measured just after waking, over a few recent mornings

Where you sit for your age and sex

Athlete / very fit

Excellent / fit

Good

Average

Below average

Men aged 40–59: average 71 bpm, middle half 61–77 bpm.

Normal adult range: 60–100 bpm. Very fit athletes can be close to 40. These bands are a rough guide from population averages, not a verdict on your fitness.

Age	Men: average (middle half)	Women: average (middle half)
20–39	71 (61–76)	76 (66–82)
40–59	71 (61–77)	73 (64–79)
60–79	70 (60–75)	73 (64–78)
80+	71 (61–78)	73 (64–77)

A resting heart rate consistently above 100 or below 50 with dizziness, fainting or breathlessness is a reason to see a doctor.

Age data: Ostchega et al. (2011), NHANES.

You vs your baseline

This morning

bpm

Enter a value between 25 and 140 bpm.

Your last 7 mornings

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Fill in this morning and your last 7 mornings to see how today compares with your baseline.

Daily check: median of your last 7 mornings, robust deviation (the same method LeCoach uses for its daily recovery check).

Resting heart rate by age and sex

Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are fully at rest. The American Heart Association says that for most adults, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm is normal, and that an athlete or more active person may have one as low as 40 bpm. This page is one of the free LeCoach cycling calculators.

The table below comes from US national survey data (NHANES 1999–2008), published by Ostchega and colleagues. "Middle half" means the 25th to 75th percentile: half of all people fall inside that range.

Age	Men, average	Men, middle half	Women, average	Women, middle half
20–39	71 bpm	61–76 bpm	76 bpm	66–82 bpm
40–59	71 bpm	61–77 bpm	73 bpm	64–79 bpm
60–79	70 bpm	60–75 bpm	73 bpm	64–78 bpm
80 and over	71 bpm	61–78 bpm	73 bpm	64–77 bpm

Across all adults aged 20 and over, the average was 71 bpm for men and 74 bpm for women. This is the general population, not athletes. Endurance-trained riders and runners often sit well below these averages.

Why resting heart rate barely changes with age

Look down the table and the numbers hardly move. Men average 70 to 71 bpm at every age; women drop from 76 to 73 bpm after their thirties and then stay there. Compare that with maximum heart rate, which falls steadily: the Tanaka formula gives about 191 bpm at 25 and 163 bpm at 65. You can check yours with the max heart rate calculator.

So age is a poor guide to your resting heart rate. Fitness, genetics, medication, sleep, stress and illness all matter more. Even in the general population, the middle half of men aged 40 to 59 spans 61 to 77 bpm, and fit riders often sit below that. That is why the useful question for training is not "is my number normal for my age?" but "is today normal for me?"

How the daily check works

The checker compares this morning's reading with your own baseline. It uses the same method LeCoach uses for its daily recovery check, applied to one metric:

Your baseline is the median of your last 7 mornings, so one odd reading does not distort it.
It measures how much your readings normally vary, using a robust deviation (the median absolute deviation), with a small floor so a very steady week does not make the check oversensitive.
Changes of 2 bpm or less are ignored as noise.
The result is one of three bands: normal for you, slightly raised or clearly raised.

The calculator above has two parts. The main one places your average resting heart rate on the peer table for your age and sex, with a rating bar from "Athlete / very fit" to "Below average". Below it, a separate "you vs your baseline" card compares this morning's reading with your last 7 mornings, the same way LeCoach checks recovery every day.

Worked example. Last 7 mornings of 48, 50, 49, 51, 50, 49 and 50 bpm give a baseline of 50 bpm. A reading of 56 bpm this morning is 6 above, which comes back as "Clearly raised: an easy day or rest is the smart call." With a week this steady, 52 bpm would still be normal, 53 to 54 bpm slightly raised and 55 bpm or more clearly raised. A noisier week needs a bigger change before it flags.

Want this worked out for you every day? LeCoach builds your training around your own numbers.

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How to measure it well

Same time, same way. Measure just after waking, before you get up, drink coffee or check your phone.
Lie still for a minute or two before you start the reading.
Use the same device. An overnight lowest value from a watch and a morning spot reading from a chest strap are different numbers. Pick one and stick with it.
Collect a week before you trust the comparison.

What can raise it

A hard training block or a race in the last day or two
Short or poor sleep
Alcohol the evening before
A cold or other illness starting
Heat, dehydration or a late heavy meal
Work or life stress

One raised morning is a reason to check how you feel, not a diagnosis. Several raised mornings in a row deserve more attention. Our do I need a rest day? check combines heart rate with sleep, legs and mood. For the second recovery signal, see HRV by age and the HRV checker, and read HRV vs resting heart rate for cyclists for how the two compare.

When to see a doctor

A low resting heart rate in a fit person with no symptoms is usually normal; the AHA and Mayo Clinic both note that very fit athletes can be close to 40 bpm. Talk to a doctor if:

Your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 bpm.
It is consistently below 50 bpm and you have dizziness, fainting or breathlessness.
You notice an irregular heartbeat, palpitations or chest pain, at rest or during exercise.
Your resting heart rate stays well above your normal for more than a few days without an obvious reason.

LeCoach reads your resting heart rate, HRV and sleep from Intervals.icu every morning and tells you when your recovery says to adjust the day.

Sources

Ostchega Y et al. Resting pulse rate reference data for children, adolescents, and adults: United States, 1999–2008. National Health Statistics Reports, No. 41, 2011.
American Heart Association. All about heart rate (pulse).
Mayo Clinic. What's a normal resting heart rate?

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal resting heart rate by age?

For most adults, 60 to 100 bpm is normal at any age. In US national data, average resting heart rate was about 70 to 71 bpm for men at every age and 73 to 76 bpm for women. Half of people fall within about 60 to 80 bpm. Fit athletes are often lower.

What is a good resting heart rate for an athlete?

There is no single good number. Endurance athletes often have resting heart rates in the 40s or 50s, and very fit athletes can be close to 40 bpm. What matters more for training is your own trend: a reading that is clearly above your normal can be a sign of fatigue, poor sleep or illness.

Is a resting heart rate of 40 dangerous?

Usually not in a fit athlete who feels well. The AHA notes athletes may have resting heart rates as low as 40 bpm. A low heart rate becomes a reason to see a doctor when it comes with dizziness, fainting, breathlessness or unusual tiredness, or if you are not particularly active.

Does resting heart rate go up with age?

Hardly. In US national data, men averaged 70 to 71 bpm from their twenties to their eighties, and women 73 to 76 bpm. Maximum heart rate falls with age, but resting heart rate depends far more on fitness, genetics, sleep, stress and health than on age.

How much higher than normal means I should take it easy?

It depends on how much your readings normally vary. In the example week, which varies very little, 3 to 4 bpm above the 50 bpm baseline counts as slightly raised and 5 bpm or more as clearly raised. If your readings normally swing more, it takes a bigger rise before the checker flags it.

When should I see a doctor about my resting heart rate?

See a doctor if your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 bpm, or below 50 bpm with dizziness, fainting or breathlessness. Also get checked for palpitations, an irregular heartbeat, chest pain, or a resting heart rate that stays well above your normal for days without an obvious cause.