Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute (BPM). It is a vital metric for monitoring cardiovascular health, athletic performance, and general wellness. A normal resting heart rate for adults typically ranges between 60 and 100 BPM.
How to Manually Measure Your Heart Rate
You can find your pulse in several places on your body. The most common are the wrist (radial pulse) and the neck (carotid pulse):
Wrist: Place two fingers (index and middle) on the inside of your opposite wrist, just below the base of the thumb.
Neck: Place your fingers on the side of your windpipe.
Count: Once you feel the pulse, count the beats for a specific duration (usually 15, 30, or 60 seconds).
Use the calculator above to convert your count into a standard BPM measurement. For example, if you count 20 beats in 15 seconds, your heart rate is 80 BPM.
Understanding Resting Heart Rate Ranges
Category
BPM Range
Description
Bradycardia
Below 60 BPM
Often seen in elite athletes or during deep sleep.
Normal
60 – 100 BPM
Standard range for most healthy adults.
Tachycardia
Above 100 BPM
May occur during exercise, stress, or illness.
Maximum and Target Heart Rate
Your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) is the highest heart rate an individual can safely achieve through exercise stress. A common formula to estimate this is 220 minus your age. Training zones are calculated as percentages of this maximum:
Fat Burn Zone (60-70%): Ideal for weight loss and building basic endurance.
Aerobic Zone (70-80%): Improves cardiovascular fitness and lung capacity.
Anaerobic Zone (80-90%): Increases lactic acid tolerance and improves high-speed performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to measure resting heart rate? The best time is first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed or consume caffeine.
Does a low heart rate always mean I am fit? Not necessarily. While athletes often have lower heart rates (40-60 BPM), an unusually low heart rate in a non-athlete could indicate an underlying medical condition.
function calculateBPM() {
var beats = document.getElementById('beatsCounted').value;
var seconds = document.getElementById('secondsCounted').value;
var age = document.getElementById('userAge').value;
var resultBox = document.getElementById('bpm-result-box');
var bpmDisplay = document.getElementById('bpm-display');
var statusDisplay = document.getElementById('status-display');
var zoneContainer = document.getElementById('zone-container');
var zoneBody = document.getElementById('zone-body');
if (beats === "" || seconds === "" || beats <= 0 || seconds <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid positive numbers for beats and seconds.");
return;
}
var bpm = Math.round((parseFloat(beats) / parseFloat(seconds)) * 60);
resultBox.style.display = "block";
bpmDisplay.innerHTML = "Your Heart Rate: " + bpm + " BPM";
// Status logic
var status = "";
if (bpm < 60) {
status = "Status: Bradycardia (Low) – Common in athletes, but consult a doctor if you feel dizzy.";
} else if (bpm <= 100) {
status = "Status: Normal – Your heart rate is within the healthy resting range for most adults.";
} else {
status = "Status: Tachycardia (High) – This is high for a resting rate. It is normal during exercise or stress.";
}
statusDisplay.innerHTML = status;
// Target Heart Rate Zones Logic
if (age !== "" && age > 0) {
var mhr = 220 – parseFloat(age);
zoneContainer.style.display = "block";
var zones = [
{ name: "Warm Up", low: 0.5, high: 0.6, desc: "Light activity" },
{ name: "Fat Burn", low: 0.6, high: 0.7, desc: "Weight management" },
{ name: "Aerobic", low: 0.7, high: 0.8, desc: "Cardio endurance" },
{ name: "Anaerobic", low: 0.8, high: 0.9, desc: "Hardcore training" },
{ name: "Maximum", low: 0.9, high: 1.0, desc: "Sprint/Intervals" }
];
var rows = "";
for (var i = 0; i = lowBpm && bpm <= highBpm) ? "style='background-color: #fff9c4; font-weight: bold;'" : "";
rows += "