How to Determine Resting Heart Rate and Cardio Fitness

Evaluating progress from an exercise program can be done by measuring cardio fitness. Although there are more complex ways to get a measurement, the average person can use their resting heart rate to determine cardio fitness. A range of 40 to 100 beats indicates a normal resting heart rate.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Watch

1. Take your pulse first thing in the morning before engaging in any significant activity. Because the resting heart rate is a representation of the least amount of beats required to sustain the body, taking the pulse upon waking is the best time to get an accurate reading.
2. Place the index and middle fingers on either side of the neck, or the thumb side of the wrist to find the radial or carotid pulse.
3. Count the beats starting at zero and continue counting for one minute.
4. Record the number of times the heart beats in one minute. This number reflects cardio fitness. A man of average cardio fitness should expect a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute. For women, 75 beats per minute is the average.
5. Record the resting heart rate over a period of time to determine if cardio fitness is improving. As your cardio fitness improves, your resting heart rate will decrease.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of counting for the entire 60 seconds, consider counting the beats for 30 seconds and multiplying the result by 2.
• Don't use the thumb to measure the pulse. The thumb has a pulse of its own and would interfere with obtaining an accurate reading from the carotid or radial arteries.