Normal Heart Rate by Age Chart
A comprehensive chart of normal resting and maximum heart rate ranges by age — for children, adults, athletes, and seniors. Includes calculator and context.
Normal Resting Heart Rate by Age (Reference Chart)
The values below reflect ranges observed in population studies for healthy individuals without cardiovascular disease. Fit adults typically sit at the lower end of each range; sedentary adults at the upper end.
| Age group |
Normal resting HR |
Average max HR (Nes) |
| Newborn (0–1 mo) | 70–190 bpm | n/a |
| Infant (1–11 mo) | 80–160 bpm | n/a |
| Child (2–10 y) | 70–130 bpm | ~200 bpm |
| Adolescent (11–17 y) | 60–100 bpm | ~200 bpm |
| Adult 18–29 | 55–85 bpm | ~195 bpm |
| Adult 30–39 | 55–85 bpm | ~189 bpm |
| Adult 40–49 | 60–85 bpm | ~182 bpm |
| Adult 50–59 | 60–85 bpm | ~176 bpm |
| Adult 60–69 | 60–85 bpm | ~170 bpm |
| Adult 70+ | 60–90 bpm | ~163 bpm |
| Trained endurance athlete | 40–55 bpm | Age-predicted |
| Elite endurance athlete | 30–45 bpm | Age-predicted |
Max HR values estimated from Nes et al. (HUNT Fitness Study, 2013): HRmax = 211 − 0.64 × age. Individual variation is ±10 bpm.
Why Resting HR Falls With Fitness
Endurance training expands blood plasma volume, thickens the left ventricle, and increases parasympathetic tone. Together these effects allow the heart to deliver the same cardiac output at rest with fewer, more powerful beats. A drop of 10–20 bpm in resting HR over a year of consistent training is common and healthy.
Resting HR and Longevity
A Danish cohort study of 2,798 middle-aged men found that each 10-bpm increase in resting heart rate was associated with a 16% higher risk of all-cause mortality, independent of physical fitness. Resting HR is one of the simplest, cheapest cardiovascular biomarkers available.
Reference: Jensen MT, Suadicani P, Hein HO, Gyntelberg F. Elevated resting heart rate, physical fitness and all-cause mortality: a 16-year follow-up in the Copenhagen Male Study. Heart. 2013;99(12):882–7.
Heart Rate Zones (reference: age 30, HRmax ≈ 187 bpm, Tanaka)
| Zone |
Name |
% HRmax |
BPM (age 30) |
Primary use |
| 1 | Recovery | 50–60% | 94–112 | Warm-up, recovery, active rest |
| 2 | Endurance | 60–70% | 112–131 | Aerobic base, fat oxidation |
| 3 | Aerobic | 70–80% | 131–150 | Tempo, aerobic capacity |
| 4 | Threshold | 80–90% | 150–168 | Lactate threshold intervals |
| 5 | Maximum | 90–100% | 168–187 | VO₂ max, neuromuscular power |
Maximum Heart Rate Formulas
- Tanaka (2001) — our default for men: HRmax = 208 − 0.7 × age. Meta-analysis of 18,712 participants.
- Gulati (2010) — our default for women: HRmax = 206 − 0.88 × age. Developed on 5,437 women.
- Gellish (2007): HRmax = 207 − 0.7 × age. Developed on regularly active adults.
- Nes / HUNT (2013): HRmax = 211 − 0.64 × age. Norwegian HUNT Fitness Study on 3,320 healthy adults.
- Fox (1971) — historical reference: HRmax = 220 − age. Simple and widely quoted, but a 1970s approximation with ±10–12 bpm variability that overestimates for active adults.
No formula is universally “correct.” The only way to know your true HRmax is a supervised maximum-effort test.
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