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Resting heart rate
How to measure resting heart rate correctly, the published reference values (American Heart Association), and what your own number does — and does not — say.
How to measure it
Sit quietly for 5 minutes, then count your pulse at the wrist for 30 seconds and double it. Best measured first thing in the morning, before coffee.
Published reference
A normal resting heart rate for adults is 60-100 beats per minute. A well-trained athlete's resting heart rate can be closer to 40 beats per minute.
Source: American Heart Association · checked 2026-09-03
Your number
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Rates below 60 with dizziness, fainting or fatigue, or a resting rate persistently above 100, are reasons to see a clinician.
Reference values describe populations, not you. Your own trend — same test, same method, month after month — is the comparison that actually matters.
Frequently asked questions
How is resting heart rate measured?
Sit quietly for 5 minutes, then count your pulse at the wrist for 30 seconds and double it. Best measured first thing in the morning, before coffee.
What is a good resting heart rate result?
A normal resting heart rate for adults is 60-100 beats per minute. A well-trained athlete's resting heart rate can be closer to 40 beats per minute.
What if my resting heart rate result is outside the reference?
Rates below 60 with dizziness, fainting or fatigue, or a resting rate persistently above 100, are reasons to see a clinician. A single number outside a population reference is a data point, not a diagnosis — but symptoms are always a clinician's business.
Cooper 12-minute run
Cooper KH, "A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake" (JAMA 1968); formula as published.
Push-ups
American College of Sports Medicine test description; Cooper Institute FITNESSGRAM
Plank hold
McGill SM, "Core training: evidence translating to better performance" (2010)
Grip strength
JAMAR test protocol; population reference values as reviewed in published handgrip normative studies
VO2max estimates
Kline GM et al., "Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk" (Med Sci Sports Exerc 1987); Cooper 1968
The trend beats the table
TempoLife stores your resting heart rate and workouts over time, so re-tests read as a trend, not a verdict.