Heart Rates and Checkups

46 beats per minute. That is what registered during my annual check up today. "Is your heart rate normally that low?" asked the nurse. I felt a bit embarrassed telling her I was disappointed in the number. I was hoping for something around 42. "You're in good shape." she said while making a strong arm gesture.

For an adult, a normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). For a well-trained athlete, a normal resting heart rate may be as low as 40 to 60 bpm. It has been reported Lance Armstrong has a resting rate of 32-34.

Just because one has a low heart rate does not necessarily mean that person is in good shape.

A better measurement of physical fitness is checking your heart rate after exercise and see how long it takes to get back to resting rate. This is called the recovery rate and is much more important when looking at how fit you are.

After exercising, your heart rate should drop below 120 bpm 2-3 minutes after stopping your cardio workout.