How To Check Heart Rate: 5 Methods And What Is Normal - Healthline

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HealthlineSubscribeHow to Take Your Pulse and Target Heart Rates to Aim For

Medically reviewed by Meera Patel, PA-C — Written by Megan Dix, RN, BSN — Updated on July 11, 2025

Radial pulse method
Carotid pulse method
Pedal pulse method
Brachial pulse method
Using a device
Target heart rates
See a doctor
Takeaway

Key takeaways

Checking your heart rate can be done manually at the radial, carotid, pedal, or brachial arteries, or with devices like chest strap monitors, fitness trackers, blood pressure machines, and smartphone apps.
Target heart rates during exercise should be between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate, which is estimated by subtracting your age from 220. Exercising at the lower end is beneficial for fat burning, while exercising at the higher end builds cardiovascular strength.
Consult a doctor if you experience a consistently low heart rate (below 60 bpm) accompanied by chest pain, or a consistently high heart rate (above 100 bpm) along with symptoms such as shortness of breath or dizziness, as these may indicate underlying health issues.

Heart rate is a measurement of how many times your heart beats in 1 minute.

Resting heart rate is how many heartbeats you have per minute when you aren’t exercising or otherwise under stress. Resting heart rate can be an important measure of the health of your heart muscle.

It’s helpful to be able to check your own heart rate for your general health, when exercising, or if you experience symptoms such as dizziness.

You may also need to check your child’s pulse or check someone’s pulse in an emergency situation after you’ve called 911 to determine if your child or someone needs CPR.

Your age and fitness level greatly affect your resting heart rate. All of the following can also affect your heart rate:

temperature
body position, such as lying, sitting, or standing
emotional state
caffeine intake
certain medications
underlying heart or thyroid conditions

You can check your pulse in a number of ways. Here are some of the most common methods:

Method 1: Radial pulse

To check your pulse using this method, you’ll need to find the radial artery:

Place your pointer and middle fingers on the inside of your opposite wrist just below the thumb.
Don’t use your thumb to check your pulse, as the artery in your thumb can make it harder to count accurately.
Once you can feel your pulse, count how many beats you feel in 15 seconds.
Multiply this number by 4 to get your heart rate. For instance, 20 beats in 15 seconds equals a heart rate of 80 beats per minute (bpm).

Method 2: Carotid pulse

To check your pulse using this method, you’ll need to find the carotid artery:

Place your pointer and middle fingers on the side of your windpipe just below the jawbone. You may need to shift your fingers until you can easily feel your heart beating.
Count the pulses you feel for 15 seconds.
Multiply this number by 4 to obtain your heart rate.

Method 3: Pedal pulse

You can also find your pulse on the top of your foot. This is called the pedal pulse:

Place your index and middle fingers above the highest point of the bone that runs along the top of your foot. You may have to move your fingers along the bone or slightly to either side to feel the pulse.
Once you have found your pulse, count the beats for 15 seconds.
Multiply by 4 to obtain your heart rate.

Method 4: Brachial pulse

Another location for checking your pulse is the brachial artery. In young children, this is the most common method used:

Turn your arm so it’s slightly bent and your inner arm is facing up toward the ceiling.
Place your index and middle fingers along the side of your arm between the crook of your elbow on the top and the pointy part of your elbow bone on the bottom. Then move your fingers an inch up your arm. You may have to press quite firmly to feel your pulse.
Once you can feel the pulse, count how many beats occur in 15 seconds.
Multiply this number by 4 to obtain your heart rate.

Method 5: Checking your heart rate with an assistive device

A number of devices are available that can determine your heart rate, such as:

at-home blood pressure machines
digital fitness trackers
smartphone apps
exercise machines

The most accurate device for checking your heart rate is a wireless monitor that’s strapped around your chest. It reads out to a fitness tracker worn on your wrist.

Digital fitness trackers worn on the wrist, at-home blood pressure machines, and smartphone apps are less accurate than manually checking your heart rate. Having said that, these devices are fairly accurate and very useful when exercising.

Exercise machines may have metal hand grips that read your heart rate, but these are often inaccurate. It’s most effective to check your heart rate manually or using a digital fitness tracker.

What should your heart rate be?

Heart rate norms are based primarily on age rather than gender, although men tend to have slightly lower heart rates than women.

According to experts, the target resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 bpm. Very fit individuals like athletes may have resting heart rates below 60 bpm.

To keep you safe and maximize the efficiency of your workouts, you can use target heart rates. Typically, exercising at 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate is ideal for moderate-intensity activities, while 70% to 85% is best for vigorous exercise.

Exercising at the lower end of this percentage or doing interval training (where your heart rate goes up and down) is suitable for fat burning. Exercising at the higher end of this percentage helps build cardiovascular strength.

To calculate your estimated maximum heart rate, you can use the equation of subtracting your age from 220. For example, if your age is 45 years, then your approximate maximum heart rate is 175 bpm (220 – 45 = 175).

You can then use your maximum heart rate to determine what your target heart rate is while exercising.

The following chart shows estimated maximum and target heart rates for various age groups:

Age	Estimated maximum heart rate	Target heart rate (60% to 85% of max)
20	200	120 to 170
25	195	117 to 166
30	190	114 to 162
35	185	111 to 157
40	180	108 to 153
45	175	105 to 149
50	170	102 to 145
55	165	99 to 140
60	160	96 to 136
65	155	93 to 132
70	150	90 to 128

The most accurate way to determine your true maximum heart rate and target heart rate is to participate in a doctor-graded exercise test.

It’s always best to talk with a doctor before beginning a new exercise program, especially if you are a complete beginner or have a history of heart or lung issues.

When to see a doctor

A consistently low heart rate is called bradycardia. In healthy young adults or trained athletes, a low heart rate with no other symptoms is usually the sign of a very healthy heart muscle.

However, a low heart rate can be a sign of a serious underlying problem. If your heart rate is lower than 60 bpm and you’re experiencing chest pain, call 911. If you’re experiencing dizziness, weakness, fainting, or other concerning symptoms, call a doctor.

A consistently high heart rate (over 100 bpm when resting) is known as tachycardia. It’s expected to have an elevated heart rate when you’re exercising, stressed, anxious, sick, or have consumed caffeine.

However, a heart rate over 100 bpm when you’re resting is an indication of serious medical concern, if you’re also experiencing:

dizziness
weakness
headache
palpitations
sudden anxiety
chest pain

If you’re having any of these symptoms, call a doctor.

Takeaway

Simple methods for checking your heart rate at home are available. It may be useful to know your resting heart rate as an indicator of your heart health.

You can also maximize your workout routine by knowing your target heart rates and checking your heart rate when exercising.

There are times when a high or low heart rate accompanied by other symptoms is a sign of a serious underlying issue. Call your doctor immediately if you experience this.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Pasadyn SR, et al. (2019). Accuracy of commercially available heart rate monitors in athletes: A prospective study.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6732081/
Target heart rates chart. (2024).https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates

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Medically reviewed by Meera Patel, PA-C — Written by Megan Dix, RN, BSN — Updated on July 11, 2025

How To Check Heart Rate: 5 Methods And What Is Normal - Healthline

Key takeaways

Method 1: Radial pulse

Method 2: Carotid pulse

Method 3: Pedal pulse

Method 4: Brachial pulse

Method 5: Checking your heart rate with an assistive device

What should your heart rate be?

When to see a doctor

Takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

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