Your heart rate is more than a number, it’s a real-time gauge of how hard your body is working. When you move, your heart pumps faster to deliver oxygen to your muscles.
“A healthy resting heart rate (RHR) varies, but the general ranges are between 60–100 beats per minute for the average person, and 40–50 bpm for well-trained individuals,” personal trainer Adam Enaz told GQ.
And that spike during workouts? Totally expected. “It is completely normal for it to rise—sometimes even significantly—during exercise or stressful periods,” Alina Cox, trainer at ClubQ Health, told GQ.
The Risks of Being Too High or Too Low
According to reporting from GQ, a consistently elevated resting heart rate may be linked to fatigue, dehydration, or poor recovery. And Harvard Health research adds that a resting heart rate at the upper end of normal can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease and early death.
Cox warned in GQ that “consistently training at 90%+ max heart rate can lead to problems,” including injury and high stress-hormone levels.
At the other end of the spectrum, a very low RHR—under 40 bpm in non-athletes—can point to bradycardia, a serious condition where the heart doesn’t pump enough blood.
What Your Heart Rate Should Be in Different Workouts
Enaz told GQ the best zones for training break down like this:
- Walking or light cycling: 50–60% of your max HR
- Steady-state running: 60–75%
- Weightlifting: 60–80%
- HIIT or sprints: 80–95%
Lower zones burn fat as fuel, while higher zones push your body to use carbs for quick bursts of energy.
How to Train Your Heart to Be More Efficient
As reported by GQ, several studies show that regular training lowers resting heart rate over time by making the heart more efficient. Endurance sports like cycling and running are especially effective, though short blasts of HIIT also help.
Cox told GQ she uses deep breathing, proper warm-ups, and strategic nutrition (like whole grains or fruit before training) to keep heart rate steady and recovery strong.
Bottom line: Your heart rate isn’t just workout data—it’s a powerful tool to measure fitness and even predict illness. As Cox told GQ: “Track your HR over time—you’ll see it change as your fitness improves.”
