3.1.3 Practice: Be Your Own Heart Rate Monitor

Using the heart rate formulas you learned in this lesson, calculate your various heart rates, and then respond to the questions based on your results.


A. Calculate your resting heart rate.

1. Resting heart rate:







2. Were you surprised by your resting heart rate? Why or why not?







3. Did you measure it several times to make sure it was accurate?







4. How do you feel about your resting heart rate compared to the American Heart Association's recommendations for healthy adult resting heart rate range?








B. Calculate your age-predicted maximum heart rate and target heart rate range. Show your work.

1. Estimated maximum heart rate:







2. Target heart rate range:








C. Calculate your actual heart rate range.


Spend 15 minutes engaging in continual cardio-respiratory exercise: running stairs, jogging, or riding a bike are all good options. Try to maintain a moderate intensity (green on Borg’s Scale of Perceived Exertion). Approximately five, ten, and 15 minutes into the exercise, take a pulse to see if you are within the target heart rate range you just calculated.

1. Type of cardio exercise:







2. Pulse after 5 minutes:







3. Pulse after 10 minutes:







4. Pulse after 15 minutes:







5. How did your target heart rate range compare to your actual heart rate during exercise? Were you out of breath? Were you above, below, or within your target range?

6. Why do you think your actual heart rate was above, below, or equal to the target heart rate range you calculated? What can you do to adjust or maintain your workouts so your heart rate falls within the target range during exercise?








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