Many parents know that their own pulse or heart rate should be within about 60 to 100 beats per minute. Your child, however, may have a higher pulse rate. Depending on their age, children can have a pulse between 43 and 180 beats per minute. Because heart rate generally decreases as body size increases, babies have the highest pulse. The electrical impulse then travels down the bundle branches to the ventricular muscles, causing them to contract, producing a heartbeat that pumps the blood to the body. The normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. If the sinus node is without nerves (for example a transplanted heart) the heart rate is about 80 beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate for the average adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) or 40 to 60 bpm for highly conditioned athletes. If you’re sedentary most of the day, your RHR likely approaches or exceeds the top end of this range. This may be because your heart is less efficient. As per the American Heart Association (AHA), if you are an adult, your heart rate should be in the range of 60 to 100 beats per minute. And if your age is between 6 and 15 years, your heart rate should be anywhere between 70 and 100 per minute. What is a good heart rate for my age?
Is a 50 pulse too low? A resting heart rate of 50 beats per minute (or 8.3 beats every 10 seconds) is slower than the 60 to 100 bpm range considered normal for adults. A heart rate below 60 bpm for adults is a condition called bradycardia and is usually abnormal. However, in the case of well-trained athletes a 50 pulse may be normal as heart rates as low as 40 bpm are considered regular for those in top physical condition. 1
50 beats per minute resting is 26.5% slower than the typical adult average of 73 bpm for both sexes.
Your resting pulse will vary with age. Consult the table below to check how a 50 heart rate compares to others in your age range.
50 bpm Pulse Percentile by Age
| Age | Percentile for 50 resting pulse |
|---|---|
| Infant | Top 1% Extremely Low |
| 1 year | Top 1% Extremely Low |
| 2-3 years | Top 1% Extremely Low |
| 4-5 years | Top 1% Extremely Low |
| 6-8 years | Top 1% Extremely Low |
| 9-11 years | Top 1% Extremely Low |
| 12-15 years | Top 1% Athlete |
| 16-19 years | Top 2.5% Athlete |
| 20-39 years | Top 2.5% Athlete |
| 40-59 years | Top 2.5% Athlete |
| 60-79 years | Top 2.5% Athlete |
| 80+ years | Top 2.5% Athlete |
Source Citations
- Linda J. Vorvick MD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institute of Health Pulse: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
Normal Heart Beat Per Minute For A Male
Change pulse