What is a healthy heart rate?

A healthy heart rate for children older than age 10 and all adults, including seniors, is 60 to 100 beats per minute, according to the American Heart Association. Well-trained athletes may have a resting heart rate of 40 to 60 beats per minute.

Target heart rate during exercise is around 50 to 85 percent of someone's normal heart rate, notes the American Heart Association. This is the rate the heart should achieve during a workout. The normal target heart rate is 220 minus the age of the person exercising. For someone who is 40, a normal target heart rate is from 90 to 153 beats per minute while exercising for most effective exercise, with a maximum rate of 180.