Minimum or Resting Heart Rate and Maximum for 5k Runner

Eessh! How long is a piece of string.

In the population your resting heart rate would probably vary from 60 to 100. A good athlete would have it somewhere near 40. The older you get the higher it would be for a good athlete (mine’s 46 I think…so maybe I’m not as good as I thought I was!). Excellent athlete’s might have it in their low 30s. Below 30 and there may be a problem.

Maximum for an athlete could easily be above 180 and below 210. NOT 220-AGE ! (Ignore that formula).

You measure your min at the same time every day, usually first thing in the morning or after 20 mins rest.

There are specific tests for a max heart rate (along with min HR used to determine training zones). However If you sprint for a minute at the end of your 5k and get a PB then your max heart rate in that race is prob somewhere near your best – though also easily your max could be 10 higher than this depending on whether or not you really tried.

All athletes that I’ve spoken to about this have a max HR of over 170. I’ve only spoken to 10s rather than 100s so this is not scientifically accurate! I only recall one in his low 170s and he was pretty much my exact same age and level of fitness, maybe a bit taller, and my max is 20 higher. SO you can draw no conclusions from max HR really. You just need to know it for you and your training.

Related articles

• 5k Heart Rate Training & Racing Zones (the5krunner.com)
• Heart Rate Monitors (mykidcan.org)
• Jump in Resting Heart Rate Might Signal Higher Death Risk (nlm.nih.gov)