Average walking heart rate: what is normal on a walk?
The short answer
There is no single average heart rate for walking, because it depends on your age, your fitness and how fast you walk. What there is, from the American Heart Association, is a target. During moderate activity, which is what a brisk walk is, your heart rate should be about 50 to 70% of your maximum. During vigorous activity it is about 70 to 85%. And your maximum is roughly 220 minus your age. So for a 40-year-old, the maximum is about 180 beats a minute and a brisk walk sits around 90 to 126.
Walking heart rate by age
Worked out from the American Heart Association’s formula. The AHA’s own chart gives the full 50 to 85% range and the maximum, and the split into moderate and vigorous uses its percentages.
| Age | Brisk walk, moderate (50-70%) | Fast or uphill, vigorous (70-85%) | Age-predicted maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 100-140 bpm | 140-170 bpm | 200 bpm |
| 30 | 95-133 bpm | 133-162 bpm | 190 bpm |
| 35 | 93-130 bpm | 130-157 bpm | 185 bpm |
| 40 | 90-126 bpm | 126-153 bpm | 180 bpm |
| 45 | 88-122 bpm | 122-149 bpm | 175 bpm |
| 50 | 85-119 bpm | 119-145 bpm | 170 bpm |
| 55 | 83-115 bpm | 115-140 bpm | 165 bpm |
| 60 | 80-112 bpm | 112-136 bpm | 160 bpm |
| 65 | 78-109 bpm | 109-132 bpm | 155 bpm |
| 70 | 75-105 bpm | 105-128 bpm | 150 bpm |
The AHA is clear that these figures are averages, to use as a general guide. Real maximum heart rates vary from person to person, so two people of the same age can feel the same walk very differently.
What walkers actually measure
For a real-world number, one field study (Church and colleagues, 2002) had 22 adults, mostly in their late 20s and early 30s, walk 1,600 m around a track. Walking normally, the women averaged about 114 beats a minute and the men about 102. That sits inside the moderate band for their ages, which is what a brisk walk on the flat usually is.
Resting heart rate, for comparison
Your heart rate before you start matters too. The AHA says a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats a minute is normal for most adults, and that very active people can be as low as 40. The best time to check it is in the morning, before you get out of bed.
How to check your heart rate on a walk
A watch or fitness tracker does it for you. Without one, the AHA’s method is:
- Find your pulse on the inside of your wrist, on the thumb side.
- Press lightly with the tips of your first two fingers, not your thumb.
- Count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by two.
No pulse to hand? The CDC’s talk test gives a rough reading: at moderate intensity you can talk but not sing, and at vigorous intensity you cannot say more than a few words without pausing for breath.
When the chart does not apply
The AHA notes that some drugs and medications affect heart rate and can lower your maximum heart rate and target zone. In its words, if you have a heart condition or take medication, ask your health care professional what your heart rate should be. For anyone starting out, the AHA suggests aiming for the lower end of the zone, around 50%, and building up gradually.
Your walks, counted toward somewhere
A brisk walk in your target zone is also distance, and reTrek counts it. Your steps from Apple Health or Health Connect move you along a real route, with a short film about the place waiting at each milestone, and Everest Base Camp is free. Start walking it.