To count your pulse, press your index and middle fingers against an artery close to the skin’s surface, count the beats you feel over 30 seconds, and multiply by two. The wrist is the easiest spot for most people, and a normal resting result for adults falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Finding the Pulse at Your Wrist
The wrist is the most common place to check your pulse because the radial artery sits right against the bone, making each beat easy to feel. Turn one hand palm-up and place the index and middle fingers of your other hand just below the base of your thumb, where your wrist meets your hand. Press gently until you feel a rhythmic tapping. If you press too hard, you can compress the artery and lose the signal. Too light, and you won’t feel anything. Adjust the pressure until each beat is distinct.
Never use your thumb to check a pulse. Your thumb has its own strong pulse, and you’ll end up counting your own heartbeat instead of the one you’re trying to measure.
Other Spots You Can Use
Your neck offers the strongest pulse most people can find. Place your index and middle fingers on the side of your neck, roughly at the midpoint between your earlobe and chin, just to the side of your windpipe. The carotid artery runs close to the surface here, so you typically need very little pressure. Avoid pressing on both sides of the neck at the same time, as this can slow your heart rate or make you lightheaded.
You can also find a pulse on the top of your foot, in the groove between the tendons leading to your first and second toes. Another foot location is just behind and below the bony bump on the inside of your ankle. These spots are harder to locate and are mainly useful for checking circulation in the lower legs rather than measuring heart rate.
How Long to Count
A full 60-second count gives you the most accurate number, but it’s not always practical. Research comparing different counting intervals found that 30 seconds is the best balance of accuracy and efficiency: count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by two. A 15-second count (multiplied by four) works in a pinch but becomes unreliable when the heart rate is above 100 beats per minute, because even one miscounted beat throws the final number off by four.
If you notice that the beats feel uneven or seem to skip, count for the full 60 seconds. Short intervals can mask irregularities that only show up over a longer window.
Getting an Accurate Resting Reading
Your resting heart rate is the number that matters most for tracking your overall cardiovascular fitness, but getting a true resting measurement takes a little preparation. Sit quietly for a few minutes before you start. Don’t measure within one to two hours after exercise or a stressful event, because your heart rate can stay elevated well after the activity ends. Wait at least an hour after drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages, which can temporarily raise your rate. Also avoid checking right after sitting or standing for a prolonged stretch, since both positions can shift your reading.
First thing in the morning, before you get out of bed, is one of the most reliable times to check. Your body is calm, caffeine-free, and in a consistent position day after day, which makes it easier to spot real trends over time.
What the Numbers Mean
For adults and adolescents, a normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. Well-trained athletes often sit in the 40s or 50s because their hearts pump more blood with each beat and don’t need to work as fast. Children’s hearts beat faster: toddlers typically range from 98 to 140, school-age kids from 75 to 118, and newborns can reach over 200.
A resting rate consistently above 100 is considered tachycardia. On the low end, clinical guidelines previously flagged anything below 60 as bradycardia, but more recent cardiology guidelines shifted that threshold down to below 50, reflecting what large population studies actually show as abnormally slow. If your resting pulse regularly falls outside the normal range and you’re not an endurance athlete, it’s worth bringing up with a doctor.
What an Irregular Pulse Feels Like
While you’re counting, pay attention to the rhythm as well as the rate. A healthy pulse feels like a steady, evenly spaced drumbeat. An irregular pulse might feel like a beat is missing, followed by a harder-than-usual thump. That pattern, a skipped beat followed by a strong one, is the hallmark of a premature heartbeat. Occasional premature beats are common and usually harmless.
Other irregularities feel different. A sudden jump to a rapid, pounding rhythm that starts and stops abruptly can signal a type of fast heart rhythm originating above the lower chambers of the heart. A pulse that feels continuously chaotic, with no predictable pattern at all, could indicate a condition like atrial fibrillation. If your pulse frequently feels fluttery, skips multiple beats in a row, or races without an obvious trigger like exercise, that’s worth investigating.
Using Your Pulse During Exercise
Checking your pulse during a workout helps you gauge intensity. The simplest way to estimate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. A 40-year-old, for example, has an estimated max of 180 beats per minute. For moderate exercise, aim for 64% to 76% of that number. For vigorous workouts, target 77% to 93%.
A more personalized method factors in your resting heart rate. Subtract your resting rate from your maximum to get your heart rate reserve, then multiply that number by the intensity percentage you want (say, 70%), and add your resting rate back on. This approach, known as the Karvonen method, better reflects your individual fitness level because two people the same age can have very different resting rates.
To check mid-workout, pause briefly, find your pulse at the wrist or neck, and count for 15 seconds. Multiply by four. Speed matters here because your heart rate drops quickly once you stop moving, so a longer count will underestimate your working rate.
Manual Pulse vs. Wearable Devices
Smartwatches and fitness trackers use optical sensors that shine light through your skin to detect blood flow. When you’re sitting still, they tend to be reasonably close to the gold-standard readings from an ECG patch. Accuracy drops with movement, though. Studies have found that walking can cause wearables to report a heart rate higher than the true value, while repetitive wrist motions like typing can push the reading lower, likely because the sensor loses consistent contact with the skin.
Manual pulse counting has its own limitations. You can miscount, lose track of time, or press too hard. But it requires no equipment, works anywhere, and lets you feel the rhythm directly, something no wristband can do. For a quick daily check, either method is fine. If you notice something unusual on your watch, confirming with a manual count gives you a second data point before you decide whether to worry.