Two Key Indicators of Recovery and Restoration: Your Heart Rate and Your Blood Pressure
During exercise, 6 or 10 second pulse checks can be used. If the pulse is counted for 6 seconds, multiply by 10 to get the heart rate in beats per minute. If the 10-second count is used, multiply by 6 to get beats per minute.
When you wake up the most common spot to reach for to measure your pulse is the artery on the thumb-side of the wrist. Touch this area lightly until you feel your pulse/heart beat. Count the amount of heart beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four - this will give you your daily pulse rate.
The pulse differs from person to person and is only an indicator of your resting pulse rate. The "normal" for men is 72 bpm (beats per minute) and for women it is 80 bpm, but rates 10 beats either side of those rates fall into the normal range.
It cannot be emphasised too strongly that you must keep a record of your morning pulse rates in a log book which also details your training and how you felt during the sessions (more on keeping a training diary in a future article).
As you get fitter and fitter your morning pulse rate will drop.
Two easy methods can be used when checking pulse rate. One method checks the pulse at the wrist (as recommended when you wake up in the morning), called the radial pulse, and the other is at the neck, called the carotid pulse.
For a RADIAL PULSE CHECK, turn your left hand palm-side up, then place the first two fingers of your right hand along the outer edge of your left wrist just below where your wrist and thumb meet i.e. using the tips of your index and middle finger.
Slide your fingers toward the center of your wrist. You should feel the pulse between the wrist bone and the tendon from the pulse of the radial artery which can be found on the thumb side of either wrist. It lies just a little below the base of the thumb.
Press down with our fingers until you feel your pulse. Do not press too hard, or you will not be able to feel the pulsation. Feel free to move your fingers until the pulse is easiest to feel. The pulsing of the artery will be felt when the fingers are in the right place. Hold gently when you feel an intermittent "throbbing" sensation in
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