Take a Clean Resting Reading, Step by Step

An ordered four-step check that ends with a 30-second manual pulse count, plus the three failure modes that ruin a resting number.

Step 1: sit still for 5 minutes. The body needs to settle before any number means anything; a reading taken 30 seconds after climbing stairs is an exercise reading, not a resting reading.

Step 2: wear the band a finger above the wrist bone. That position puts the photodiode over the artery instead of over the joint, and firm skin contact keeps ambient light out of the sensor.

Step 3: take the reading at rest, with the forearm supported and the hand relaxed. Then wait 60 seconds and take a second reading; the two numbers should sit within a few bpm of each other, and a wider gap means one of them was taken during motion or poor contact.

Step 4: count the pulse manually for 30 seconds, double it, and compare with the band's number. Two fingers on the wrist or neck, count each beat, multiply by two to get beats per minute.

Three failure modes explain almost every bad resting number. Recent exertion leaves the heart elevated for several minutes after the effort stops; loose contact lets ambient light reach the photodiode; rapid arm motion during the reading breaks the optical path altogether.

If the band and the manual count disagree, repeat step 3 after another 60 seconds of stillness. A band that produces two matching readings and lands near the manual count is giving a usable resting number.

• Sit still for 5 minutes before the first reading.
• Wear the band a finger above the wrist bone.
• Take the reading at rest, forearm supported, hand relaxed.
• Repeat after 60 seconds; the two readings should agree within a few bpm.
• Count the pulse manually for 30 seconds, double it, and compare.

Further reading

• How the Wrist Sensor Reads Your Pulse
• Training Zones from 220 Minus Age