bpm
Pulse rate
Pulse rate is the number of heartbeats per minute (bpm) and the blood pressure monitor records it during the pressure measurement.
Short answer
The pulse from the monitor is the pulse of that moment, not a resting heart rate. The number alone determines almost nothing; meaning comes from repetition under comparable conditions and from how you feel.
What the value represents
The pulse is the simplest number in the whole measurement: how many times the heart contracts per minute. The device reads it while measuring pressure, so both numbers describe the same moment.
For that very reason it is not a resting heart rate in the proper sense. That is taken after a longer rest, ideally lying down in the morning. The studio value is your pulse after arriving, after walking and slightly tense from being measured, which usually raises it a little.
A single number therefore says almost nothing. It becomes interesting when it repeats: a steadily falling pulse in someone who started training, or a persistently high pulse with no obvious cause.
- The number of heartbeats per minute at the moment of the pressure measurement.
- The current state of circulation — not fitness, not training status, not heart quality.
- An input to RPP, printed next to it as the product with systolic pressure.
- It does not represent rhythm regularity or heart rate variability.
How the value is produced
- A directly measured value. The monitor counts pressure oscillations in the cuff during deflation and derives beats per minute from their frequency.
- It is measured simultaneously with pressure, so both values belong to the same situation and cannot be separated.
- A value marked (2) comes from a second set of measurements on the same device.
- It enters RPP on the result sheet as the multiplier of systolic pressure.
How to read the current value
- Take the value as your pulse in that situation, not as a resting heart rate. After arriving, after stairs or when nervous it tends to be higher.
- The manufacturer documentation available to us states no reference range for pulse rate. The value is therefore not compared with a device threshold.
- If the pulse is far outside your usual range, repeat the measurement after a few minutes seated at rest.
- A low pulse in a trained person and a low pulse in someone feeling faint are two different situations. Context and symptoms decide, not the number.
How to read change over time
- Compare only measurements under similar conditions — same time of day and the same rest beforehand.
- A gradual fall in resting pulse over months of endurance training is expected and favourable.
- A new, persistently higher pulse without a change in training deserves attention: it may relate to illness, fever, dehydration, stress, thyroid function or medication.
- A one-off jump between two visits means nothing — the pulse responds to rushing, coffee and a warm room within minutes.
General principles: how to read change between measurements →
What to read it with
- Blood pressure – measured at the same time; a high pulse and high pressure together often just describe tension during measurement.
- RPP – the product of systolic pressure and pulse, so it moves directly with the pulse.
- MaxPulse, if you take it – a measurement focused on heart rate variability that puts the pulse in context.
- Your own records from a watch or home measurement, where the pulse is captured at rest.
Common misunderstandings
- A lower pulse does not automatically mean better fitness. It tends to be lower in trained people, but fitness cannot be determined from one number.
- This is not a resting heart rate. That is measured after a longer rest, not after arriving at the studio.
- The pulse says nothing about rhythm regularity. The device does not flag an irregular rhythm and does not replace an ECG.
- A difference of a few beats between measurements is ordinary variation, not a change of state.
What can affect the result short term
- Movement, rushing or stairs right before the measurement.
- Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol; energy drinks.
- Stress, nervousness about the measurement and pain.
- A warm room, fever and dehydration.
- Medication — beta blockers lower the pulse, other drugs can raise it.
- Time of day; the pulse tends to be lower in the morning than in the afternoon.
What to do next
- Sit down and rest for a few minutes before measuring, so the value describes you and not your commute.
- If you care about resting heart rate, measure it at home after waking and compare like with like.
- Discuss a persistently high or very low resting pulse, palpitations or irregularity with a doctor.
- To follow fitness, use a trend over time or a MaxPulse measurement, not one number from the blood pressure monitor.
What the value does not determine
- It is a value from a single moment of measurement, not a resting pulse taken after a longer standardised rest.
- It is raised by rushing or movement right before the measurement, caffeine, nicotine, stress, heat, febrile illness and dehydration; some medication, such as beta blockers, lowers it.
- It says nothing about rhythm regularity. The device does not evaluate rhythm type and does not replace an ECG; with an irregular pulse the measurement can be distorted.
- It is not an indicator of fitness. Training status, heart rate variability and the response to exercise cannot be determined from one resting number.
- The manufacturer documentation available to us states no reference range for pulse rate, so the value is not compared with a device threshold.
- A deviation alone determines no diagnosis; a persistently very low or very high resting pulse belongs with a doctor.
On terminology
- Pulse rate is given in beats per minute (bpm) and is a different quantity from blood pressure in mmHg, even though they are measured together.
- A value marked (2) comes from a second set of measurements on the same device.
When to discuss it with a professional
Palpitations, an irregular pulse, fainting or breathlessness belong with a doctor. A persistently very high or very low resting pulse is also a reason for examination, not for another measurement at the studio.
In more depth, with sourcesIn more depth: what an oscillometric pulse captures and what it does notExpand the detailed explanation
An oscillometric monitor derives pulse rate from the number of pressure oscillations recorded in the cuff during deflation. The result is therefore an average over a few tens of seconds of measurement, neither an instantaneous value nor an average over a longer period. With an irregular rhythm the oscillations become uneven and both rate and pressure estimates can be less accurate.
The standardisation of conditions that the European Society of Hypertension guideline describes for blood pressure applies equally to the pulse measured alongside it: several minutes seated at rest, back supported, no conversation. Without that, the journey to the measurement and the tension of it enter the value, typically far more than the differences one wants to follow.
Fitness and heart condition cannot be derived from a single pulse value. Resting heart rate is an indicator that makes sense as a longer series measured under identical conditions, and heart rate variability is a separate quantity that a blood pressure monitor does not record. The InBody 970 manual states no reference range for pulse rate.
Sources
- InBody 970 Result Sheet Interpretation (ENG_A_211104) — InBody Co., Ltd.
- 2023 ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension — European Society of Hypertension / Journal of Hypertension
On this page
Related articles
Where to find it
Measured with the separate monitor. On the InBody 970 result sheet the values appear in the Blood pressure block at the bottom right.
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- MojeInBody content team
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An InBody measurement is not a diagnostic tool. Results do not determine health status and do not replace a medical examination.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what people ask most often about this value.
Is my pulse fine?
That cannot be determined from one measurement at the studio, and the device documentation gives no reference range for it. The value describes the moment after arriving, not a resting pulse. A persistently very high or very low resting pulse is for a doctor to assess.
Why is my pulse higher at the studio than at home?
Because it is measured after the journey, often after walking or stairs, and the measurement itself raises tension slightly. A pulse measured at home after waking is usually lower and describes the resting value better.
Does the device detect an irregular pulse?
No. It records beats per minute but does not evaluate rhythm and does not replace an ECG. With an irregular rhythm both pressure and pulse measurement can also be less accurate.
Explanations make the most sense alongside your own trend.
The public guide is open to everyone. The client portal adds your own value, history and the context of a specific measurement.