In general, How to lower your heart rate, the healthier you are. The average adult will have a heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute, while athletes are more likely to have a lower heart rate, somewhere between 40 and 60 beats per minute. Spanish cyclist, five-time Tour de France winner, Miguel Indurain has a heart of only 28 beats per minute. As with everything related to our body, many factors affect heart count. Genetics may play a role, but lifestyle tends to be at the fore, along with our familiar friends and enemies – stress, diet, and fitness levels that affect how our heart works during rest.