Target Heart Rate Calculator
Find your training heart rate from age and intensity.
Optional — enables the Karvonen method.
Results update as you type.
This calculator provides estimates based on population research. Results are not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making health or nutrition decisions.
How it works
Your target heart rate is the beats-per-minute range you aim for during exercise to train at the right intensity for your goal, and a target heart rate calculator turns your age and desired effort into a concrete number to chase on a monitor. The tool first estimates your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age, then scales that ceiling to the intensity you choose. If you also enter a resting heart rate, it switches to the more personalised Karvonen method, which works from your heart rate reserve, the gap between resting and maximum, and adds your resting rate back in. That reserve-based approach tailors the target to your fitness, because a well-conditioned heart with a low resting rate produces a different training zone than an untrained one at the same percentage. People use a target heart rate calculator to make workouts purposeful: easy zones near 50 to 60 percent build an aerobic base and aid recovery, moderate zones around 70 percent improve endurance and burn a healthy mix of fuel, and hard zones above 80 percent sharpen speed and threshold. Training by heart rate keeps you honest, preventing easy days from creeping too hard and hard days from being too soft. Remember that 220-minus-age is an average with real individual scatter, so treat the target as a well-informed guide, adjust to how you feel, and consult a doctor before high-intensity training if you have any cardiac risk factors.
With resting HR: ((maxHR − rest) × intensity) + rest; otherwise maxHR × intensity. maxHR = 220 − age
The simple method multiplies your estimated maximum heart rate by the chosen intensity percentage, giving a target as a flat fraction of the ceiling. The Karvonen method is more individual: it takes your heart rate reserve, maximum minus resting, multiplies that by the intensity, then adds resting back. This anchors the zone to your own baseline, so fitter people with lower resting rates get targets matched to their conditioning rather than to age alone.
Source:American Heart Association; Karvonen et al. (1957)
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter age and intensity.
- 2
Adjust the options
Adjust resting heart rate if they apply — sensible defaults are already set.
- 3
Read your result
Target heart rate updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the two methods?
The percentage-of-maximum method simply takes a fraction of your estimated max heart rate, which is quick but ignores individual fitness. The Karvonen method works from heart rate reserve, the difference between your resting and maximum rates, so it accounts for how conditioned your heart is. Karvonen generally gives a slightly higher, more personalised target and is preferred when you know your true resting heart rate, measured first thing in the morning before rising.
How do I measure my resting heart rate accurately?
Measure it in the morning before getting out of bed, when you are fully rested and calm. Count your pulse at the wrist or neck for a full 60 seconds, or use a heart-rate monitor or fitness tracker. Take it on several consecutive days and average the readings, since caffeine, stress, poor sleep and illness all raise it. A typical adult resting rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute, and lower often reflects better fitness.
What intensity should I train at?
It depends on your goal. Around 50 to 60 percent suits warm-ups, recovery and beginners; 60 to 70 percent builds an aerobic base and endurance; 70 to 80 percent improves cardiovascular fitness and is the classic moderate training zone; and 80 to 90 percent develops speed and lactate threshold for experienced athletes. Most balanced programmes spend the majority of time in easy-to-moderate zones with occasional harder efforts, rather than training hard every session.
Is 220 minus age reliable for everyone?
It is a population average and can be off by ten to fifteen beats per minute for any individual, because true maximum heart rate depends on genetics and physiology, not age alone. Formulas like 208 minus 0.7 times age fit large groups slightly better. For precise personal figures a supervised maximal exercise test is the gold standard. For general training the estimate is fine, provided you treat the resulting zones as flexible guides.
Should I see a doctor before training in high zones?
If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, are over 40 and previously sedentary, or experience chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness, consult a doctor before training near your maximum heart rate. For most healthy people, exercising within target zones is safe and highly beneficial. A medical check and, ideally, a supervised stress test give both peace of mind and a far more accurate personal maximum than any age-based estimate.